Gareth Bate – Friday Night Guest Jan. 17, 2020

(Submitted by Shelley Cinnamon)

On the chilly evening of January 17th, 30 some members of the Don Valley Art Club braved the icy cold to come out and listen to Gareth and have their work critiqued.
Gareth has been working as a professional artist for the last 11 years and has his own art education company. He goal is to educate his students the way that he wishes he had been taught at OCAD. His desire is to have those artists whose work is being critiqued to examine not only their own work but to start to grasp the strengths and challenges in the paintings of others in the group as well. To this end, with each painting, he asked for positive input from the DVAC members in attendance, from the particular artist what their goals were and then he gave some of his own input on the works strengths and where the artist might consider altering or adding to strengthen the piece. One interesting method that Gareth suggested numerous times during the evening was as an alternative to altering or repainting the critiqued painting was to start a new piece, incorporating the advice or suggestions given that evening and then compare the two.
It was an evening of learning how to observe, make positive comments or suggestions and how to interpret what you are looking at.