Recently, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend the opening reception for Bil Donavan's new curated Fashion Illustration show at Gallery Hanahou: Fashion Illustration: Visual Poetry. The show was wonderful, and featured pieces from some of my favorite illustrators: Laura Laine, Stina Persson, Sara Singh, as well as some new ones that I hadn't been exposed to: Daniel Egneus, Tina Berning, ect. Some really wonderful talent. On Saturday I returned to Hanahou to hear Bil speak and demo, on fashion illustration. He painted beautifully for almost two hours from live models, engaging the entire audience crowded into the tiny one-room gallery. It was a pleasure and privilege to hear such a master talk about his craft and his path to a successful creative career, that I fell in love with the art-form all over again. Mainly, It was important on my end to hear a professional in my desired field talk about the need for such a career and the about of skill and dedication that goes into the practice. All too often, people dismiss fashion, or fashion illustration, as being frivolous and and simple, but so few are able to comprehend the amount of training and level of craftsmanship required to go into such practices. This is perhaps due to the fact that we live in a society where crafts seem a thing of the past and the majority of people, not only have no idea how to work with their hands, but also deem careers that do somehow less-important or lacking in tangible value. This is not to say that either way of working is above the other, but the idea of having and embracing different forms of intelligence in our world would probably get us a lot further.
But, I digress.
The beautiful thing about this experience was the fact that Bil was able, not only to express himself through the media he has mastered, but verbally. He was an eloquent and motivating speaker. Gives me a reason to want to be an educated being as well as pursuing creative self-expression.
In Bil's words about the show:
"I believe that we all share a fascination with the figure, its form and its nuances, especially when played against a backdrop of fashion. My intent is to create a show that communicates the poetry inherent in the use of line, shape, and wit, through a combination of images that reflect a personal vision…."
I'm inspired to create all-over again.
Bil's Models.
