A12 January 15, 2014 The Richmond News
Arts&Culture ART
Overcoming obstacles; one fairy tale at a time Teenage girls’ insecurities leads to artist’s series of fantasy illustrations
BY Y VONNE ROBERTSON Special to the News
I
t started with the idea of positive reinforcement. As a counsellor and mother of two daughters, Gabrielle Lightfoot listened to stories of teenage insecurities and struggles from the young girls who visited her. “I found it was always girls who said they can’t do something,” she said. “I’ve worked with a diversity of cultures and it’s the same across the board. It’s hard to hear their stories sometimes.” It sparked a creative fuse that led Lightfoot to do a series of illustrations about female empowerment called Fantasy Fairy Tales. Always drawn to the visual arts, Lightfoot used her counselling experience in her artistic practice. Her small and simple drawings use colour and movement to depict optimism as the series follows fantastical fairy adventures. Character expression also plays an important role in conveying the mood of the piece. “The figures always look positive and content, as if they’ve overcome something,” said the Richmond resident. “Oftentimes, there’s movement depicted in the imagery to show that the fairy is going forward in life. They tell the story about how people move forward from their past story.” Lightfoot’s love of fairy tales began as a young child. She would eagerly devour any story from the Brothers Grimm to
GRAEME WOOD/SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Gabrielle Lightfoot’s small and simple drawings use colour and movement to depict optimism as the series follows fantastical fairy adventures. Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty. But within the fantasy, reality intertwines. Not only are some of the landscapes derived from real experiences, such as a swamp she visited during a trip
to Oregon, so are some of the emotional challenges faced by the characters. Lightfoot was born with a hip dislocation that caused her to be in and out of hospitals since the age of one and a half.
“I remember being pulled out of school a lot and feeling singled out,” she said. “My health has caused a lot of setbacks. But we all have issues, so my work is about overcoming obstacles, no matter what they are. I used my own experience as a vehicle to look at how we overcome these issues.” Lightfoot has spoken at local schools in the past and now wants to revisit them with her new series. “I can draw and I can talk, so I thought, how can I encourage a positive attitude?” she said. “I don’t want to be preachy. I want to use the illustrations as a jumping off point.” In the meantime, she’s been visiting Seafair Montessori Rainbow House with a similar series about empowerment for pre-school aged children. Rather than drawings, she hand-makes soft dolls and uses them to tell stories to the classes. In one story, her main character, Junior, has a physical disability, but doesn’t realize it. “The characters are very funny and also challenged in different ways, but they have a fantastic attitude,” she said. “Kids love the stories and love hugging the dolls afterwards. It provides an emotional connection for them.”
CALENDAR South/West corner of No.1 Road and Moncton Street. Featuring contemporary paintings, by artists Therese Lydia Joseph and Marilynn Tebbit.
January 19
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Throwbacks to the days of the railroad in Steveston are all part of the transportation exhibition at Richmond Museum. January 2014 Arts Events Prepared by the Richmond Arts Coalition
On now until January 26
On the Move: Richmond’s Transportation Legacy At the Richmond Museum 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond This exhibit explores, through photographs and artefacts from the museum’s collection and on loan from the community, how changing modes
of transportation have shaped this city. Themes include transportation related to sea, land and air, and contemporary issues such as city planning. For more information call 604.247.8300 or visit www.richmond.ca/museum
January 1 to February 24
Dancing in the New Year: Art Show Location: Rocanini Coffee, Roasters Steveston Cafe’, open daily 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., 115-3900 Moncton Street,
FIRST-CLASS HONOURS RECITAL WITH MEDAL PRESENTATION Place: St. Alban’s Anglican Church, 7260 St. Albans Road, Richmond. Tickets are $2/person or $5/family at the door. The Richmond branch of the BC Registered Music Teachers Association will hold a special recital on Sunday Jan. 19, 2014 at 1:30 pm at St. Alban’s Anglican Church. Students achieving high marks in the Aug. 2013 RCM exams will perform and medals will be presented. For more information please call 604.268.9559, visit www.bcrmta.com or email info@bcrmta.com.
What’s on at the Gateway Theatre:
Ongoing: Gateway Academy for the Performing Arts Drama, voice and musical theatre Programs taught by Theatre Professionals. Call 604.247.4975 for inquiries about
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Uniforms from days gone by are on display in the transportation exhibition at the Richmond Museum. on–going enrolment. Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Road. Box office, phone 604-270-1812 for tickets and information. Box office hours Monday to Friday, noon to 6 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. www. gatewaytheatre.com
January 26
Family Sunday Richmond Art Gallery 7700 Minoru Gate. Family Sunday is a free drop-in art program that offers families the occasion to explore the
gallery exhibitions together through various art activities. Family Sunday is on the fourth Sunday of every month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, phone 604-247-8313 or email gallery@richmond.ca. Presented with support of
More at richmond.ca/events. To register for arts programs for all ages, visit richmond.ca/guide.