Imagine a gladiatorial match, but instead of armour the competitors wear paint-splattered aprons, and instead of swords they wield brushes and palette knives.
Competition and art aren’t usually seen as things that go together. Subjectivity and a variety of personal tastes mean that it’s sometimes hard to pick a winner. Ranking art isn’t black and white, but 50 shades of grey, blue, yellow, purple, green and every colour in between.
Despite the difficulty in choosing a definitive ‘winner’ among a group of artists, Art Battle’s live painting competitions are increasingly popular, with the 480th battle in Canada taking place in Fredericton on Jan. 28 as part of the annual Frostival festival.
Andre Samson is the organiser of the Art Battles for Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John and Halifax. He said while the art made at Art Battle often “doesn’t represent what the artists do in their studios,” it’s a great experience for viewers to see the process the goes into a painting. They also get the chance to take home a work by a professional artist at a bargain when the pieces are auctioned off after each round of the competition.
Ginette Melanson is a 40-year-old nail artist and painter from Dieppe, and winner of Art Battle #480.
Melanson has participated in previous art battles, in Moncton, Saint John and Charlottetown, and has won before. She has been painting since she was 20. She began with oil painting, but switched to acrylic abstract realism after realising portraiture wasn’t her thing.
“I use a palette knife and I create people and create scenes and that’s what I love and I think people love it too,” she said.
Both paintings Melanson created in the competition were abstract city-scenes with lots of texture. The painting that got her into the final round depicted a crowded wedding reception, and the painting that won her a place in the New Brunswick regional competition showed a perspective down a busy New York City street, bustling with taxis, lights and pedestrians.
Melanson said she draws inspiration from places she has travelled to, such as San Francisco and Abu Dhabi.
Art Battle is open to painters of all styles and skill levels. For some of the 12 contestants at Art Battle #480 it was their first time painting in front of a crowd. Others, like Melanson, are comfortable with the pressure from the clock and the audience.
It’s a competition, but in the end, Samson said the goal is for the artists and the audience to enjoy themselves and have fun.
