 |
|||||
|
|||||
|
A native of Chile, Dalal Chuaqui moved to Regina in 1973, making her way
to Ottawa five years later. Constantly experimenting with her style,
she has been painting since the age of 17 when she attended art school
in Santiago. And 34 years after her arrival in Canada, she is being honoured with a feature exhibit at this year's ArtsPark."I paint and over-paint until something comes out that I like," says the artist who lives a little east of the QUAD arts district. "I don't think I have talent -- I have patience."
For example, "Townhouses", the long, narrow oil painting at far right took over six months to complete. Disappointed with the original result, the depth and detail were embellished little by little until the artist was satisfied. Even the figure was changed several times. (The work has since been sold.)
The bottom image, "Roadwork", was painting during weeks of observation of construction on Booth Street. With a nod to film director Alfred Hitchcock, she can be seen standing on the verandah (top left in the painting) observing the workers.
"Every time I go to Somerset Street -- or anywhere in my nighbourhood, really -- I find something that attracts me." Over many years, her work has become a visually interpretive history of the Lebreton Flats and Chinatown area -- a neighbourhood which is now undergoing profound change due to development in its northern section.
Ms Chuaqui's canvasses have been shown at ArtsPark since its debut three years ago and she is a crowd favourite. One of the paintings from her "Buses" series was used as the theme graphic for the ArtsPark 2006 poster. (A detail from the last painting of that series is shown at middle near right.)
Her work has also been shown at Arts Court, Ottawa City Hall and several commercial galleries. A retrospective was mounted last year by the Embassy of Chile.
- Come to ArtsPark, Sunday 13 May, get a closer look at her remarkable work and meet the artist (from 1pm)
- All images (above, right) copyright 2007, Dalal Chuaqui
ArtsPark is made possible by the generosity of our partners -- please support them too!
Sponsors and supporters
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Business Solutions |
|
 |
 Carpet Sense and Flooring |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
This is the official site of the Hintonburg Community Association
Web hosting services provided by Infonium Inc.