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Colouring outside the lines

TWSSF's State of the Art exhibit showcases everything from skis and boards to tattoo design
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What: State of the Art opening party

When: Saturday, April 17, 8 p.m.

Where: Telus Conference Centre

Cost: Free!

Tucked away behind the façade of Whistler's blossoming Function Junction industrial park, there are some very creative minds at work. Long-time residents are probably well aware that the area houses plenty of working gallery spaces, lined with paintings and sculpture and even some textile projects. But fewer have explored the inner workings of the town's tattoo studios.

Justin Ormiston is one of the artists creating the bold and beautiful body art that adorns arms and various appendages, which are typically more visible during the summer months. But Ormiston's graphic, vibrant designs will be front and centre in the public eye in less than three weeks, as the artist joins the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival's annual visual art exhibit, State of the Art.

While today Ormiston works primarily on skin, he got started through a much more traditional artistic route: painting landscape watercolours and portraits with his mom as a child, growing up in Kingston, Ontario. He dabbled in a variety of artistic mediums - acrylic, airbrushing, charcoal and oils - before discovering his favourite canvas: skin.

It wasn't until he made a tattooed friend - Bruce Irving -- that he discovered the work of Aaron Cain and Steve Moore and found himself fascinated with the world of body art. Ormiston began designing tattoos for people and "collecting" his own tattoos, the first being one from one of his idols, Moore. The experience of being tattooed opened his eyes to how powerful the medium really was.

"At the end of the day there's a very intimate connection with your canvas, beyond something you can feel for a piece of paper," he explained. "The person has their feelings, a story, there's a lot of emotions that are involved in the pain and just that connection between me and that person, and that makes it very special. It's permanent and it's marking this person's body for the rest of their life with your art.

"The honour that comes with that, I've yet to find something that parallels that," Ormiston shrugged.

He met another Whistler tattoo artist, Robin Dutcher, who had seen a number of clients coming in with Ormiston's tattoo designs. She eventually offered him an apprenticeship opportunity.

"She opened the door for me to be part of this community."

This year's State of the Art isn't the first time Ormiston has been involved with the ski and snowboard festival, though he took a long break after his work was censored for what were called negative references to Intrawest. The expulsion spawned an underground arts movement, The Jettisons, a now-defunct group that held themed, "truly uncensored" art shows in factories and garages in Function for a number of years. It also pushed Ormiston to open his own studio/gallery space, Ormiston Ink, in 2003. It's a place where he could have true creative freedom.

Ormiston has been invited back by TWSSF organizers, and since the timing was right he decided to seize the opportunity to move beyond his typical tattoo art form and get a bit messy with paint.

"I'm hoping that it will create a fresh angle and a slightly different perspective on what a lot of people that live in this town would see on a daily basis," he explained.

He's created a series of pieces that are based on his clients situated in "particular environments." When pressed for more details, Ormiston gives another vague answer and a smile.

"There will definitely be an element of my tattoo work within my paintings," he hinted.

While the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival is, at heart, a sporting event, there's a definite cultural aspect that has been nurtured by the organizers. Last year, the folks at Watermark Communications decided to take the production of the festival's visual art exhibit in-house, transforming Brave Art into State of the Art. The change seems to have gone over well with the public and the participating artists, so they've brought State of the Art back for round two. They will be taking over the conference centre's foyer with an assortment of in-your-face, thought-provoking and edgy pieces designed to get in the spirit of pushing boundaries and colouring outside of the lines.

Kassia O'Connor is curator for the show this year. She has cultivated a roster of over 40 artists - some local, like Ormiston, others hailing from other parts of the country and as far abroad as Australia ---- to showcase a wide range of artists and mediums that are found within action sport culture.

"Art is not just art that you can hold, it's also tattoo work and everything that comes into this whole world of action sport," O'Connor said.

She pointed out that snow, surf and skateboards, as well as skis, are adorned with graphic designs.

There are also a few brand-new elements included in the 2010 exhibition, designed to shake things up a bit.

First up, the finalists from the brand-new portrait photo competition, re:Action, which explores the deeper side of action sports, will be on display at the conference centre. Another local photographer, Carin Smolinksi, will be showcasing her collection of imagery in the Underhoused Photography Project, which shows the sacrifices people make in order to live their dream. Decorators and builders will have an opportunity to flex their creative muscles, as well, as organizers have set aside spaces for the inaugural Set Dec contest, inviting people to submit their designs for a 16-foot by 8-foot space to create and build an art installation/stage during the same 72-hour period that filmmakers have to frantically shoot and edit their creations.

Last but not least, 55 artists are collaborating on a massive mural project that will be unveiled in its entirety when State of the Art kicks off in a big way on Saturday, April 17 with a grand opening party. The party will feature live painting and performances from Ormiston, who will be doing a large-scale oil piece, Kristian Adam, Phresha and The Dark, and music by DJ Canosis. Best of all, entry to this visual feast is absolutely free. n