By Vanessa Choot
In the weeks leading up to Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 we will be posting a series of artist interviews to spotlight artwork which will be featured at the upcoming event. Our third interview is with Lisa Graham whose piece “The Fruit Vendors” will be available to be bid on at this year’s Timeraiser in Vancouver.

Timeraiser: How did you hear about Timeraiser 2011?
Lisa: I heard about Timeraiser 2011 through my friend Marlis who did their event photography a couple years ago.

Timeraiser: Where were you and what were you doing when you came across the fruit vendors in your photograph?
Lisa: The Fruit Vendors photo was taken while on a three day boat trip through Halong Bay in Vietnam. Though we thought we booked a 'quality' all inclusive tour, we ended up on a cruise that didn't feed us very much. It is a common scheme there to underfeed the guests and then charge extra for preparing additional food bought from boats like the fruit vendors or the fish farmers we visited later on that day.  Halong Bay a must see UNESCO site but if you plan to go beware of the tours!

Timeraiser: When you are on your travels, what do you miss most about Vancouver?
Lisa: On this segment of our trip I missed the honesty of our tour operators! At least in Vancouver you get what you pay for.

Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 is happening on Thursday September 22, at The Waldorf Hotel. Tickets are now on sale for $20. Click here for more information and to purchase your ticket.

In the weeks leading up to Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 we will be posting a series of artist interviews to spotlight artwork which will be featured at the upcoming event. Our third interview is with Ivan Oyarzun whose piece “Median” will be available to be bid on at this year’s Timeraiser in Vancouver.

Timeraiser: How did you hear about Timeraiser 2011?
Ivan: I discovered Timeraiser online. This was in 2009 and I was looking for places, groups, events where I could show my  artwork and I came across Timeraiser. It was and still is a really great event to be associated with for all involved. A trifecta of good will.

Timeraiser: Where was your photograph "Median" taken?  
Ivan: I took this photo on the top level of a parkade across the street from Waterfront Station downtown. The red roof on the right is the Skytrain Station and North Vancouver is shown on the left.

Timeraiser: What inspired you to take the photograph "Median"?
Ivan: I was initially drawn to the yellow parking line that continued up the parapet, it seemed to want to go on forever or want to make a  connection to the other side of the Burrard Inlet. I was also trying to compose an image that was immediately familiar and at the  same time unfamiliar. This is was done by not including the middle-ground (the Inlet), which is only suggested in the title. This photo is also part of a body of work depicting atypical spaces in Vancouver. More can be seen here: www.modifiedenzyme.com

Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 is happening on Thursday September 22, at The Waldorf Hotel. Tickets are now on sale for $20. Click here for more information and to purchase your ticket.

It's Social Media Week in Vancouver. As an awesome coincidence, it also happens to be the week of the 4th Vancouver Timeraiser (Sept 22nd at the Waldorf Hotel). We have been doing tons of offline and online promotions to build awareness around this 4th Timeraiser. Our goal is to raise 4,000 volunteer hours while auctioning off some incredible local art.

The one exciting contest I want to tell you about is our partnership with Miss604. Rebecca asked her readers to “leave a comment here saying how you have volunteered in the past (and what it’s meant to you) or how you have seen a volunteer in action – how they have impacted someone else’s life or your own.” The winner will be given a pair of WestJet tickets, anywhere WestJet flies (valued at $4.604). The winning entry was from Angie:

In the weeks leading up to Timeraiser Vancouver 2011we will be posting a series of artist interviews to spotlight artwork which will be featured at the upcoming event. Our fifth interview is with Ellen Scobie whose piece “Promises” will be available to be bid on at this year’s Timeraiser in Vancouver.

Timeraiser: How did you hear about Timeraiser 2011? 
Ellen: I’m very fortunate to have been involved with Timeraiser before. This is my third year.

Timeraiser: Why did you decided to name your artwork "Promises"?  
Ellen: I'm always looking for new ways to express my experience of living. I explore the wonders of the everyday world around me, from mountains to mussels, skies to seaweed. My practice has taken on a more abstract approach, as I experiment with presenting the landscape as a metaphor for emotional and psychological states. This artwork is about the power of a promise.

Timeraiser: What do the dots which are overlaid on top of the scenic background represent? 
Ellen: This mixed media artwork is a hybrid of photography, printmaking and painting. I start the composition by looking through photos I have taken (of which I have over 12,000) and start to pick out textures, shapes or colours that interest me. I don’t use the whole photo – just pieces of it that I combine with select pieces from other photos. As I combine these pieces together, overlaying them, scaling them, moving them around, the composition begins to emerge and I start to develop a feeling about the work. It may make me feel nervous or uptight, joyful or serene, fearful or exhilarated. I start to equate these feelings with experiences I’ve had in life. This leads to bringing the artwork to completion around a more defined idea. Every compositional piece of the artwork contributes to the overall feeling I’m trying to impart.

Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 is happening on Thursday September 22, at The Waldorf Hotel. Tickets are now on sale for $20. Click here for more information and to purchase your ticket.

By Vanessa Choot
In the weeks leading up to Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 we will be posting a series of artist interviews to spotlight artwork which will be featured at the upcoming event. Our third interview is with Mia Weinberg, from Vancouver, BC, whose piece “Invention in my Dreams” will be available to be bid on at this year’s Timeraiser in Vancouver.

Timeraiser: How did you hear about Timeraiser 2011?

Mia: I first heard about Timeraiser in 2010 from Michelle Kuen Suet Fung (an artist friend of mine) and I thought it was an ingenious  model. As a professional artist and an advocate for visual artists, I really appreciate the win/win/win aspect of Timeraiser, where organizations get volunteers, volunteers get original art and artists are paid appropriately for their work. As artists we are asked so often to donate our art, it is a joy and very validating to be paid while still contributing to a good cause. I had the pleasure of participating in Timeraiser 2010 and it was a fabulously fun evening.

Timeraiser: How does your piece, "Inventions in my Dreams" relate to your dreams?

Mia: My piece "Inventions in my Dreams" is one of a series of works that I exhibited in Edmonton in a solo show entitled "In the Land of Sleep." I see these works as relating to my dreams in that they have a basis in reality (the real plants that I lay on my scanner as source material for my images) however through my creative process they take on a sense of fantasy and wonderment.

Timeraiser: What is the significance of the symmetry in your piece "Inventions in my Dreams"?

Mia: I often introduce symmetry in my work to shift the image from a realistic depiction of a plant to a more mysterious form that creates more space for the viewer to bring their own individual interpretation to the work. Also, bilateral symmetry often leads viewers to see fantastical creatures in my art which takes them off into imaginary worlds.

Timeraiser Vancouver 2011 is happening on Thursday September 22, at The Waldorf Hotel. Tickets are now on sale for $20. Click here for more information and to purchase your ticket.

By: Darran Fernandez, Leadership Team Member – Next Leaders Network

Peanut butter and jelly have had a healthy – and delicious – relationship for as long as I can remember.
The relationship has remained strong for so long because each recognizes that, although they taste
pretty good on their own, they are amazing and taste wonderfully together. Together, they function for
the better.

A value proposition exists in the not-for-profit sector – a synergistic relationship which relies on two
different contributors coming together. The organization that wants to contribute to society; and the
volunteer – or change-maker – that wants to contribute to the organization to achieve its goals. When
they find one another, it’s a truly healthy – and delicious – relationship.

Timeraiser makes these relationships happen by bringing organizations in local communities together
with the change-makers that can contribute to their success. The attendees of this event in Vancouver
are like-minded people who want to effect change in their community. Timeraiser’s effects are felt
year round – it raises thousands of volunteer hours, showcases twenty pieces of Canadian artwork,
and connects people in an ongoing year-long relationship with organizations that contribute to our
community. Another initiative I’m involved with, the Next Leaders Network, models similar relationship
building within the not-for-profit sector. The Network’s goal is to create a community of not-for-profit
leaders empowered with the skills, knowledge and connections required to create positive change.
Launched three years ago, the Next Leaders Network offers workshops, networking sessions and events
that connect community members with one another and builds their ability to act as contributors,
conveners and developers in Vancouver. The true strength of the Network is in its 100+ members
and as such programming is designed around them. As a result, the Network is increasingly a vibrant
hub and home of connections, relationships and development opportunities for the passionate young
professionals working within a growing not-for-profit industry.

This peanut butter and jelly sandwich – Timeraiser and the Next Leaders Network – became even
better this year with free admission to Timeraiser for Next Leaders Network members. So, while young
professionals are working towards their 100 hour goal and original artwork, they can be supported
by a network of people similarly engaged in the not-for-profit sector and passionate about building,
supporting and engaging communities.

We’ll see you at the Vancouver Timeraiser on September 22, and invite you to pick up your Next Leaders
Network membership beforehand. The sandwich is waiting for you. Enjoy.