Six months ago, long-time Ottawa Art Battle volunteer Angela Hillier made the move west from Ontario to BC. When organizers got word of her plan to relocate, they asked her to be the Art Battle coordinator for Victoria.
Hillier says she can’t wait to bring this unique experience to our beautiful city, and she’s a firm believer that art enriches the community.
“Art is essential, in terms of the culture of the community, and that’s why Victoria is so great to be doing this in, because it’s already a very encouraging community,” says Hillier. “Arts are pretty valuable in terms of self-expression and showing what people are currently thinking and dealing with. So, whether that’s political messages in art, or just different forms of beauty, or whatever it may be, it’s just that self-expression.”
Art Battle is a monthly event within participating cities where artists have 20 minutes to paint, and then viewers vote for their favourite piece and bid on the art created. Hillier says it’ll be a new scene for art enthusiasts to check out, and an opportunity for others to expose their creative side.
“It’s great because it encourages local artists to become more involved in it,” she says, “but it also encourages people who may not already be involved in the arts to take that further step.”
Hillier’s time is not only spent as our local Art Battle coordinator; she’s also an abstract painter with a degree in Fine Arts. She says that art is her main passion and something she wants to be heavily involved in. As a painter, she likes to do a lot of work with colour and shapes but still strives to create depth and meaning behind her work. As an artist, she loves to network and meet others with artistic passion.
“Right now, all I’m doing is painting and Art Battles. It’s really nice to get to know more people in Victoria through this avenue, and then in turn get solo shows and different exhibition opportunities,” says Hillier. “Also, just meeting likeminded people is nice.”
Because she dedicates all of her time to creating, Hillier has learned some tricks of the trade through her travels. She has some great advice for artists pertaining to experimentation and says exploring different mediums can open a world of discovery.
“A lot of times artists will stick to one medium or one subject matter because they like it, they’ve done it before, or it’s comfortable,” she explains, “but I think expanding that comfort zone and doing something that you’re not really sure about can really, really benefit.”
After all, life is about adventuring and discovering. Hillier advises to take risks and seek out the things that would most likely stay hidden to us; otherwise, we could end up missing out on something great.
“Try as many opportunities and different things as you can,” she says, “because if you don’t try everything, you may not find something that you really, really enjoy.”
Art Battle #196
Friday, December 11
Victoria Event Center, $10-$15
artbattle.ca