jaredbetts

Artists take sounds, colour around globe

Published Friday March 18th, 2011
TimesTranscript.com

Speaking of pre-conceived ideas, before I saw Jared Betts' painting exhibition, Icelandic Abstractions, in Galerie Sans Sous at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre, I was expecting monochromatic greys and whites.

After all, Iceland is sort of white and gray isn't it? It turns out nothing could be further from the truth.

Jared, upon graduation from NSCAD, spent three months as an Artist in Residence in the remote northern fishing village of Skagaströnd, and says the ground cover of flora and mosses has some remarkably vivid colours. As well, there's a vibrant arts culture.

"People in Iceland are really supportive of the arts," he says, as he explains the residency program in which up to 15 artists, from a variety of media including sculpture and photography, are provided with a studio and an apartment for three months.

"It absolutely had a huge effect on my work," he says. "I used to paint with precise brush strokes, but there I was able to free up and be a lot less controlled."

Next on Jared's agenda is a one-month residency in Costa Rica in May, where he'll be living and painting in the jungle along with nine other artists who come from all over the world. Then in October, he's scheduled for another exhibition at Moncton City Hall Gallery. Meanwhile, his work will also be on display at Tide & Boar Market, that's opening soon on Main Street.

In addition to the support he's received from the residency programs and from the art community in Moncton, Jared says, "My family has always been very supportive."