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Arnold Shives Delves into Nature The recent Seymour A r t Gallery e x h i b i t i o n of sculptural w o r k by North Shore artist A r n o l d Shives w a s a rare o p p o r t u n i t y for Vancouver to see t h e w o r k of this i m p o r t a n t C a n a d i a n artist. H o w d o e s Shives d o his d e l v i n g ? By constructing sculptural w a l l pieces i n v o l v i n g light b o x e s , h a c k e d a n d p a i n t e d p l y w o o d , perforated steel panels. W h a t ' s that g o t t o d o w i t h nature? portrait | by Marvin Hunt Shives k n o w s a b o u t nature. A m o u n t a i n e e r , he w a s a m o n g t h e first to scale m a n y of B C ' s p e a k s . His b o o k Mountain both pictorial a n d prose Journal provides impressions of m o u n t a i n e x p l o r a t i o n . For Shives, nature is a p l a c e of harsh beauty a n d harsh reality. The mountains are beautiful, but they are not gentle. Nature is t h e source o f our existence, but nature is also t h e source of o u r d e a t h . With the works that comprise the Delving Into Nature series, Shives explores how the harshness of nature interacts with its beauty. Rather than being contradictory, both harshness and beauty are seen as essential elements of t h e natural w o r l d , a n d of our place within it. One m i g h t call Shives a modernist artist. He is c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e aesthetic experience, which is a t t h e c o r e o f m o d e r n i s t a r t . A e s t h e t i c s is o f t e n c o n f u s e d w i t h b e a u t y b u t t h e y a r e really s e p a r a t e ideas. A e s t h e t i c s h a s t o d o w i t h t h e e n g a g e m e n t o f a v i e w e r w i t h a w o r k o f art. Basically, t h e m o r e p o w e r f u l t h e a e s t h e t i c c o m p o n e n t o f a n a r t w o r k t h e h a r d e r it is for the viewer to take their attention a w a y from it. Beauty has a n obvious aesthetic c o m p o n e n t , for our a t t e n t i o n is e n g a g e d by beautiful things. But beauty isn't t h e only w a y t o access t h e aesthetic experience. O n e m i g h t describe t h e aesthetic experience as a feedback l o o p ; seeing a work of art stimulates a t h o u g h t w h i c h stimulates a fresh look w h i c h stimulates a fresh t h o u g h t . Let's e x a m i n e " F o r e s t Tangle Y e l l o w " . A t first g l a n c e it is a n a b s t r a c t w o r k . W e see a beautifully painted w o o d e n lattice upon a p e r f o r a t e d steel p a n e l t h r o u g h w h i c h green light g l o w s . But those w h o have been in t h e m o u n t a i n forests s o o n r e c o g n i z e t h e lattice a n d green g l o w as a literal representation of w h a t o n e sees w h e n o n e is in t h e d e e p w o o d s at t h e e d g e o f a s u n n y c l e a r i n g . A n i c e g e n t l e t h o u g h t r i g h t ? T h i n k a g a i n . In t h e B C m o u n t a i n s t h a t s u n n y c l e a r i n g is liable t o be a clear-cut block. A harsh reality that creates beauty. So this is w h y Shives m i g h t be c o n s i d e r e d a m o d e r n i s t artist, because he u n a b a s h e d l y tries to s t i m u l a t e that feedback loop. Beauty is o b v i o u s l y important. So is t h e abstraction, for the work p r o v i d e s a n " A h a " e x p e r i e n c e as t h e v i e w e r ' s v i s u a l a t t e n t i o n is c a u g h t first by t h e abstract forms a n d then by the landscape of w h i c h t h e forms are abstractions. This j u x t a p o s i t i o n of harsh reality a n d beauty e m e r g e s as a c o n s i s t e n t t h e m e as Shives delves into nature. Shives d o e s n ' t h a v e a romantic v i e w of nature. W h a t you'll find is a perspective on nature from one w h o loves the natural w o r l d , b u t from o n e w h o has n o c o m m i t m e n t t o i l l u s i o n . Shives loves nature as it is. A r n o l d Shives lives a n d w o r k s at his h o m e s t u d i o in N o r t h V a n c o u v e r . His w o r k is collected internationally, w i t h recent e x h i b i t i o n s i n Italy, S p a i n , G e r m a n y a n d t h e US, as w e l l as Eastern C a n a d a . Until recently his w o r k has not been e x h i b i t e d in Vancouver. Works by Arnold Shives can be seen up to May 10 at the Art Gallery at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam. Mountain Journal, a print collector's treasure, is available through Artists For Kids Trust. Boxed portfolio, edition 30. issue price: $2,400. Individual A/Ps, edition 15, issue price: $325. To view, contact Bill MacDonald, Artists For Kids Gallery, 604.903.3797 2 0 May | June