Two Artists Walk into a Bar

Going Big with Muralist, Painter, Printmaker Richard Tetrault


Listen Later

Our Guest Artist: Painter Printmaker Muralist Richard Tetrault
Our Host Artist: Carol McQuaid
Our Bar – Havana, Vancouver BC
Let’s head to Havana on the Drive and listen in as Richard and I talk about steamrollers, the magic of collaboarion, and how wandering across Mexico led to a lifetime of inspiration by the Mexican Muralists.
This episode is full of good stories!  

* How Richard and his partner Esther Rausenberg ended up with one of the coolest studio galleries in Strathcona, an art-filled neighbourhood at the heart of Vancouver’s East Side
* The logistics and challenges of working large-scale
* Working big; the crossover between printmaking and mural painting
* Creating a locale without being literal
* Hand printing vs using a press
* How murals are funded; funds, grants and sponsors
* Early days traveling in Mexico, being inspired by the Mexican Muralists; Rivera, Siqueiros and Orozco
* The Siqueiros Polyforum
* Group and collaborative projects, “cross-pollination” in Canada and Mexico
* Giant moveable murals on mylar featuring photo, painting, printmaking techniques
* Big Print Projects: making giant prints with 4×8 wood plates and a steamroller
* Big Print Jazz and Chinese and Aboriginal Artists collaborative Big Print Project through Creative Cultural Collaborations
* Teaching, developing school programs and mentoring a generation of mural painters in and around Vancouver
* The comedy and tragedy of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side have been and remain his primary inspiration
* Growing up with art: CM: “Did you always know you wanted to be an artist?” RT: “Pretty much, secretly did. Well not so secretly. I guess everybody knew”, “My parents were super supportive and they allowed me the luxury of space and time to create. That could have gone any direction”. Growing up in White Rock, Richard’s first solo show happened at the age of 16, and he’s been going strong every since.
* Passion Projects vs commercial work: RT: “I’ve got to approach everything as a passion project. I just can’t sustain it otherwise.”
* On mentoring: RT: “That’s been an integral part of it. It’s more fun being on a scaffold with other people.”
* The emotional response people have when they see printmaking gear.
* What’s next; upcoming shows, ideas and adventures

Links:
Richard’s website
Havana Restaurant
Mexican Muralists:
Diego Rivera
David Alfaro Siqueiros
Jose Clemente Orozco
Siqueiros Polyforum
Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City
Diego Rivera’s “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central”
El Greco – Toledo, Spain
La Raza Collective
East Side Culture Crawl
The Big Print Project – Video
Creative Cultural Collaborations
Jerry Whitehead Duthie Gallery, Ganges, Salt Spring Island
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Two Artists Walk into a BarBy Carol McQuaid

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

7 ratings