ARTISTS AMONG US
/West Ender Brian Ball.
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BRIAN BALL
Artist, Set Designer, And Nature Lover
West End visual artist and theatre set and costume designer Brian Ball is originally from Newfoundland. His striking works in acrylic on canvas reflect the land and seascapes of both coasts and explores both their similarities and differences.
“Lagoon” (acrylic on canvass / 24” x 30”)
As a set and costume designer and painter, Brian’s skills and aesthetics were also developed from coast to coast, with a BFA in Visual Arts earned at Newfoundland’s Memorial University and an MFA in Theatre Arts from the University of Victoria.
Discussing the roots of his career as an artist In an interview with Marilyn Wilson on her blog "Olio by Marilyn", Brian said: “I’ve always been a drawer, as long as I remember I would always have a scrap of paper and a pencil, doodling. I get this from my grandmother for sure. It was always a way to keep the grandkids quiet; huge rolls of newsprint paper (they lived in a mill town in Newfoundland where my grandfather worked in the mill) on the kitchen floor with boxes of markers and crayons.”
“Seawall” (acrylic on canvass / 36” x 48”
It was at Memorial that Brian “discovered theatre” volunteering to paint sets, and assisting some guest designers brought in by the Theatre Program. Even though he graduated with a Visual Arts BFA, he was convinced to apply for his MFA in Theatre Set and Costume design at UVic, where he received a two-year fellowship, and which is how he ended up living in BC.
Regular theatre-goers will have seen Brian’s set design in many local venues, including Theatre Under The Stars, Gateway Theatre in Richmond, and Royal City Musical Theatre in New Westminster, and most recently in last year’s Firehall Theatre world premiere of Talking Sex on Sundays.
Again turning to his interview with Marilyn, Brian says of his visual art: “I call my work Abstract Realism, which is a loose term referring to work that is based in reality (recognizable forms) but stylized and abstracted (as opposed to an attempt at simple representation). My main inspiration is Nature, specifically the beautiful East and West coastlines of Canada, one of which is now home, and one of which will always be home.
“I find great spirituality in observing nature. The ocean, rocks and trees all have spirit, and I believe my work goes beyond the visual to the emotional and spiritual aspects of Nature.”
When asked about his favourite quote on art, Brian cited Thomas Merton: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”
Read the full interview with Marilyn here, visit Brian’s online portfolio here, to see more of his paintings and examples of his theatre work, and find his Facebook page here.
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