After receiving a generous grant from the Canada Council for the Arts,
I went to “Beau Fleuve” to perform a 3 month residency. I met with
organisations and locals to execute a portrait of Buffalo - as a place
and a people. My outsider's bird's eye perspective was an asset to
recognising the most notable parts of present day Buffalo. I was a
tourist visiting a place and forever commenting: in Manhattan, it's
different. We don't have Tim Horton's. When we order a "regular"
coffee, we mean whole milk, not cream. Canadians more commonly put
cream in their coffee. Buffalo's location, on the Canadian border,
includes a collection of details that define it as unique.
"Beau Fleuve: The Heart of North America" concentrates on painting a
portrait of Buffalo but also situates this place within other parts of
New York, the United States and Canada.
The idea for me to come to Buffalo and do this work was curator, Sandra
Q. Firmin's. She, with Ellen Ryan, at The Carnegie Art Center in North
Tonawanda masterminded this residency & exhibition.
In 1997 I moved to New York City, developing a habitual practice of drawing.
Painterly performance based drawing that has evolved into a comic strip format.
It's a productive way to justify hanging out. Being up close with people
and record timely situations, without high-technology. Humour emerges
throughout the comic book even if I am representing a heavy moment.
Drawing from life, I sometimes take pictures to later use as source
material but rarely do I finish those stories. Think of my comic
stripping as a series of time based portrait narratives, performance
residue. Stretching the boundaries of a comic book, performance,
portrait drawing, painting and I will also argue it is sculpture. It is
not one of those media but all folded into together.
My drawings prove that something took place, somewhere. I record
as many details as possible to create a more accurate portrait narrative. I
draw small and portable and print at a 1:1 ratio. I always have my tiny
Schminke watercolour set, pens and paper with me. Visible only in the original
artwork is the texture of old school, anti-tech artmaking methods: cutting
paper; collaging; letraset; gouache; masking tape additions; dabs of
beet soup for plum shades; splotches of curry or glitter pen for gold
colours... I use whatever on-hand materials, to urgently depict as much
honesty as possible for fleeting moments in time. I try to
underscore all my efforts with light hearted compassion.
I relate to the cracks in the sidewalk more than the sidewalk. I am
attracted to those who colour outside the lines, question the validity
of rules, socially awkward ones who are frustrated by their inability to fit in.
It seems like almost immediately, I develop an intimate rapport with
people. Quickly we find ourselves laughing and crying eventhough we've just met.
Drawing the Wild Bill comic strip has dredged up many feelings and
fears. I appreciate my lady friends who have shared some girl talk.
Revealing snippets of being in relationships and the
accompanying struggles, putting themselves out there. I relate
to the process. It's all history but it's recent past tense, which can
make it challenging for them to have these words come out of their
mouths before the possibility of your judgment. Within this comic, I
have just scratched the surface of personalities.
Wild Bill makes me think of all the ways that I need to stamp out my
own racism, sexism, ... I do not believe it is productive to say my
racism is less hurtful than Wild Bill's because it seems smaller, more
hidden to me... fear and ignorance is damaging. Society is patriarchal,
classist, sexist, racist. I am easily influenced. Attitudes have crept
into my subconscious. The problem of racism is not "Theirs", it is Mine
too and I am accountable for my part in contributing to the madness.
Everyday I try to develop heightened levels of awareness to dissolve my
ignorance.
I am impressed with how we can laugh and cry simultaneously. Happiness and
sadness can coexists, resulting in tears and smiles. How many times
I have been fortunate enough to share this kind of moment
with others. My mom always said: "laughing leads to crying" but
I find that crying ends up in laughing out of necessity. No
matter how grave a moment and especially if a situation is extremely
grave, then laughing becomes all the more important.
I started making comics out of a sense of justice. Feeling like I had
no voice, frustrated with the political climate, I thought a comic book
with the potential of thousands of readers worldwide, could be a way to share
my questions and as an alternative platform for accountability. I thought that
putting my drawings in the printed format, would be the best vehicle for speaking
up and out. Before I let go of notions of good and bad, I thought
it was bad that I got called "too sensitive".
I wonder if others are calling me "too sensitive", perhaps it is
they, who are not sensitive enough?
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Press
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Contact Artist:
Charmaine Wheatley
P.O. Box 1022
New York, NY
10113-1022