During the Bay Block Party on August 27^th, five local artists will be paired up with musical instruments courtesy of our sponsor, Long and McQuade, to use as their canvas for our “The Art of Music” live painting event!

During the event, the public is invited to stop into the gallery to watch as these talented artists transform their instrument into a work of art using their own unique style and choice of materials.

If you happen to fall in love with one of these statement pieces... you're in luck! The finished musical instruments will be on display and up for sale during the Capitol Centre’s annual Blues Fest between September 1st-4th!

 

Artist Lineup

 

Rana Thomas – Violin

The vision behind my art is to combine imagination and abstractedness, with bold colour inspired by the beauty of nature. 

My plan for the fiddle is to paint beautiful flowers in bold colours that will surely make this piece stand out. 

 

Ilana van Zyl - Cornet

Ilana is an artist who loves to explore different ways of creating that are inspired by nature, colour and joy. Her love for creating started as a child, when she was able to do weekend explorative art classes at the local paint shop. From her very first whiff of modge podge, she was hooked. She went on to study graphic design and photography in South Africa, afterwards she explored the world as a photographer on cruise ships, filling her creative cup as she went along. Finally, she ended up in Canada where she got to fulfil a lifelong dream of studying fine art, completing a BFA at OCADU. Since then, she has shifted her focus into creating larger scale mural projects. When she is not in her studio, she can be found working as a scenic artist for film.

Music can bring joy and life to any space that it drifts through. As a never ending joy-seeker myself, I will aim to encapsulate the excitement of hearing your favourite song onto my instrument - The Cornet. That dreamy song that just feels so buttery good in your ears, and for a brief moment can suspend any worries you have. We shall go on a journey of upbeat colourful bold fun, splashed with little hidden surprises throughout.

 

Jessica Landoni – Acoustic Guitar

I am a North Bay based artist with a focus on acrylic painting and illustration. As someone who feels emotions through colours I gravitate to certain soothing palettes in my creative work. I have a strong love of design and abstract form which inspires me to create pieces that are simple yet striking. My focus is on, but not limited to, illustrations for children. I am intrigued by the openness of a childʼs imagination and I try to capture that sense of whimsy in my designs.

As someone who has always had a nostalgic fascination with the 1960ʼs era music, fashion and design, I will use this as inspiration to transform an acoustic guitar using acrylic paint. The acoustic guitar has always been an iconic symbol of the folk music movement, many songs which spoke to the desire for peace, love and human rights for all- something we still strive for today.

 

Maddy Young – Clarinet

Hi, I’m Maddy, a 25 year old illustrator and printmaker from North Bay. I love to use bright colours, punchy shapes, and quirky characters in my work. I studied both biology and studio art during my undergrad at the University of Guelph, so I try to always let my love for science, outer space, and the natural world come through in my pieces. I believe that playful art is for everyone (not just kids), and that it is so important to observe the world around us with curiosity and affection.

My favourite songs make me feel like I’m travelling through a story. It’s like gliding down a familiar path as little fireworks detonate around me, drawing attention to the swells and bursts and texture of the notes themselves. I want to show how I imagine that path to look. I was paired up with a clarinet, which is very fitting due to its long shape. I am going to have my “path” start out at the mouth piece and swirl around the instrument until it flares out at the base. This way, the long, windy path will follow the route of the sound. I am going to use acrylic paint in order to get bright, flat colour, but I am going to paint around the silver keys so that the work looks like it’s incorporated into the instrument itself.

 

Justin Chirico – Fender Telecaster

I want to depict and champion all the ugliness of this world until there’s only beauty left.

For this project, I will be doing some designs on a fender telecaster. My primary influences for the imagery came from a few Kirk Hammett signature model guitars and comic strips by Chris Ware. The goal is to paint the front of the instrument to look like a vintage comic book advertisement, while the back will have a comic panel related to the ad.