{"id":31857,"date":"2019-02-15T03:57:18","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T11:57:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=31857"},"modified":"2019-02-13T15:32:21","modified_gmt":"2019-02-13T23:32:21","slug":"mixing-abstract-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2019\/02\/15\/mixing-abstract-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"Mixing abstract, nature"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sidi Schaffer\u2019s current exhibit, In Partnership with Nature, is at the Zack Gallery until March 3. (photo by Olga Livshin)<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sidi Schaffer\u2019s art has gone through several different incarnations. At the beginning of her career, in postwar Romania, she adhered to a realistic approach. \u201cFor several years, the central images of my work were people,\u201d she said in an interview with the Independent<\/em>.<\/p>\n

After her family immigrated to Israel, she continued her studies and received her art education degree. \u201cAt that time, I fell in love with the Impressionists, especially Cezanne, and started painting more landscape and still life,\u201d she said. \u201cI tried to catch the essence, the light and beauty of my surroundings. Even my palette changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next stage in her artistic development came after she immigrated to Canada in 1975. It was as if every country triggered a twist in her artistic road. \u201cI needed to establish new roots and master new challenges,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIn 1980, I went back to school to study printmaking at the University of Alberta. They told me: \u2018Paint abstract, throw away realism.\u2019 I followed my teachers\u2019 good advice \u2026 and totally immersed myself in abstraction. I simplified my work; my focus became my inner world, my feelings and my emotions. The art-making process became a sacred ritual.\u201d<\/p>\n

But pure abstraction didn\u2019t hold her interest for long. Her abstract compositions acquired random elements of realism. \u201cI tried to make my works integrated, bring together abstract and figurative,\u201d she said. \u201cI tried to express the concept of unity between the internal and the external, between the spiritual and the physical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her current show, In Partnership with Nature, which opened at the Zack Gallery on Jan. 31, combines her inclination towards abstraction, her love of nature and her ability to bridge the realistic and the spiritual in her paintings. It also highlights her innate optimism. The show is airy, uplifting and charming, the works prompting a quiet gladness in viewers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about flowers, but in an oblique, complex way. \u201cI love flowers,\u201d said Schaffer. \u201cNature is my biggest inspiration. When it surrounds me, I feel alive, free, and in awe of all its beauty and miracles.\u201d<\/p>\n

For years, she has been drying flowers between pages of books. \u201cI have piles of those books in my house,\u201d she said. \u201cI always wanted to preserve the flowers\u2019 beauty, even after the original bloom. I have been doing it since I was a young girl\u2026. In autumn, I also dry leaves with their amazing colours and abstract designs. Nothing is more beautiful. Sometimes, I pick a flower just to remind me of a place and time.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few years ago, Schaffer decided to try and incorporate those dried flowers and leaves into her art. \u201cI wanted to make them the subject matter,\u201d she said. \u201cEvery picture in this show, except one, has one or more dry flowers or leaves in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
\u201cGrace into Focus 1\u201d by Sidi Schaffer is part 1 of a triptych. (photo from Sidi Schaffer)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

All of the images in the exhibit are mixed media. She experimented with acrylic and oil paint, with old prints and new drawings, with collage. The dried leaves or flowers form the heart of the compositions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to give them importance,\u201d she explained. \u201cSome of the landscapes in this show look fantastic, because dry leaves play the part of trees. Some abstract collages were like memory boxes for me, with layers. There are dry petals there, and lettering and musical notes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schaffer\u2019s collaboration with the elements of nature tends towards whimsical. Flower petals float on the visual breeze. Mundane dandelions turn into exotic palm trees. Waves of musical notation sparkle with rainbow colours.<\/p>\n

\u201cI played with the images,\u201d said the artist. \u201cI didn\u2019t take myself seriously when I prepared this show.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schaffer said every image in the exhibit started with an idea. \u201cBut I never knew how it would come out,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a process, a discussion between me and the flowers. Sometimes, it is a struggle. I look at the flowers and they supply more ideas. This one flower I had, I put it on the painting and the petals came off. I left them off, incorporated into the image.\u2026 From a flash of excitement to the end result, each image reflects my emotional journey. By the time I finish a painting, it seldom resembles my original starting point. What is important for me is the visual poetry, the relationship of form, space, colour and light.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schaffer\u2019s exploration into creative possibilities is nourished by her rich inner life. Before her retirement, she taught art and painted commissions, but never, for example, something made specifically to harmonize with anyone\u2019s living room d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI paint what is inside of me,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t paint for anyone\u2019s sofa. I enjoy the hours I spend in front of my canvas. It is an intense emotional outlet and, when I\u2019m finished, I feel happy, but, at the same time, drained and vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Partnership with Nature is at the Zack until March 3.<\/p>\n

Olga Livshin<\/strong> is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sidi Schaffer\u2019s current exhibit, In Partnership with Nature, is at the Zack Gallery until March 3. (photo by Olga Livshin) Sidi Schaffer\u2019s art has gone through several different incarnations. At the beginning of her career, in postwar Romania, she adhered to a realistic approach. \u201cFor several years, the central images of my work were people,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31858,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[989],"tags":[2466,2845,8704,2722,4181,40],"class_list":["post-31857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visual-arts","tag-art","tag-environment","tag-multimedia","tag-nature","tag-sidi-schaffer","tag-zack-gallery"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31857\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}