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Dec. 30, 2005
Brushing aside the barriers
Colorful exhibit shows off artist's dedication, persistence.
BAILA LAZARUS
Under the words "patience" and "perseverance"
in the dictionary, there ought to be photos of three women: artist
Karen Chapnick, stricken with multiple sclerosis more than 30 years
ago, and her assistants, Jenny Gao and Toshi Carlson.
Gao and Carlson are not assistants in the typical sense of the word
– answering mail, planning meetings or making coffee. Well,
perhaps they do that, too, but, primarily, they are Chapnick's hands
and arms in her artwork. They facilitate the manifestation of her
thoughts. And from the work of these three women, along with the
curatorial expertise of Ann Rosenberg, has come the exhibit Movement
and Abstraction, currently at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery.
Chapnick was diagnosed with MS almost at the same time as she entered
the art world in the early 1970s. Since then, the disease has progressed
to the point where she can no longer do things by herself. Not wanting
to give up her self-expression through art, she now enlists the
help of Carlson and Gao. With detailed instructions, Chapnick directs
the design of the work, the selection and mixing of the colors and
the application of the paint, brush stroke by brush stroke. This
is how she has been creating her artwork since 2002.
"We sit side by side and my mouth doesn't stop," laughed
Chapnick. Rosenberg added, "During the exhibit, a man came
in and was sort of rude and asked, 'Does she do this with her mouth?'
and I thought, 'Yes, I guess so.' "
Chapnick generally works three to four afternoons a week and, on
a good week, can produce two paintings. But the process tires her
out. "All my patience goes into my work," she said. "I
have no patience left."
For the exhibit, she had to cull her work from 45 paintings down
to 19.
The idea that these works were created through verbal instruction
is, by itself, incredible enough to ponder, but to walk into the
Zack gallery and see the details of paintings like "Thirty
of Them" or "Colorful Dancer" makes it absolutely
extraordinary.
Chapnick started her career in the 1970s with a master's in fine
arts from the University of California at Los Angeles, focusing
on fibre arts. A few of her works of dyed, braided sisal fibre and
painted, braided fabric from the mid-1980s are in the exhibit, as
is one of her first oils – "Floating By," from 1972.
But most of the wall space is devoted to her colorful acrylics on
paper or acrylic collages.
Chapnick said her fascination with color, pattern and movement began
when she first saw Matisse's work in the Museum of Modern Art in
New York. She says she is "a colorist first."
"My mother asked a couple of years ago, 'Where do you get your
color sense? Not from me, not from dad.' I said, 'Maybe it's a gift
from God.' "
Carlson agrees that Chapnick is extremely gifted in that sense.
"If you point to any color, she knows how it should be mixed,"
she said.
Besides color, Chapnick has also brought a sense of humor to the
gallery. The lyrical "Thirty of Them" was made using egg
separators for the basic design and the delightful "Crazy Legs"
prompts a smile as the image of a crazy spider comes to mind.
Chapnick also does not shy away from self-referential work. Look
for the almost-hidden Star of David in "My Roots" –
a reference to the Jewish background of the artist, who attends
Temple Sholom Synagogue with Carlson. And since dancing had played
an important part in her life, she decided to portray the subject
in paintings, such as "Colorful Dancer," "Crazy Legs"
and "Dancing Ovals and Polygons."
In a blatantly sarcastic reference to her own life, Chapnick has
created two images: a hare ("Hare: As I Was") and tortoise
("Tortoise: As I Am"). But these colorful images are far
from depressing.
"I think they're funny," said Chapnick. "Those are
the two extremes in Aesop's fable, and the tortoise wins the race
due to doggedness and persistence. Just like me."
Movement and Abstraction runs at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery
at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver until Jan. 18.
The exhibit is the artist's first display in a Vancouver public
gallery. Proceeds from the sale of the art will be donated to the
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Call 604-257-5111 for information.
Baila Lazarus is a freelance writer, photographer and
illustrator living in Vancouver. Her work can be seen at www.orchiddesigns.net.
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