When people think about artists painting on big canvases they might consider that a peaceful endeavour.
Not so for the 12 who dare to dive into the frenetic energy of the Community Arts Council’s Art Battle that will throw artists into three rounds of art making before taking it to the finale.
It all happens Friday, May 3 at Knox Performance Centre, 6:30-10:30 p.m.
Each round sees a group of artists create surprisingly complex pieces in lightning quick 20-minute bursts where People’s Choice will ultimately reign supreme.
Added into the fray is an intense musical beat as onlookers watch every brush stroke.
Once the contest is over the artwork goes up for silent auction so audience members can take home the treasures created right before their eyes.
“Art Battle is live competitive painting,” Lisa Redpath, program manager, Community Arts Council Prince George & District, said.
“This is not new to Prince George — this is our 14th annual and we have 12 amazing artists signed up for the event.”
The list includes Raquel Pokiak, Diane Levesque, Kinte Jackson, Sarah, Chancey Hall, Nikko, Komfort Kristy Wiafe, Lazor, Nigel Fox, Dena lazarenko, Daisy Pipowski and Karen Erickson. (Names are stated as requested by the artists.)
“We are certainly looking forward to hosting and there’s a $500 cash prize for the People’s Choice,” Redpath said.
What’s unique about this event is that the audience gets to decide who wins.
“So they choose the winner of each round who then goes into the final and then they choose the ultimate winner,” Redpath said.
“As many years as I have done this event it’s still amazing to me when I see the stunning images being created and it’s always nice to see who the winner is at the end. Sometimes it’s a surprise and sometimes it’s not. Usually we can see what image really resonates with the audience. There’s loud music and the people who come to watch the Art Battle slowly move around to all the artists and they are really encouraging and very serious about their decision and are really celebrating our local artists’ community and it’s a fun, social event.”
For more information and tickets visit www.eventbrite.com/e/art-battle-prince-george.
