The Shurniak Art Gallery hosted an artists’ reception and opening of an unique exhibit by the father-daughter artists Dean G. Bauche and Dani Bauche-Williams on July 20.
The exhibit runs from July 15 to August 26. Bauche was grateful to the Shurniak Art Gallery for exhibiting their work. Bauche-Williams added that this exhibit was a fantastic opportunity for a young artist.
About a year ago, the two artists began preparing for the exhibit, called “The Colours of Red: Father, Daughter and Earth’s Pigments” and each of them contributes several works. Bauche explained that the pieces were created specially for this exhibit. The theme of the exhibit is “red”. Each work contains the colour red with some having very bright or bold areas like Bauche’s “Red”, while other works containing only muted hints. He explained that the choice of the colour red was used as a symbol of blood and family ties, but also was a symbol of vitality and life.
The exhibit reveals that both of the artists have a strong connection to family. They feature family members as subjects in their portrait works. For those attending the exhibit, it was a curious experience to see the faces on the canvas walking among the guests.
Bauche spoke of the privilege of doing this exhibit with his daughter. “We ended up seeing each other in a different way and sharing something very personal,” he commented about working with his daughter. The Saskatchewan artist specializes in portraits which allows him to explore character and the human condition in a visual medium.
For her part, Bauche-Williams was not intimidated by her father’s experience and expertise as one might assume. Instead, she explained that working with him was a natural process and something she was used to because he often mentors her work.
The exhibit drew an audience from the Assiniboia Artist Retreat as well as art enthusiasts from Regina, Medicine Hat and further locations. Many made the trip specifically to see this opening and meet the artists. Two encaustic works by Bauche attracted the most attention. He took the opportunity to explain his technique using a combination of digital image, painting and beeswax layering. Notably, this technique took Bauche out of his characteristic bold portrait style in this exhibit to explore the use of shadow. It is always a treat to have the artist at an exhibit to explain the works. Bauche and his daughter answered questions about techniques, symbolism and others.
Dean Bauche is a professional artist, curator, educator and adjudicator. He has 22 years of museum experience as the director of galleries for North Battleford. He works in both traditional and new media, but is best known for his striking watercolors and oil paintings. Bauche frequently adjudicates for the Organization of Saskatchewan Art Councils and is a popular art educator and guest artist across Western Canada. Bauche was participating in the Assiniboia Artist Retreat the week of July 17.
