experience art

Untitled

Adrian Messner

Adrian Messner, who has taught art at 100 Mile Junior Secondary School for the past 16 years, grew up in an environment filled with art. In early childhood, he began training with his father, a professional artist who made his living with his art since coming to Canada in 1948. Messner later graduated from the University of British Columbia with a double major in Art Education.

Through the years, Messner has explored a wide variety of techniques and media – pen and ink, Chinese brush painting, acrylic, watercolour, oil and airbrush. He asserts that his philosophy about art has gone through many changes and that he has been influence by many trends in education as well as by associations with various people in the arts. The one philosophy that has remained constant is that he keep an open mind and develop his art as an expression of his interests and for others to enjoy.

Lately Messner has become very involved with airbrush techniques. His chief interest lies in subjects with glossy surfaces that lend themselves to tone, reflections and light. He has been working with images of vintage automobiles and motorcycles for their reflective qualities as well as their sense of nostalgia. The challenge is to make chrome look like chrome, glass like glass. The airbrush lends itself to contrast of hard and soft edges, a strong sense of light, and remarkable range in tone to present a realistic style that goes beyond the camera.

In many of his works, Messner seems to avoid a focal point. By using the juxtapositions and linkage of light and dark, various colour contrasts and harmonies, and highlights and reflections throughout, the artist draws our eye through the painting on pathways created by patterns.

Some reflections about reflections:

• They speak of images we see directly and those we see indirectly and thus they speak of reality and illusion.
• They convey truthful information, but can interfere with the way we see an actual surface.
• They are about light and surfaces – each surface reflects light according to its nature.

“In my paintings, I not only strive to create the many unusual forms of the car, but I also try to bring out their special qualities. The car is part of our heritage, as the horse is to western art. I emphasize many aspects of light and colour the images create. I try to link the past and the present into an artistic statement.” – Adrian Messner.