IN CONVERSATION WITH MICHAEL SIME

McKaila: Which piece in this online exhibition is your favorite?

Michael: “The lady with the blue hat and bird” this one was almost shredded during a periodic cullings of my art; I hesitated and then set to work to explore new ideas for the image. An artist in Europe came across my renewed drawing and published it without reference to the fact that I was the artist. I know this was wrong but personally I didn’t mind a bit as it found a whole new range of responders around the globe!

McKaila: What inspires you to create a new piece of art?                                                                                             

Michael: I frequently work with other artists in a variety of venues. Some examples are: Life drawing (Wednesday evenings) at the Shatford Centre; Working with clay and with friends at the Penticton Pottery Guild, at Leir House; Plein air at a whole variety of sites in this beautiful Valley; First Fridays at the Penticton Art Gallery; Music and Musicians in Leir House; Drawing with Michael Hermesh and friends in his studio in Summerland; Making all manner of things, with friends and Ralph Critchlow at his studio in Trout Creek. Essentially I am inspired by enthusiastic friends, music, and the art of others.

McKaila: Something that I’m sure everyone in the Okanagan Valley has noticed is that in all of your pieces you have your signature little bird…

Michael: Whist working in Saskatchewan we purchased some land just outside of Yorkton. We built a barn, stables, and a cabin in the woods. For me it was a place of escape from the stress of work. We had a horse, Chico and a goat, Alfred (later to be immortalized as Molly in bronze.) One day a pigeon managed to get trapped in a vat of oil in Yorkton. She was then rescued and cleaned up by the SPCA. I was asked if it would be OK if they dropped the bird off at my farm.  My answer:  “Yes!”

For the bird; it was love at first sight! Thereafter she followed me everywhere I went, much of her time being spent on my head or shoulder. Other stories relating to this encounter are documented elsewhere in this online exhibition.

McKaila: Do you prefer working two dimensional or three dimensional?

Michael: At age 63 I had a series of serious surgical procedures prompting an early recognition of my mortality and a somewhat early retirement. An accomplished potter, president of the Penticton Potters Guild, and a nurse at the hospital encouraged me to try my hand at pottery, and so it all began…

As a potter the area around me turned out to be the equivalent of a hard hat area. The clay always seemed to be in control. I enjoyed hand building, and in the end, my specialty was the construction of lamps. This left surfaces ideal for creating a variety of designs. The answer to your question is therefore, “both!”

I then started to work with watercolors helped by the wonderful painting group in Oliver. They taught me all sorts of different techniques, progressing then to drawing and painting. I was involved with various circles of artists, always sharing information and learning from everybody. That’s how my art started and how it’s been driven down the line.

McKaila: Many of your pieces in this show are conté and charcoal on paper. Is that your favorite medium right now, or is that something you’ve always used?

Michael: Whilst using charcoal and conté I have developed techniques which fit well with a large proportion of my art. I get very dirty and repeatedly have to wash my hands during the process!

McKaila: What is your favorite part of creating a new piece of art?

Michael: Not knowing what is going to happen!

McKaila: What is your studio like at your home?

Michael: Chaotic! I never knew that my art was going to go anywhere. Looking back I wish I had built a free-standing studio close to our house. For a time I had a studio in the old Cannery. It worked great for a while and enabled me to complete a couple of large 6 x 4 foot paintings and also provided a much needed storage area. As time passed by it became more and more difficult to justify the expense. Currently, I work in different areas of our home which is very frustrating for both my wife and myself! My plan is to convert the garage into a proper studio. By placing a large window on the north side it could end up as a perfect space.

McKaila: How do you know when an artwork is finished?

Michael: This is a biggie! Years back I can remember attending a series of life drawing lessons at the Penticton Art Gallery run by accomplished artist and friend, Anna Coghlan. I would be five minutes into drawing for a 20 minute pose. Anna: “Stop! You have the essence!” She was fully aware that my drawings were, and are mostly, downhill after seven minutes!

McKaila: Could you tell me a bit about the feature artwork that you created for the Meadowlark Festival?

Michael: This proved to be a real challenge. I had a whole variety of attempts at creating the focal point for the festival with a different one for the show at the Penticton Art Gallery. For me it was a huge honor to have been chosen as the featured Meadowlark artist for 2020 and, of course, a great disappointment when the festival was cancelled. I hear that I was chosen by the committee because my art makes people smile. An additional factor, I suspect, was one of my previous drawings; that of a meadowlark with ruffled feathers and a story to tell!