Member of the Month – Kamloops Arts Council
For the member of the month – August, we interviewed Thompson Rivers University BFA graduate Holly Bartels. Currently, her exhibit is happening in KAC Hallway Gallery and runs until August 27th.
Full Name: Holly Bartels
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas and Mixed Media
How long have you been doing your art:
I have been creating art since I was little, back then it was poorly drawn pets and stick figure family members.
What got you originally interested in the art you do;
When I first started creating art, it was because I was inspired by my mum’s artwork from high school. This current body of work though, was inspired by video games and movies with the idea developing over a 3-year period in university.
What do you most enjoy about art;
My favourite part of my own work is how the underpainting colour peaks out, enhancing the colour palette of the other elements. When choosing a palette, I like to pick multiple complimentary colours or split complementary to make the underpainting pop.
What do you think makes art important;
I think art is important because not only does it transcend the language barrier, but it is something intertwined with the story of being human. From our beginning we have created art. Art can be admired or used as a tool for various applications.
What are you looking forward to the most in this upcoming year (A special show or project you’re working on):
What I am looking forward to the most this year is to see how my creative work outside of university develops and what catches my interest next when creating a new body of work.
Are you on social media or have a website you would like us to include/link?
https://holliolli.trubox.ca/ – my artist website!