Skip to main content

AJ Vandrie “Bringing the Outside In”





His work has been described as a ‘balance between two worlds’.  AJ Vandrie grew up in Northumberland Hills with his adoptive family. His background is composed of Ojiway/Chippewa and Irish heritage. He pursued his art studies at the White Mountain Academy of the Arts in Elliot Lake, a school, located in an isolated area in Northern Ontario, sought to combine First Nations and European approaches to art, which was a great fit for AJ. After his first year of studies, he suffered a personal loss, with the death of his birth father and mother who died within a sort period of time from one another.

It was at this time that AJ began exploring the art style that he is known for today.  Widely considered Woodland School of Art, this style is synonymous with the artist Norval Morriseau, whose influence is evident in the works seen here. One can find definite similarities between these two artists; style aside, they are both deeply spiritual, sharing, through their art, personal and cultural stories. However, AJ has certainly developed his own unique style. Known for its hard black outlines, bright pure colours, and distinct backgrounds, this art is certainly to be appreciated on its own merits.

Wanting to complete his studies, AJ learns that the school in Elliot Lake has closed its doors. He turns to the Haliburton School of the Arts where he continues to study, graduating with honours and awards. Inspired by the spiritual energy in nature, AJ transforms his visions and dreams into works of art, which he describes as ‘bringing the outside in’.

He illustrates the flow and energy in his work creating action in the painting. The bold black outlines depict the body of the subject and the blue indicates the spirit within.  A collection of his work is painted using the four sacred colours; white, black, read and yellow. All combined, they create an earthy reddish brown.

At his studio in Stockdale, AJ describes the process of his paintings and how he gets absorbed into the work, how it calms him and makes things around almost disappear. He describes the feeling as quiet and collected, allowing him to focus on keeping his breathing calm as he works. Each piece is signed with a distinct flower signifying his Ojibway name ‘Wahbegona’ meaning Wild Flower, a name given to him by his father. Looking at the many works he currently has on the go, I asked how he knows when a particular piece is complete. He laughs. “You just have a sense; when it is all in balance, that is when it is done.”

AJ Vandrie is the featured artist on the Spring issue of The Link Magazine available now near you! Pick up your copy today.

©Janet Jarrell 2014
Labels:

Comments

  1. kathryn fellowsMay 12, 2017

    Hi A.J. Would you be interested in another show at Gallery One Twenty One?
    Kathryn

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

One Day I Saw Ty Conn

(This is being recalled from a very young mind...) When my father would begin telling a story from his childhood, he would begin with “When I was a little girl…” which would cause an uproar of high pitched objections from my sisters and myself. He would simply smile and continue on, as he now had our complete attention. I started this post at the beginning of November of this year when thoughts of my father return annually on the anniversary of his birthday. This story, however, is not about my father… When I was a little girl, I lived in a small house on Pine Street with my father, mother and three sisters. Ours was a busy, full house. Lisa was the oldest, very beautiful and very bossy. Pam was next, also very beautiful and we envied her fashion sense. I was the third in the line of my sisters, a middle child that cried a lot, made funny faces and was very comfortable at the centre of attention. My little sister, Joanne, enjoyed the status of being the baby in the family. She wa...
16 comments
Read more

Keith Cornell - Artist

Madawaska Church Claire Connolly, Assistant Manager Arts on King and Queen, describes Keith's work as 'Ontario, rugged landscape at it’s best'. Keith Cornell was raised in the small town of Uxbridge, Ontario. His father died during the war when Keith was very young, leaving his mother to raise him alongside his two brothers. Growing up in this quaint little town tucked beside farmland and beautiful forests, Keith would begin his life work painting everything around him. He recounts time and again a solid memory he has a very young boy. The Canadian artist David Milne had set up his easel to paint a scene in Keith’s neighbourhood, and the boy watched with fascination as the artist worked plein air. The affect of this experience is timeless. Keith did not pick up the brush and start painting right away, but that time was coming. Late Afternoon Go Home Bay During his high school years, Keith met his future wife, Karen.   For his sixteenth birthda...
2 comments
Read more

San Murata and the The Truth about Art

Skating on St Lawrence san-murata.com Anyone who meets San Murata knows that he is someone whom you won’t soon forget. Lively, charismatic and honest; he is certainly a true reflection of his art. He currently lives in the small historic town of Grafton where he loves to paint the beautiful Northumberland countryside. He also enjoys spending time in Quebec during the colder months to paint. The painting on the front cover is a scene from winter, one of the things San says he likes most about Canada, particularly in Quebec. San grew up in Japan, with admittedly a stricter social system, which encourages all children to work hard in school and go to university. San’s father was a banker and wanted his children to be professionals, so San studied at the University of Musashi in Tokyo, and although he says he wasn’t the best student, he graduated with a degree in Economics. He, too, worked at a banking job but it was always his dream to one day be an artist. In the late 60’s...
Post a Comment
Read more