An alternative take on speech bubbles, L. McQuaid chose to use teeth as text. Photo © Hailey Finnigan, VibrantVictoria.ca.

Luey McQuaid is a young artist who has returned to the west coast after completing her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Montreal. McQuaid is primarily a printmaker, but also uses pencils, paints, and computers. What McQuaid creates is bright – more like neon – and it is also tremendously funny. Her more recent drawings feature stumpy little figures screaming to the viewer, not using the traditional speech bubble but having teeth in the shape of text.

McQuaid started off her degree in Nanaimo. She explains that there, artists don’t impose limits on what they can do. “Nanaimo has a real sense of DIY. If you want a show you make it happen. If you can’t or don’t want a show in an established gallery, you rent an empty storefront.”

McQuaid moved on to Montreal’s Concordia University after hearing about the specialized printmaking program. “I’m no perfectionist, and most printmakers are. Concordia taught me a lot.” Mcquaid outlined the many different types of printmaking she learned while she pulled examples from her portfolio, silkscreen, lithography and intaglio to name a few. While becoming an expert in this technique-driven art form, McQuaid explored themes of sexuality and gender. “I did a silkscreen project of gay wrestlers.” McQuaid said as she unfolded the printed fabric, “There is a lot of gold and pink.” When asked if these where themes she was going to continue exploring McQuaid explained that it is natural to exhaust such themes. “I’ve spent my entire undergrad exploring themes of sexuality and gender politics, I think it’s time for me to take a break and work on new things.”

McQuaid pulls out more prints she did while at Concordia, lithographs of her elementary school class portrait. “I find large groups of kids interesting, especially class photos. What did their parents dress them in? Who are they standing with? What is their behavior like in a group?” One of the prints looks like a large photograph, printed in a dark ink. The other print, inspired by the photo is made up loose lines, brilliant neon colors and metallics.

When asked about what it is like to make art outside of university, McQuaid points to her more recent drawings. “Concordia had a real emphasis on conceptual theory. It’s nice to get away from that. Although the downside to artists leaving an institution like that is that you no longer have the resources and facilities at your disposal.” This brought about the new drawings. McQuaid reminisces about eating breakfast with her friend Walter Scott, a classmate in her printmaking program, and a well known poster artist for the punk scene in Montreal. “We’d doodle whatever we were talking about on the backs of these paper placemats.” It inspired a show in Montreal where she painted these drawings on the gallery wall. A similar show will now be happening in Victoria. McQuaid will be participating in the “Prophets of Non-Profit” show at the Ministry of Casual Living.

The Ministry of Casual Living is an artist run gallery and this Christmas show and sale will help fund the gallery for the next year. It appears that the transition out of university has not slowed down McQuaid one bit.

Opening night at the Ministry of Casual Living is December 12th, 4 o’ clock until late at 1442 Haultain Street.  To discuss the “Prophets of Non-Profit” show on the VibrantVictoria.ca’s discussion forum, click here.

A piece from L. McQuaid's "gay wrestling" collection. Photo © Hailey Finnigan, VibrantVictoria.ca.

L. McQuaid has an affinity for school photographs of groups of children. The above is a lithograph created from a school photo. Photo © Hailey Finnigan, VibrantVictoria.ca.

Hailey Finnigan is the author of phART, a Victoria-based arts blog.

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