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visual arts by Carole Badgley " W a i t i n g . . . i m a g i n a t i o n is m o r e t h a n k n o w l e d g e . . . " -- A l b e r t Einstein Schneider. A f t e r s o m e d i s c u s s i o n , it was d e c i d e d that S c h n e i d e r w o u l d take p a r t in an u p c o m i n g g r o u p e x h i bition at the S e y m o u r A r t Gallery. S c h n e i d e r t h e n asked if I w o u l d b e i n t e r e s t e d in the w o r k of t w o V i c t o r i a papier-mache artists a n d , after seeing the creations of C o l l e e n H u s s e y and D a v i d Gray, they t o o w e r e invited t o take part. D u r i n g the 1996 g r o u p exhibition Design for Living;The Chair, it was o b v i o u s that visitors t o the gallery w e r e intrigued w i t h their imaginative chairs. S o w e arranged f o r an exclusive e x h i b i t i o n f o r these important I t may s e e m a c u r i o u s title for a I p a p i e r - m a c h e and whirligig e x h i b i t i o n but it's particularly a p p r o p r i a t e as just a little bit o f A l b e r t Einstein's w i s d o m is reflected in a w h i m s i c a l e x h i b i t i o n at the S e y m o u r A r t G a l l e r y f r o m June 30 t o A u g u s t 8. Several years ago, w h i l e walking in V i c t o r i a near James Bay, I f o u n d a gard e n containing n o t only f l o w e r s but also a h o s t of garish seagulls c a r v e d f r o m w o o d . I p l u c k e d up my c o u r a g e , k n o c k e d o n t h e d o o r o f t h e cottage l o c a t e d at t h e rear o f t h e g a r d e n , and was i n t r o d u c e d t o folk-artist B r u c e artists t o s h o w c a s e their highly active imaginations. S c h n e i d e r is c o n s i d e r e d by many t o b e a folk artist, w h i c h makes h i m s o m e w h a t o f an anomaly o n this coast. F o l k a r t has b e e n a r o u n d f o r c e n t u r i e s and is n o w d e s c r i b e d as art c r e a t e d by p e o p l e w h o w o r k w i t h o u t the h e l p -- o r h i n d r a n c e -- o f f o r m a l artistic training. C h a r a c t e r i z e d by bright c o l o u r s and limited use of p e r s p e c t i v e , the f o r m has t h r i v e d in t h e M a r i t i m e s and o n the P r a i r i e s f o r g e n e r a t i o n s , achieving national r e c o g nition d u r i n g the 1970s t h r o u g h travelling e x h i b i t i o n s such as the A r t G a l l e r y o f N o v a Scotia's Folk Art of Nova Scotia. " A real folk artist is p r i m i t i v e , d o i n g it in t h e raw, s o t o speak," says Schneider, w h o has years o f e x p e r i e n c e as a calligrapher. A great fan of folk art himself, he shies away f r o m applying t h e label t o his o w n w o r k , insisting he has lost that essential u n s c h o o l e d naivete. W h i l e S c h n e i d e r carves still figures as w e l l as w h i r l i g i g s -- a n u r b a n v a r i a t i o n o n the w i n d - p o w e r e d w i t c h e s and l u m berjacks o u r g r a n d p a r e n t s set o u t o n t h e f a r m h o u s e l a w n -- t h e majority of his w o r k spins. "I think it's the silliness that is the appeal," says Schneider. C o m i n g f r o m w h a t she calls a " b o w l i n g - c l a s s family" in W i n n i p e g , C o l l e e n Hussey earned her B a c h e l o r s of Fine A r t s degree f r o m the U n i v e r s i t y of M a n i t o b a but always felt like an outsider. " M y love o f h u m o u r didn't s e e m t o fit i n t o 'fine a r t , ' " she says. H e r l a m p o o n i n g , p o p eyed c h a r a c t e r s reflect h e r interest in c o m m e d i a d e l l ' a r t e . the 16th-cent u r y Italian farcical t h e a t r e that was the p r e c u r s o r t o F r e n c h p a n t o m i m e and English harlequinade. She calls h e r w o r k in papier-mâchè " a great fusion." David G r a y was born on Hornby Island in 1949 and. as far back as he can r e m e m b e r , has b e e n i n t e r e s t e d in sculpting. C e r a m i c s classes kept him in s c h o o l and eventually he w e n t to C h e n a r d ' s Institute of the A r t s in L o s Pre C r e a t i o n Employment Opportunities by Bruce Schneider