Exploring Rurban Art – Mandy Budan
Posted on | April 14, 2009 | No Comments
I believe that artistic and cultural activities strongly contribute to the quality of life and the social and economic vitality of many rural and rurban communities in Canada … and across the world.
With this in mind, I’m pleased to launch a limited online series exploring rurban art – from the unique perspective of rural and rurban artists.
To start us off, The Rurban Fringe introduces Mandy Budan, an artist living and working in ‘the rurban fringe’ in Ontario, Canada.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your work.
I was born in Toronto and have lived in Canada all my life. I currently work out of my home studio in Pickering, Ontario which is within commuting distance of Toronto, one way, and wonderful forests and nature trails, the other.
Originally, I trained as a graphic designer [and] that background brings a unique sense of line and balance to my fine art work. I have always loved design but found myself frustrated by the commercialism of it. I wanted to design for the beauty of it and that didn’t always sit well with my bosses. I’ve taken what I love about design – the patterns, colour schemes, the way a line interacts with space and combined with it my love of the Canadian landscape.
I love the rugged beauty of this country – the little lakes like jewels strung on the Canadian Shield, the vastness of Lake Superior, the scruffy pines and lacy maples, the gently rolling hills dotted with bright yellow fields – I could wander Canada forever and never run out of inspiration!
How would you define your art? What are the influences on your work?
My art is an abstraction of what I see around me. By taking apart the landscape and putting it back together with shapes that flow and complement each other, I feel a strong connection with the land.
From a rural perspective, I need to actually go out and experience the places I paint. I can’t be shut away from the trees and lakes and expect to create something that reflects how I feel about them.
Living in a rurban area, how do you promote yourself and your work? What is the local response to your art?
I do most of my promoting online, which allows me to reach a much larger audience than I could reach locally.
I belong to a local arts group and participate in their annual show. I also enter a few other local shows. The local response to my art has been very good; I’ve won a couple of awards, been interviewed by our local paper and am currently in discussions with a boutique in Eastern Ontario to carry some of my prints and note cards.
I do believe that local support isn’t enough, though, and that artists need a larger base from which to find their true fans. I have sold original paintings to collectors in Australia, Europe, the United States as well as within Canada and I believe that it is crucial to find your global niche – maybe even more so in a rural area.
Is there a plight of rural artists? Do you see any perceived challenges or opportunities as opposed to working as an urban artist?
In one sense, living and working outside of major art centres can be a challenge for a rural artist. They don’t have the same access to major galleries, museums and other resources like art walks and studio districts. Also, the total number of people that love your work is smaller.
However, with the internet, many of those challenges are fading. The cost of living can be much lower in rural area, and artists can still reach their collectors by blogging, having an online portfolio and selling their work online. Many galleries have websites and many communities are forming artists’ groups that extend beyond their physical boundaries.
Do you have any suggestions as to how rural and rurban communities can support a thriving local arts & cultural scene?
I think rural and rurban communities need to promote their creative members in a variety of ways:
- Local arts groups need to work together across smaller communities to provide opportunities.
- A few small towns can get together and put on a concert, play or art show that will attract more interest than if they did them separately.
- Local arts councils can widen their boundaries to allow more members.
- Groups can also help artists take advantage of the internet by providing space on their websites, assisting in online promotion and e-commerce and to make sure their artists have the tools they need to succeed globally, as well as locally.
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To find out more about Mandy and view samples of her work, visit her website here.
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