A self-described "blue-collar artist" from New Westminster is throwing open his studio doors this weekend for a show.
Nolan Drew is welcoming people to stop in to his Brow of the Hill studio to see three rooms full of art - including ceramics, paintings, drawings, sculptures, photos and prints.
Drew just graduated with his bachelor of fine arts from Emily Carr University, and this marks his first solo show.
His major was in ceramics, and he recently served as the artist-in-residence at Medalta Studios, a ceramic institution in Medicine Hat, Alta. He has been exhibiting his work in galleries across Western Canada since 2007.
"I am irresistibly drawn to ceramics because, in production, it demands knowledge from almost all areas of fine arts," he says in an artist's statement.
The statement notes he enjoys the processes involved in material recycling, and he incorporates them into his paintings and ceramics.
"The timelines involved in destruction and decomposition processes intrigue me, and I take inspiration from the gritty, dirty and the eroding materiality of objects in urban spaces and integrate those tactile experiences on the surfaces of my art work," he says.
Drew describes is artistic process as "a struggle of controlled chaos."
"It is developed through discovery, chance and unconscious thought while competing with control and movement-image," he says.
To view Drew's work, stop by his studio this weekend.
Opening night is tonight (Friday, April 25), with festivities running from 6 p.m. to midnight.
The studio will also be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26.
Drop by 233 11th St. to check out the exhibition, or call 604-908-8013 for information.
