Spectators at the 2010 Olympic Games may have noticed that sandwiched betwixt the body-painted and cowbell-toting super fans there is a smaller, quieter type of fan.
Artist Marc Ahr has been flitting back and forth between Vancouver and Whistler for the past two weeks, attending an astounding number of events all in the name of art. You see, Ahr has carved out a unique little niche for himself: he draws and paints Olympic competitions as they happen, in real time.
This isn't Ahr's first trip to the Olympic rodeo. The 2010 Games are actually the 11th Olympics he has attended and attempted to capture with ink and paint. While he normally paints cityscapes from New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Tokyo, the Olympics have found a special place in his heart.
He got started with painting live in 1989 during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"After that, I decided that it was more fun to be outside than in an office doing design or renovation or something," he said.
He quickly transitioned from the political and historical event of the fall of the wall to capturing the hope and heartbreak of sport, starting with the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France, less than 1,000 kilometres away.
"I realized that you had to paint events, not to paint something that anybody can paint," Ahr explained.
Now, he creates original pieces on-site, sketching and painting athletes, spectators and colourful details from each venue in an attempt to capture the overall spirit of the Games. Then, he makes prints from the originals.
"The idea is not only to make the art, it's to share the art with people and do it fast, to paint it on something so they can have it before they leave! They say, 'Oh my gosh, I was here! I was at the hockey (game).'"
Each piece comes with a sense of instant gratification and personal memory, since the spectator has been at the same event and shared the same experience as the artist.
"The people, they are interested in buying something that they have shared," Ahr shrugged.
His Olympic project can be financially lucrative, though Ahr says that often depends on which country is hosting, how their athletes fare and whether their culture values art. He points out that in China, he sold only 90 to 100 prints, while in Torino, he sold a few thousand.
But in the end, he keeps coming back because it's simply fun.
"If I paint the Games it is because I love to play and you should never forget that it is a game and not work," he explained. "I hate work but love to play."
In the process, he's also developed a loyal following of Olympic fans.
"I feel dedicated to it. Before the (2010) Olympics started there were already 25 people who wrote me: 'Are you going to paint downhill?'" Ahr said, adding that he still hears from people asking for prints from past Games.
Dealing with red tape, security and other logistical issues, like transportation, can make it difficult to bring the project together.
During the 2010 Olympics, for example, his initial schedule of events included the torch relay, opening ceremonies in Vancouver, alpine men's downhill, luge, alpine super-combined, freestyle moguls, snowboardcross, figure skating, men's hockey (USA vs. Switzerland), curling, snowboard halfpipe, speed skating, alpine super-G, figure skating ice dance, freestyle aerials, alpine giant slalom, men's hockey (USA vs. Canada), ski jumping, women's 5,000 metre speed skating, short track speed skating, snowboard parallel giant slalom, alpine slalom, bobsleigh, cross-country, more men's and women's hockey finals and the closing ceremonies.
"This is the first time that I've studied a program so hard and I'm very happy because the result is every time there is a gold or silver (for Canada), I'm there!" he said.
It's easy to see why the entire process might lead to burnout. Ahr is the first to admit that his pieces are best at the beginning of the Games, when he still has lots of energy and patience. As the days wear on it becomes harder to capture the detail and energy of each event.
"I don't compete two weeks, I compete for a month in the Olympics!" Ahr smiled.
But sometimes, working under pressure actually results in a better piece.
"When (you) speed, you think less and if your hand is free then it's like the skier; if he's not afraid, he's going to win. If he's afraid, he's going to fail, he's going to fall."
Despite the attention he has received from media over the years, Ahr seems to have cornered the Olympic market, as he has yet to encounter another artist who has the same approach.
"You have to be a bit crazy to paint outside in the rain," he said.
The first Saturday evening of the Games, Ahr braved the rain and cold at the Whistler Sliding Centre, capturing the men's luge competitors as they made they way down the track. He huddled beneath his Vancouver 2010 umbrella, which he had tied to a fencepost with a spare sock from his daypack. Apparently, painting in the elements requires a certain amount of improvization.
He's also learned a few tricks over the years, including putting vodka in his water to make sure it doesn't freeze during cold snaps.
Midway through the 2010 Olympic Games, Ahr said he was impressed, aside from the hiccups he experienced with transportation.
"For me, it's very important because I have to move fast! It's not bad - Japan was terrible - but this is not bad. Sometimes, it's just not so good and a bit too rigid. The good thing is the people are very friendly and the people are very behind the Games."
If you don't spot Ahr at your next Olympic event, check www.marcahr.net or visit The Plaza Galleries in Whistler, where his work is currently on display.
