University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada June 13, 1997

"New, new" art springs from the studios in HUB

By Lee Elliott

Dr. Graham Peacock is recognized as a leading artist of what has been dubbed "new new painting." But teaching the kind of art he's made his reputation on isn't easy.

"We teach abstract art in the regular term," says Peacock, "but it's severely restricted by space availability and the students are restricted by budget." To overcome these problems, Peacock is holding the first of what he hopes will become a regular spring session workshop in abstract painting. His vision for the program is that entry will become competitive and budgets will enable them to attract guest artists.

To get the program off the ground, Peacock was able to secure studio space usually used for up to 80 students for the 18 participants in the first six-week class. He was also able to secure donations that help subsidize the cost of materials for students, who invest between $150 and $500 each for materials on top of the cost of the course.

"The development and the gains of the concentrated program are enormous," says Peacock. "The regular program is in some ways too fractured." Students in the regular sessions still work at a hight level of accomplishment, he says, "but this is highly motivating and effective... You have to make a lot of work to get good at it." And the spring sessions format allows for the concentration to produce a great deal of work over a relatively short period of time.

The U of A is recognized internationally for its contribution to abstract painting and sculpture, says Peacock. "Art critic Clement Greenberg mentions Edmonton as a leader of abstract painting and sculpture. It stuns many audiences because they have no idea where Edmonton is."

In the six-week program, students are painting their way through the history of abstract art, he says. They explore shape, color, line, figure/ground and extraordinary materials. "It's a very challenging development because it's the sort of stripping away of what can become crutches for work," says Peacock.

Students are also watching art videos, touring galleries and have visited the studios of Doug Haynes, a former U of A professor, and alumnus Robert Scott among others.

Student Grant Mah says the class has given him a new idea of what painting is all about. "It just ties everything to the use of color, the composition... it teaches us to look at things differently and to see things differently." Mah says he's been spending long hours in the studio over the course of the program "I'm actually working things out in the workshop... the concentration does make a lot of difference."

The class is holding an open house at the studio, HUB 100, Friday June 13 from 1 to 4 pm. They will also be displaying work at the FAB Gallery starting June 27. The sponsors who helped make the session possible include: Quality Color, U of A Parking Services, Citadel Theatre, Imagination Market, Alley Kat Brewing Company, Revelstoke Home Centre, Technicare Inc., Power Plant Restaurant and Bar, Garth Rankin Photography, Brin Murray Graphic Design, Java Jive, Pro-Western Plastic Co., HUB Photo and the U of A Bookstore.

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