The artists' hearts will be pounding like the dance beats dropped by DJ Rubytrout. The spotlights will be as bright as these painters' talents. There will be a winner crowned, but no loser in the room when Art Battle 2015 shows its colours tonight at Heartbreakers Cabaret.
This is the third annual Prince George Art Battle, an event that has seized the imagination of local audiences, just as it has all over Canada. It turns art into a sport with preliminary rounds of live painters working with the urgency of escape artists trying to bust out their best images before the clock stops.
The audience votes, finalists are selected, then the final round is held to determine who has the best paint power that night.
Last year's winner was Cliff Mann, who went on to make the finals at the provincials in Vancouver. The year before, Corey Hardeman was the local winner and she went on to also win the provincials and represent B.C. at the nationals.
Coming second last year was Amie Stolz and a repeat finalist was Cara Roberts. Both these top scorers, plus the two previous winners, have announced they will not compete in the 2015 event for their own respective reasons, so the field is wide open for a new champion tonight.
"For myself, it was equivalent to competing in an athletic competition," said Mann. "Your adrenaline is running high, you're excited, nervous. Once started, I had to stabilize my hand because it was shaking so much. This wears off after five minutes, but I really couldn't paint a straight line. It really takes the artist out of their comfort zone. There is no time to step back and analyze. Every second, every brush stroke counts."
"You're physically exhausted. It's muscular, physical painting, and it's exciting," Hardeman said. "My favourite part of Art Battle is really the opportunity to engage people in the generative act of art making. It's exciting to see what other artists do under pressure, and it's a great way to experience the dynamism of painting and the rawness and bravery of making work in front of an audience. To make an image quickly, under pressure, eliminates the stepping back and fine tuning. You're stiff after an art battle."
Stolz was a first-year Art Battle soldier last year and was surprised to find herself in the finals. She and Mann both admitted they had rehearsed one image only, leading up to the event, so having to conjure a second one under that pressure caused their imaginations to stretch thin, but that also had exciting upsides. It was creative risk under fire.
"Honestly, hours before the big show I was so nervous I had to have some wine and turned on the Drunken Ninja for a good laugh before I got there," said Stolz. "I strangely felt so calm and relaxed once I had my paint brushes in my hand and my best friend quoting inside jokes in my ear. Once I let go of everyone's expectations, mine included, I was able to just have fun. I love painting, and love painting fast. It helps get all these ideas out of head before they are lost or I wig myself out."
Roberts, who also takes part in bodybuilding competitions, painted a picture oddly similar to those hot spotlight events: little sleep the night before, play-by-play scenarios running in your head, clammy hands on the drive over, nervously mixing with the other artists backstage, then dealing with little mental curveballs like realizing the paint has changed consistency once the heat of the spotlights are shining down, and trickles of sweat start to drip under the stress and brightness and pulse of the DJ beats.
"Then something shifts," said Roberts, analyzing the wash of sensations the artists are going through. "The sounds will quiet as their brush touches the canvas, and they will only be aware of the positive energy that the crowd is throwing. They will feel the excitement behind them as their ideas come into fruition in front of everyone's eyes, and they will find their calm. Then, within what seems like a few minutes, the crowd will count down the final 10 seconds and the night they feared was coming, they will, in turn, fear is ending."
Tickets to attend are $10 in advance (online at www.artbattle.ca, then look up the Prince George event) or $15 at the door. All paintings made that night will be auctioned off at Heartbreakers, so if you want to bring home your favourites, have your payment methods ready.
