On Nov. 12, Brenda Coombs sat inside 2000 making Christmas dolls. As one of the
downtown
the
maintains
Coombs
involved
artists
in
Besides private
the collective that galleries,
to watch over
time.
get something together,” she 1
wanted to make
been
mostly
outside
really.”
said.
Brat’s
angels.”
who
Although Coombs,
murals. Brat has also
and has done work as “It’s
“You’ll
has created
her preferred medium
dolls,
She
slate.
also paints wild
caricatures and
still life,
of
she
the
Since the age of has
ing
find
when
like
how
1
it
other.
she’s
(Sault ^te. Marie,
in
Thunder
when
artists
To me,
1
dif-
that
like
1
can feed off each
they’re very open-mind-
As she finished that thought. Brat was
put myoself through high
interrupted by the sudden beeping of
the virtual pet she was keeping
nowadays tend to
Brat’s customers
be people who want
murals
done
in
her
in
their
m babysitting my son’s Tamagotchi,” she
homes. funny that way,” she said.
is
come
my god,
1
in
and look
at a painting
said she
is
and in
say,
amazed
‘Oh
my house!
at
Gallery
some people’s
even believe how much money
I
Galleries The three galleries downtown
in
Market
Kitchener’s
Square are run by a of artists looking out for each
collective
The group of
who
about
spend to make
by the
have work throughout the world.”
But you don’t necessarihave to be an international artist to be a part of ly
the
collective.
Anyone
is
made up
16
artists
are local, but are
frequently out of town as well.
“That’s why we’re running it together,’’ said Brenda Coombs, a member since last September. “We take care of an artist’s work while he goes out and gets exposure. Lots of our artists
display six pieces of art for the members to view. At the end of two weeks, the collective will decide whether to allow that per-
son to join.
The work of which
is
also
the artists,
sometimes
featured in local coffee houses, is split between Gallery 2000, Gallery
2000
Plus,
and
up
who
has a piece
in
well as his mother,
as a member.
Whatever he decides,
it
artist” said
Brat
"1
tell him,
‘Express yourself
in
mod-
eration.’”
it
interested in joining has to
other.
nurture
Being an they’ll
2000, can draw as
might sign him
car-
quests for an aesthetically pleasing home. can’t
it
Brat said her 10-year-old son,
asked to do her
usually
walls, is
explained, as she fed
“People
have to have those colors
who
tooning on children’s
“1
the
encountered
ed.”
$100.
Brat,
arts
to
similar
is
ferent points of view.
lights.
school.”
will
liv-
“You’ve got different opinions,
sold each of her popular creations
“Art
city she’s
Kitchener-Waterloo’s
Toronto,
Nicknamed by her customers. Brat
“It’s
whatever
Bay and Oakville.
Coombs created
be seen under black
get up the guts to
as well as getting involved
community
rugs with artwork that could only
for
in,
ones
Brat’s existence started
been
malls for me. I’ve
the arts community there. 6he
in
Brat
the teenaged
Greek
galleries myself"
said
been known through her
art as
to a friend that
Jamaican,
“He was on the road and
said.
gallery in
Coombs
14,
stepped
Brat said she usually joins an art
wide
Coombs.
Brenda
name
due
investigating to
is
however,
would be hard pressed to
haven’t
1
influenced cultural art to
-
would do
although
at her
work,
as Vancouver.
some of her
go to
Anyone looking
in
“Mark Anson would take my art down,”
is
fantasy.
variety
public murals
the United (States.
life,
she said her favorite genre
far
Ontario.
in
and Indian
made up her
material that
we
because^
-
work has received attention across
carried ,
and
with the corn husks, wig hair
done
the border, however,
theatre props, was deflly working
sequined
are so fussy
artists
downtown Kitchener and Algonquin Park. (She’s also had shows in Owen (Sound and Waterloo,
the galleries and to create art at the same
“Tcxday
why
know the people we’re dealing with are just as fussy.”
three
mall’s
week
takes one day a
perfect,” she said. “That’s
Market (Square’s Gallery
artists,
Somewhat Relevant. Opened three years
ago. Gallery 2000 and Gallery 2000 Plus are located beside each other on the level of Market Square, and usually have an artist working nearby. “On Saturday, someone
first
middle to paint and keep an eye on will
sit
in the
both sides,” said Coombs. On other days of the week, the working artist is usually in Gallery 2000, which gives each side wall to the work of one
and
the collective share the back wall. artist,
lets
Constructive art can be
for the artists
found
more
in Gallery 2000, while more abstract works are featured in Gallery
vendors.”
2000
likes
Plus.
Somewhat
Relevant,
located on the upper level of the mall, contains the full range of the collective’s creations.
“Everything upstairs
is
more valuable. tend to baby that one most,” said Coombs. lot
Coombs strange
sees
about
a
We the
nothing galleries
being housed in a shopping mall. “The mall circuit is just as good. People tend to see you more, and are
In
buy from
likely to particular,
Coombs
Market
Square
because of location,
its
downtown
although
acknowledges
that
she the
closing of Eaton’s has greatly reduced the flow of people. ‘This mall works for artists. We can get teachers who bring kids to show them that a mall isn’t just stores,” she said.
“We the is,
accent the mall, and
more diverse the mall the more variety of
people they
attract.” c/3
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