Christian Nicolay, DRAWN festival and the revival of sketch in Vancouver

Credit: Tina Kulic

Visual artist Christian Nicolay participates in Vancouver’s DRAWN Festival, July 17-August 7, 2010.

One of the world’s oldest medium gains new life at Vancouver’s DRAWN festival, July 17–August 7

Christian Nicolay’s studio is a mishmash of materials. Drawings are bedded in a sea of plants, kitchen supplies, materials, paintings and photographs. It is an orderly chaos.

Nicolay never anticipated that he would be an artist. “I was one of those headbanger kids in the ’80s. I had a punk band. Got kicked out of Fringe Festivals, battle of the bands and never really had anyone tell me and my group of friends, ‘Oh you should pursue that.’ We were just freaks.”

After discovering movements such as Dada and Surrealism, Nicolay realized there was an avenue for what, until that point, had been his rebellion. Today, Nicolay is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist whose unique talent was recruited for DRAWN, a Vancouver-based festival showcasing the medium of drawing.

“It doesn’t matter what the material is. Bubblegum and coffee is a great medium,”  says mixed-media artist Christian Nicolay.

DRAWN festival showcases experimental Vancouver draw-ers

DRAWN highlights the resurgence of drawing in the art world, which Nicolay attributes to trends in experimentation and mixed media. Drawing groups such as Dr. Sketchy’s and Life Drawing at Toast Collective are constantly bubbling to Vancouver’s surface.

“I think we’ve come to a point in time where the lines are becoming more blurred,” says Nicolay.

“Is dragging a chair behind your vehicle and carving the road a drawing? I’m intrigued by how to play with that and take things that are traditionally based with drawing and then merge them with things that aren’t. It doesn’t matter what the material is. Bubblegum and coffee is a great medium.”

“Process is something that I’m more fascinated by than the end product,” say Nicolay. “It makes it a little more interesting.”

Festival legitimizes drawing as an art form

Historically, drawing has been essential to the creative process—whether for painting, sculpture or graphic design. When early drawings are displayed alongside a final product, it adds a level of storytelling and the audience is invited to view the entire creative process.

“Process is something that I’m more fascinated by than the end product,” say Nicolay. “It makes it a little more interesting.”

People are now beginning to take drawing seriously, regarding it as more than merely a ‘first-step’ in the artistic process.

“A lot of people think art is just painting. So this idea that drawing is a recognized art form, and having this drawing festival to get it out there, is a great way to expand that consciousness.”

The DRAWN festival takes place in Vancouver from July 17–August 7, 2010.

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	Rebecca Slaven was born in Yellowknife but enjoys civilization and so she now calls Vancouver home. Currently she is finishing up her masters in library studies at UBC, and catalogueing the world’s largest collection of croquet images. In her spare time, she likes biking, snacking and playing her accordion.
	Tina Krueger Kulic is a Vancouver photographer who loves to capture people in their element. She is fascinated by Vancouver’s many personalities and appreciates it for all of its quirks. You can see more of her work at www.tkphoto.ca.