BRINGING CREATIVITY TO LIFE
New battle puts artists to the test
Two canvases. Two artists. One hour.
A live art battle went down Wednesday night at Caesars Windsor before a crowd at the Kidney Foundation of Canada’s fifth annual Artilicious.
“Live art is a thing in a lot of places, but in Windsor it’s very unique,” artist Eugenio Mendoza said before heading to the stage for the live art duel with geometry as its theme.
It’s like a dance off or a concert, he said. Instead of being by himself in his studio with lots of time, Mendoza relies on his fast and erratic style and artistic instincts to create in a crowd with a time limit. “It’s a rush,” he said.
The art battle was Asaph Maurer’s idea for Artilicious.
The 37-year-old Windsor artist has done about eight live art performances in the last two years. He does a lot of portraits in acrylic and started on a black and white geometric man’s face Wednesday night.
“Bigger cities have been catching on quicker, and I’m basically making it my job to bring it to Windsor,” he said.
Maurer said the audience gets to see how different artists approach a theme and live art demystifies the creative process. Mendoza, 23, said it’s all about the process. “When people watch us paint live they get to see how our mind progresses, how we start the painting, where we go, the different layers,” Mendoza said. “When you see us pause, you’re trying to figure out what we’re going to do as well.”
Erika Muscat, the fund development officer with the Windsor and District Chapter of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, said the event was expected to attract more than 500 people and raise about $25,000 for programs and kidney disease research. Artists displayed their work for sale at the event. It’s the first time the fundraiser has included a live art performance. Although the audience could clap for the piece they liked most, there isn’t a winner or a prize, she said. “It’s a pretty cool thing to watch.” Proceeds from the event benefit the Kidney Foundation.
One in 10 Canadians has kidney disease and four million Canadians live with chronic kidney disease. An estimated 3,000 Canadians die each year from kidney disease. The Kidney Foundation of Canada encourages people to learn more about their kidneys, to ask a doctor for blood tests that can identify common kidney problems and to have their blood pressure monitored regularly.