In The Making

'Mother Theresa'

Jayme Chalmers

365 disposable masks

'Leaf Psychle'

Sherry Cooper

Mixed media

'Keremeos Orchard'

Alan Sha

Photography Wet Collodion process

In The Making features work by three gifted artists with unique points of view whose creative use of materials & process oriented approaches to art making are just as important as the finished piece.

Jayme Chalmers sculpts portraits of cultural figures using everyday materials such as books, stacks of pizza boxes & disposable face masks. The media represents stories of our historic cultures while the portrait turns the focus back on the individual, challenging how one views contemporary art, materials, meaning & routine.

Each sculpture is created by compressing the layers of paper or material & binding them with layers resin or glue; then carving away features using rotary & sanding tools. Finally the portrait is embellished with watercolour washes.

Sherry Cooper creates cityscape inspired collages from reclaimed industrial materials, fabric & paint. These works are a tribute to the endurance of previous generations of buildings that have not succumbed to the wrecker’s ball - echos from the past that carry a unique beauty.

The collages are created in two stages - the panels at the top & hangings underneath. The collage on wood panels begins by preparing papers through rust patinas, scratches, stains & printing, then cutting & assembling them before adding nails, washers & other found objects. Fabrics are painted, cut & torn separately. Panel & hangings are mixed & matched until the right combination is found.

Photographer Alan Sha captures mysterious still lifes using the 19th century wet-collodion process. During the pandemic lockdown, Sha further developed his passion for photography by teaching himself this centuries old technique.

Photographs created using wet collodion process begin by coating a glass or tin plate in a mixture of a soluble iodide & the chemical collodion. Still wet, the plate is exposed in the camera. It is then developed directly on the plate by pouring an acid solution over top & immediately fixed using another chemical solution, resulting in images that are detailed & clear.