Monday, February 19, 2007

Gordon Halloran - Ice Paintings - Photos by Mark Berger

Charlie:
Maxine & I were recently in Canada, we went to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and saw art work by an artist name Gordon Halloran. He also has work exhibited at the WinterCity Festival in Toronto. We were in Toronto for a Bat Mitzvah and saw Halloran's work, It is 10 feet by 80 feet by 10 feet. Gordon Halloran's ice painting in Toronto are called Below Zero I have included some bio information and examples of this incredible "Ice Painting"










Gordon Halloran started his career as an award-winning Canadian illustrator (covers for Macleans, Financial Post, Toronto Life, San Francisco, American Airlines magazines, The Globe and Mail).

His first show of abstract painting at the Nancy Poole Gallery in Yorkville, Toronto, was followed by other international exhibitions of paintings and drawings. In the fall of 1991, while watching a hockey practice, Halloran made a connection which would impact his work for the next decade: that making an ice rink was probably his first artistic experience. He began to imagine the entire surface of an ice rink exploding with color; a Zamboni used as an etching device; a flood of water glistening over the surface. Out of that experience came his exploration, invention and creation of an art form uniquely Canadian. In the early nineties, Halloran introduced Ice Paintings as public art events. These massive, multicolored abstract paintings recaptured community ice rinks and redefined them from competitive to shared community spaces where everyone could experience the joy of art.

Paintings Below Zero is an installation of boldly coloured, abstract paintings in ice — enormous in scale and yet intricate in detail — with stunning patterns created by pigments combining with the crystal structure of the ice.

This uniquely Canadian art form was created by Vancouver artist Gordon Halloran. Described by Halloran as "big paintings for a big country," these massive ice installations are inspired by Canada's vast winter landscape of ice and snow.

On display in the American Express Ice Gallery, Halloran's dramatic project for the WinterCity Festival explores issues of climate change, global warming and melting ice caps. The installation will cover 800 square feet, featuring an 80 foot wall of three dimensional ice paintings reaching heights of up to 10 feet. Nathan Phillips Square's ice rink will also be used as a giant canvas, inviting the public to become part of the art by skating on the surface of the paintings.

Gordon Halloran's Paintings Below Zero was a highlight of the Cultural Olympiad in Turin, Italy (2006). Halloran was the only Canadian invited to represent Canada in Turin. His installation was "an homage to Canada," as host country for the next Olympic Winter Games.

1 comment:

charbits said...

Oops! I should know better. It is of course Mark Berger, who sent this story. I spelled his name with a C instead of a K! My bad. -charlie