Parkdale Gallery 2007 Press Release
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (December 3, 2007) – The holiday season is a time of whimsy and imagination. Cold nights, freshly fallen snow, a chilly breeze whistling through leaf-barren branches all have a way of bringing dreams to the forefront of our minds. Art, in its myriad forms, strives to do the same thing. By presenting ideas to the viewer in the form of line, tone and colour, the artist can become a dream-maker. Ottawa’s Parkdale Gallery has become one of the places to view this type of art. And comic books, with their ability to express a broad range of thoughts and ideas, are one art form that stimulates the imagination by their very nature. Beginning in early December, the Parkdale Gallery will be showcasing the very best of comic book art in a show entitled “Comic Book Chaos.” And Ottawa-based graphic novelist Von Allan is one of the artists that is involved in the show.
“Comic book art has had a long tradition of being ignored,” says Allan. “It was often considered to be disposable even by the companies that would publish it. There have been many horror stories of comic artists, from the 1940s to the 1970s, having their work destroyed in a shredder. It simply wasn’t considered to have any value over and above its use in printing. Fortunately, thanks to legendary artists like Neal Adams, these industry practices have changed. Over the past twenty years much of this art has now been displayed properly and appreciated for its inherent beauty. I’m extremely pleased to have been invited by the Parkdale Gallery to participate in this show. I’m also thrilled to be rubbing shoulders with some other artists I’ve long admired. When one considers that artists like Ronn Sutton and Dominic Bercier are also involved, who wouldn’t be thrilled?”
Comic Book Chaos will run at the Parkdale Gallery from December 1st to early January.
About Von Allan: Von Allan was born red-headed and freckled in Arnprior, Ontario, just in time for Star Wars: A New Hope. The single child of two loving but troubled parents, Von split most of his childhood between their two homes and, consequently, spent a lot of time in the worlds of comics and wrestling. He managed Perfect Books, an independent bookstore in Ottawa, for many years while working on story ideas in his spare time; eventually, he decided to make the leap to a creative life. He recently launched his original graphic novel, the road to god knows…, online with webcomics publisher GirlAMatic.com.
About the Parkdale Gallery: Parkdale Gallery is all about the quality of the artwork. Artists from all regions of Canada and from all backgrounds are invited to submit their works for consideration. New artists that are shown for the first time in a gallery are welcomed by established artists. The result is that the gallery showcases the works of a diverse artistic community. Our theme shows are a little longer than most galleries. This way the artists have more exposure to you the public. We also represent artists and work with other galleries to promote local talent. Parkdale Gallery is a privately owned and incorporated business. The gallery does not receive funding from any government program. Operations are not constrained by bureaucracy or by requirements which oblige publicly funded art venues.
Contact:
Von Allan
P.O. Box 20520, 390 Rideau Street,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3
Email: von (at) vonallan (dot) com
Web: www.vonallan.com
The Parkdale Gallery
229 Armstrong Street, Ottawa, Ontario,
Wednesday to Sunday: Noon to 6 p.m.
Email: theparkdalegallery (at) rogers (dot) com
Phone: 613-614-4308
Web: www.parkdalegallery.com
Best run between Monday, December 3rd and Monday, December 31st 2007.
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Von Allan
c/o Von Allan Studio
P.O. Box 20520
390 Rideau Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. K1N 1A3
Email: von(at)vonallan(dot)com
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