In her book ‘Artist’s Kitchen’ published in 1985, Sybil Andrews advised artists to “Look for the Spirit of the object or scene. Look for the living life of it, the emotion, not the surface detail.”
In looking at Andrews’ work, it immediately becomes apparent what she is referring to.
The Museum at Campbell River is offering a rare opportunity to view the work of Sybil Andrews. The exhibit Sybil Andrews in Campbell River opened to the public on March 17 and features selections from the Museum collection. Sybil donated 126 works to the museum shortly before her passing in 1992. These works feature charcoal drawings, watercolours, woodcuts and linocuts, the latter medium being what she has become internationally renowned for.
An official opening and talk by the curator of the exhibition, Ken Blackburn, will take place April 1 from 1-3 p.m. Blackburn says, “It is such a wonderful experience to actually see Sybil Andrews work. We so often only see the major works in reprint. But the breadth of her work has much more depth, much more texture and experimentation to it. The observer has the opportunity to witness the mechanics, the energy, the power and underlying dynamics that anchored her vision. We truly come away with an understanding of what she meant when she said to go out and “look for the spirit of a scene. And we also have an opportunity to see first-hand the amazing collection she left to the Museum at Campbell River. In many ways, the collection is a time capsule of our community history.”
The exhibit will also host the annual Sybil Andrews Day on April 19 from 1-4 p.m. This event will be used to launch the graphic novel Modernism in Two Worlds: The Sybil Andrews Story produced by the Campbell River Arts Council and author Laura Ellyn. As part of the event, the Museum will be showing a videotaped greeting from the students of the newly opened Sybil Andrews Academy in England. Everyone is welcome.