Eighth Annual Studio Gallery 3311 Show—IDEA Students mentored by Jeff Burgess
Jeff Burgess is a visual artist, illustrator, and educator who has worked professionally since 1980. Jeff mentors four IDEA students in his studio one day a week over the summer which he's been doing for eight years now. The purpose is to create a body of small works that are then exhibited early in September where the students sell their pieces for reasonable prices.
The work in mainly self directed with input from Jeff on media, subject, composition, and reasoning for their separate approaches. Not only is it a good chance for growth with the students but also a great opportunity to make some pretty decent money. This years show attracted around 100 people and all had a good time as the weather held out for the afternoon.
“I have wanted to be a part of the summer mentorship that Jeff offers since my first year of IDEA. I was over the moon when he asked me to be a part of this summer’s group of 4 students. The work this summer was everything I hoped it would be: an opportunity to try something new, to explore a subject that I loved, to push myself to complete an extensive and cohesive series by the end of the summer with the guidance of a very accomplished artist and not in the least make some money. We also had the pleasure of working in Jeff’s studio that was filled with natural light and surrounded by a garden of blooms, birds and even a little fountain that you could hear trickle right outside the window. Jeff and his wife Danita were such gracious hosts and I think I can speak for all the mentees when I say that we were set up for success thanks to them. I really have to stop myself from trying to get in next summer!”
“Nicole Shewchuk is a third-year student in Capilano University’s IDEA program. She has a focus on illustration and a background in fine art and painting, so she was excited to take the opportunity to work on a show of paintings this summer under the mentorship of Jeff Burgess. This is Nicole’s first attempt at putting together a collection of cohesive paintings and first formal exhibition of her work. Her series of faces and florals explored colour and mood, along with various techniques in acrylics. She used the opportunity to authentically show her style as an artist as well as explore new and challenging approaches, and though the summer was challenging she was proud of her accomplishments under Jeff’s guidance. ”
“Having the opportunity to work with Jeff this summer among other students from the IDEA program was not only enlightening, but incredibly rewarding. By providing me with a goal and a safe space to work, it allowed me to grow as an artist and experiment in ways I would not otherwise have dared. Over the summer the little garden studio became an oasis of creativity and our student quartet, a tight knit community. In the end, the work I produced was personal. Delving into my past experiences and relationships, I explored the fabric of identity and its relationship to memory. Painting directly onto layers of floral fabric I hoped to capture the way we cannot separate our past from our present selves. The final show itself was also rewarding. It is always a great experience to get to show and sell work. However, for me what made the experience what it was, was a summer of Jeff’s soft spoken critiques, weekly pep-talks, and dry humour combined with working among a group of talented like-minded individuals.”
“Mostly, the mentorship was a (glorious) escape from my normal schedule and normal life. Not that my normal life really needed escaping from, but, there’s something about setting aside a time and a place for creative work that makes it much easier to do. And of course, being surrounded by people with different/more skills and experience than my own certainly helped. What sticks out to me is how some days were spent chatting amongst ourselves while we worked, and some days were spent in almost complete silence. Even though it was only one day a week, I swear more of my summer happened in that little studio than anywhere else.”
Photos from the show by Graeme Duckett
