Slow art movement

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This article was published 26/02/2021 (1821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

At the intersection where the beautiful lie and the ugly truth cross paths, you may just find Dan Hawksworth with pen in hand.

A self-trained illustrator, Hawksworth explores the realm of imagination after clocking out of his day job as an IT specialist.

“Art is a way of communicating and doing something self-fulfilling,” the North Kildonan resident said. “Doing pen and ink, there’s a meditative quality. It’s the art of the slow. It’s going to take time for this to realize itself.”

His latest exhibition, Into the Nexus, runs March 4 to 16 at cre8ery (125 Adelaide St.).

Exploring otherworldly scenes and themes of reality and perception, Hawksworth draws inspiration from science fiction, fantasy, the macabre and gothic with elements of steampunk and Lovecraftian horror, as well as artists such as Swiss painter H.R. Giger and comic-book artist Jack Kirby.

“Most of the pieces are to be a further refinement of my last show (2019’s Nexus of Realities), the ongoing exploration of my artistic skills and the limits of my imagination,” Hawksworth said. “It seems to resonate within myself, and I continue down this path.”

Hawksworth’s latest work pays extra attention to detail and craft which the Miles Macdonell Collegiate alumnus has spent the better part of the last decade honing.

“It’s just time spent,” he added. “Eventually you favour certain pens and you learn to speak through your tools. It just comes down to a bit more depth, both from using more concentration on plains, but also depth in terms of trying to imbue what’s in the picture with a bit more life or presence.”

Working with ink allows Hawksworth the freedom to pick up a piece when and where time allows.

“That’s a critical factor, even more so in the last while,” he said. “It’s handy. I’m fortunate, my medium affords me that portability, that ability to just pick it up and draw for a few minutes then put it aside.”

While Hawksworth has worked mainly with black ink, he has recently begun to experiment with colour again.

“In the past, my use of colour has been, looking back, way too bold,” he said. “So I’ve been trying to learn and approach things with a more subtle hand, using colour to add an element of otherworldly detail or factor in that depth, to give that illusion of depth.”

Into the Nexus runs March 4 to 16. Cre8ery is open Tuesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. 

For more information, visit cre8ery.com/portfolio/intothenexus/

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

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