What started as digital artist Leala Hewak designing on a computer in Toronto with a glass of wine in hand turned into a large-scale art installation wrapping a building in Saint John.
Dan Thompson is the CEO and founder of Italic Inc., the building that is now home to Hewak’s tartan design. Thompson said when the first panel went up, everyone started to giggle and they spent the rest of the day taking selfies with the installation and posting them.
Hewak and Thompson had collaborated in the past in Toronto on some art projects, so they both had experience doing public artworks.
When Thompson was in Toronto at Italic’s first location, Hewak approached him.
WATCH | The colourful building you might see if you’re flying into Saint John
Saint John building gets tartan-inspired makeover
9 hours ago
Duration 2:27
‘Everyone started to giggle’ : Toronto artist’s digital design gets wrapped around entire building near Saint John airport
“I said, ‘why don’t you just let me wrap your new building with one of my big series of digital paintings called Plaids,'” said Hewak.
The art installation is called Loch Ness and Hewak said it’s meant to make people feel that there’s something beautiful to enliven an urban industrial area.
Hewak has attention deficit disorder and her area of focus is disability art. She said there were mistakes and surprises that happened during the process of creating Loch Ness because of her ADD, including challenges with Photoshop and her camera.
“You can … give up or be sad, but I just tried to go with those mistakes and then look at them as surprises and try and pick out the errors and make them joyful and fun,” said Hewak.
Printing, pasting and recycling
Italic does digital printing, said Thompson, who is originally from Saint John. The roll-fed printer used to print the project takes a 10-foot roll of media.
Then the building was panelled, similar to a wallpaper job, said Thompson.
He said it was interesting doing a building wrap in a small town since he was used to doing it in larger centres such as Toronto.
“It was really fun to work with our crew here in Saint John because this was the first time that they had ever done a project like this,” said Thompson.
The plaid won’t stay on the building forever, and Thompson said they hope to do more with the building in the future. They want to upcycle the vinyl and create a community project out of the material.
Big art, small town
The project is funded by Canada Council for the Arts. Hewak said her personal mandate lines up with theirs.
“People who live in smaller centres and even rural centres deserve to see public art,” she said.
Reactions to the art have varied, Thompson said. Some people love it and some don’t quite understand why it’s there.
He said all of the reactions to the project are valid because art is meant to evoke emotion, but he enjoys when people come by and ask him to tell them more.
Art from the sky
The building is near the Saint John Airport and the art can be seen from the air and when on the runway.
Thompson said the intention was to have something stick out of the landscape when people arrived at the airport. He said the art aims to promote the nature and heritage of New Brunswick as well as the fun people have in the province.
When Hewak arrived in Saint John, the design was already up on the building. She said she saw it from the runway.
“I saw one lady look out the window and go ‘What, what, what’s that?'” said Hewak. “And I said, “Get out of the way, I’m trying to take a picture of my work.'”
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.