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Art Review

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The Watering Hole
The University of Lethbridge Art Gallery is currently home to a very unique and talented exhibition for the next two weeks. Douglas Walker has transformed a seemingly plain white room into an abyss of blue and white works of art with the introduction of his art exhibit Other Worlds. Walker, a Toronto based artist, has enjoyed an immense amount of success throughout his career ranging from his smaller landscape paintings to his large scale blue tile murals which capture your attention and have the ability to activate your subconscious mind and place you in a unfamiliar world. The limited color palette of just blue and white paints are what sets Walkers work apart from the rest and helps to create an otherworldly experience for the gallery visitor. The overall art gallery experience, the actual works of art themselves, and the work that goes into creating these works of art are all factors that contribute to Douglas Walkers success. The more detail and determination that an artist instills into their work the more powerful their art will be thus translating into a more memorable experience for the audience. A successful artist is not only concerned with the art they showcase in their gallery but also with the experience their gallery presents to the audience inside. Douglas Walker is very effective in grabbing the visitor’s attention and providing them with an otherworldly experience while inside his immersive exhibit. Prior to entering Walkers exhibit Other Worlds you are greeted with two smaller paintings of what appear to be exotic landscapes, far different than anything you have ever seen before, giving the gallery a sort of eerie atmosphere upon entry. These two exotic landscapes set the tone for the gallery and introduce the visitor to the subconscious experience Walker is trying to present. Upon entry of the gallery a lingering smell of fresh paint is evident in the wide open room and we are presented with large, blue and white, floor to ceiling, wall to wall paintings and two small benches implanted in the middle of the room. The quantity of blue engulfs the room and creates an atmosphere somewhat similar to that of an Egyptian tomb covered in hieroglyphics. The images in Douglas Walkers Other Worlds extend around the gallery covering as much space as possible and the rest of the space excluding the exits is covered with blue tiles. While inside Walkers immersive environment our attention is drawn towards his large scale works of art which give us a sense of how small we truly are. The first work of art we see is a life size transparent, x-ray like image of a 43 foot sperm whale wrapping around a corner; to the right of that is a cresting wave covering the entire length of one wall; further to the right a large moon like planet covers a small wall; and finally in a smaller gallery a foggy suspension bridge wraps around the entire space. The quantity of the 4 large scale paintings could be viewed as quite small for a gallery but where the quantity is lacking the quality makes up for it. The way in which Walker effectively spans his large scale images across the space he is given and fills the empty white space with different shades of blue tiles in a way to fully engulf the room is exceptional. The use of the wrinkled, glossy, blue surface of the painted grid creates a marine like atmosphere for the audience and attributes a submersive aspect to the imagery. Douglas Walker, before limiting his color palette to just blue and white, would paint on folded pieces of paper. He would focus on the small details and create smoky, unclear landscapes that would allude to something that the viewer would have to figure out for themselves creating a form of mystery in his artwork. Walker carried the mysteriousness and his attention to detail over into his blue tile murals aiming to connect to the audience’s subconscious mind and guide them into another world through his art work. Other Worlds at the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery consists of 4 large images and showcases some of Walkers best work. A 43 foot whale, a cresting wave, a suspension bridge, and the moon are shown throughout the gallery. These 4 images are powerful standing alone or in the way that they connect with each other. Viewing these images alone showcases the true size of them and allows us to analyze the detail that went into creating them. The x-ray like image of the whale for example had ring like shapes all throughout it reminiscent of barnacles or the moon had swirls and cracks throughout it representing the craters. The small details that went into these images is amazing and truly helps to create an otherworldly feeling. Even the grid like layout and decorative effects add character to the gallery making the glossy blue paint appear to be made of perfectly placed ceramic tiles as the light reflects off of it. Viewing the gallery as a connected world brings a whole new experience to the gallery. The blue tiles create an underwater marine feel where the whale appears to be floating in the water and shares gallery space with the moon. The moon regulates the tide and directly relates to the cresting wave mural which ties in the suspension bridge because it is built over top of water. The connection between the images truly brings the gallery together as a whole. The labour intensive process in creating a gallery like Other Worlds is exhausting yet rewarding as the viewer feels immersed in the space, color, and the imagery. Douglas Walker has a passion about bringing the best experience to his audience and it is evident through his work. The combination of water and oil based paints to make the perfect recipe for lines and cracks in his works bring a large degree of difficulty to his work as a trial and error approach must be used and he must work fast before the paint dries.
Douglas Walkers art travels all over the country and must be adapted to the new galleries floor plans. At the art gallery in Lethbridge a team of around 5 people stapled or glued up the art in a precise order to transform the gallery into another world. This labour extensive process of stapling up and taking down the art is just the start. The space provided must be completely covered in tiles and this proves to be difficult as each space has a different floor plan thus the tiles must be versatile to fit into these different spaces. The lighting is also an important part of the art gallery as it makes the white image pop off the blue background which grabs the viewers’ attention. All of these labour intensive factors are what contribute to Other Worlds successfully engaging your subconscious mind and making you believe you have entered another world.
I would recommend Douglas Walkers Other Worlds to people of all ages and interests. The immense amount of detail and dedication that went into creating this gallery truly does transpire into a very fascinating experience. The details in each of the paintings are very aesthetically pleasing to the eye especially the whale which was my favorite piece. The limited color palette of blue and white truly does give the effect that you’re in a tomb and make you believe to be a part of another world.

References
Rhodes, Richard. "Douglas Walker: Of Moon and Whale and Man." Canadian Art. 6 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. http://canadianart.ca/must-sees/2011/10/06/douglas_walker
‘Douglas Walker: Other Worlds’ (2011) www.rmg.on.ca/Exhibitions-Walker.php

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