My Art Battle Experience

OurGallery at 1637 West End Boulevard. At first glance it may be just-another-gallery, but once a month they engage in a cool ritual of skill & artistic community. Art Battle! 

I’m Tamaris. I’ve been lucky enough to participate in a few of these nights & while the name might suggest some high stakes or competitive tension, it’s really just a fun time!

It goes a little like this, you’re cast into one of two rounds, with the chance to continue on to the final round. So you can imagine my surprise when I made it to the finals on my first night. I remember it like it was October, probably because it was. There I am, in a gallery filled with 20-some people. I’m taking in the monumental pieces made by my fellow artists, a well-styled side-profile of a woman’s face, a fairy reaching for a star with the color contained within the frame, almost like someone wiped the fog away from a section of glass, & then there’s Hell.

An amateurish smearing of red, black & yellow. It almost gives the impression of a cave on fire, but with none of the details to back it up. The first time handling paints in years shows, my fate is sealed. Guess I’ll get to have fun seeing their processes in the Final Round. “Your finalists are. . .”

What?

The shock on my face must’ve been apparent, because I was staring straight at Juanita, the co-owner of the gallery & she was looking back at me like I’d sprouted gills. I looked back at Hell, the summation of my lack of preparedness when the thought dawned on me.

Wow, these people are nice.

I would not go on to win the night or whatever, but getting another opportunity to paint was exciting. I only had the one idea when I showed up for the night so I had to come up with something quick. As the easels were prepared, I took my seat & stared at the white canvas for 10 minutes.

Nothing.

Well, never nothing, but my mind could only return to one thing. My comic, Silver & Gold. Maybe it was the duality of the title & that I got a second round. Maybe it was because I’ve been working on it for over two years & that permanently molded my neurological pathways to always have it running in the back of my head. (Free to read on globalcomix.com, check it out) It could’ve been anything, but as the clock ticked closer to start I realized I only had one choice.

I had to pull a long con over the 20 minutes of the round. If I was going to use my comic, I was going to make the act of watching the piece come together be as interesting as reading it. As the time went by I painted in the background, not darkness & gloom, but light passes of color, giving a faded tie-dye sorta look. 10 minutes left. One big line of black down the middle.

5 minutes left. Black scratchily forming the impression of a tunnel, encasing the two future occupants of the piece. 2 minutes left. Showtime. I may not be experienced with paint, but I’m experienced with the subject. 1 minute left. The silhouette of a woman recoiling from whatever's in front of her, we can’t see. 30 seconds left. The silhouette of an androgynous figure with arms open wide, readily embracing whatever’s coming. 15 seconds left. Gotta get the arms in. 10 seconds left. THEY NEED TO HOLD HANDS. Time.

I didn’t think I was going to win the final round. I was happy enough to make it where I did, so when I saw my characters alive on the canvas, I knew I’d chosen what to paint correctly. Comedy & Tragedy joined together to face whatever happens. Together, joined at the hand.

In summation, Art Battle is dope, OurGallery is a cool place to be & people aren’t inherently evil. If you want to attend Art Battle events, you can find out how to at Art Battle’s website. The next event (time-of-writing) is February 15th, at OurGallery in West End. (1637 West End Blvd, St Louis Park, MN)

BE THERE. And read comics! If you want to check out my work (or a bunch of other talented people's work) you can find it at globalcomix.com!

CREDITS:

Written by Tamaris Morgan

Silver & Gold: globalcomix.com/c/silver-gold

OurGallery - 1637 West End Blvd, St Louis Park, MN