SPC Alumna Janice Weber
Janice went to St. Peter’s College in the 2000/2001 school year. After that she took a break from school and worked in Saskatoon and abroad in Scotland for a while. In 2005/2006 she decided to go back to school and will be graduating this spring with her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Janice’s BFA exhibition was held in December at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery at the UofS.
Janice currently has an exhibit at the Humboldt and District Museum and Gallery that will be running until the end of June.
I had a chance to catch up with Janice on the first day of her exhibit as she was still getting things in place:
What genre do you do most of your work in?
I work in a few different media - drawing, photography, and lithography. I have a mixed media approach to drawing - working sometimes with charcoal, collaged elements, pen and ink, or graphite especially for three-dimensional drawings such as the Fender Tremolux amp on display at the Humboldt Museum.
How long have you been drawing?
I've been drawing since I was a kid. Right after high school I took Grant McConnell's first year drawing class at St. Pete’s and really loved it - it was his class made me feel art might be something I could go further with. When I went back to school full-time to work on a BFA degree, I fell in love with drawing again - making marks on paper is a deeply satisfying and sometimes magical experience!
Do you have a favourite piece in this exhibit?
My favourite would be the pen and ink drawing with the giant red legs and shiny black boots. It's sort of a surreal take on personal memories - driving home at night from my grandparents in our old white Crown Victoria as a kid, and the rock and roll giants of my imagination looming large, roaming the countryside - present, but almost too big to comprehend.
I had to ask about the 3D drawings, especially the Fender amp.
That's the Fender amp titled, “Rock, paper, scissors.” It's a photo-realistic drawing of something industrial and mass produced, made into something personal through the process of painstakingly drawing it by hand.
Where is your art going to lead you?
Right now I would just like to keep making and exhibiting art. I'm considering doing my master’s as well. I am working part-time at the UofS, as support staff for the Clarion Project (the Clarion project is the proposed Fine and Performing Arts Facility at the UofS). Maybe someday I’ll teach but for now I just want to practice.
What was your favourite part of St. Peter’s College? Favourite Memory?
I loved the drawing class; especially the atmosphere of the 4th floor. The sounds and smells bring back so many memories. I took guitar lessons out there and of course my Grandpa (Tony Saretsky) used to be the president - there is a lot of history! Grant McConnell was really supportive. I always respected what he had to say. He was honest and fair, and that was very important - it allowed me to grow as an artist.
