~David Wylie~
Struck by sudden inspiration, Alana Archer quickly turned her house upside down, gathering the hodgepodge of items she needed to re-create an image of artist Frida Kahlo鈥檚 1941 painting Me and My Parrot.
Instead of four brightly plumed birds, Alana posed with neon-green household products鈥攊ncluding a jug of laundry detergent and a tub of dishwasher pods鈥攑erched on her shoulders and embraced in her arms. She substituted the cigarette between Kahlo鈥檚 fingers with a thermometer.
Archer posted her photo to Instagram and on the popular website Reddit, where it fast became one of the day鈥檚 top posts, viewed by hundreds of thousands of people.
鈥淚 was hoping to just make people laugh for a little bit. The symbolism was there and colour was there,鈥� Alana said. 鈥淭he response was incredible. It just took off like wildfire.鈥�
The 琉璃神社 artist鈥檚 image was inspired by the Getty Museum Challenge, an online callout to re-create art using a small number of objects lying around the home. The challenge went viral during the first couple weeks of pandemic isolation, and social media feeds were populated with creative and funny interpretations.
People commenting on Alana鈥檚 posting quickly pointed out the reproduction was missing the original artist鈥檚 distinct unibrow.
鈥淭here was so much controversy about the eyebrows, and it was interesting how people were interpreting it,鈥� said Alana. 鈥淪ome people were taking personal digs at me and saying I completely missed the mark. I took it all with a grain of salt. It was fascinating seeing people鈥檚 spectrum of reaction.鈥�
Inspired, Alana delved deeper into Kahlo鈥檚 art and re-created another piece, Self-Portrait with Braid. She included the unibrow this time and incorporated a PlayStation controller as the necklace. Alana鈥檚 play on that portrait was printed in People Magazine. Her re-creations were also featured through PBS NewsHour.
The exposure helped her pick up more fans and followers on social media at an important time in her art career鈥攐ne that has involved going through her own transformation. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in her being laid off from her job in interior design. As a result, she switched her focus to her own art.
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鈥淚鈥檓 keeping up with my personal projects. I鈥檝e been running a separate art and painting company on the side for a few years. It鈥檚 been a bit of a hobby, but now it鈥檚 getting my full attention,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 lots of opportunity right now for people to just jump in and be a little bit entrepreneurial and make opportunities for themselves. And I think now, more than ever, people are wanting art to feel connected, and for things to be exciting again.鈥�
She鈥檚 stayed busy on Instagram and her website, getting updates done that she had previously put off.
鈥淓veryone鈥檚 getting really creative in different ways.鈥�
Alana tries to express a humanitarian message through her work.
Her dad is from the Republic of Chad, in central Africa, and her mom is Canadian. They were 鈥減retty nomadic,鈥� she said.
鈥淚 was back and forth quite a bit throughout my childhood.鈥�
Alana has spent time in France, Spain and Portugal鈥攃onnecting with family and exploring. She said experiencing different places and cultures, especially Third World countries, has helped her appreciate things more.
Her dad worked in construction and she spent time around the different trades. Her mom enjoyed experimenting with artistic pursuits, switching up mediums often鈥攆rom pastels to sewing.
鈥淚 got the best of both of their worlds, I think,鈥� she said.
Alana pursued interior design after high school, studying at the Centre for Arts and Technology in 琉璃神社. Still, as much as she loved interior design, she found it incredibly fast-paced and detail-oriented. The construction side of the business also has its own inherent challenges.
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鈥淗aving my layoff now, I鈥檝e been given the opportunity to just dive full force into my own artwork,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been diving into a lot of resin art recently. It鈥檚 one of my more exciting mediums to play with because it has a mind of its own and it will not be controlled. It鈥檚 like watching a story unfold right in front of your eyes.鈥�
Art using resin is a big investment of time and materials. There are multiple layers on top of each other that can be manipulated, or left to level out.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a material that you have to listen to. It鈥檚 definitely interactive. There are times it co-operates and times that it doesn鈥檛. I鈥檓 still learning how to tame it. Everything has a lot of energy, a lot of colour.鈥�
It鈥檚 also a delicate material; resin reacts to chemicals in the air and to temperature.
One of her more complex pieces is a round, abstract work with six materials creating cohesion in chaos. It plays together and reacts. Another piece, called Extraneous, was displayed recently as part of the 琉璃神社 Art Gallery鈥檚 exhibition for local artists.
She鈥檚 recently been working on a 30-inch round birch canvas, layering it with resin and also incorporating mirrored glass.
All of the proceeds from this year鈥檚 sales of Alana鈥檚 art will be donated to the 琉璃神社 General Hospital Foundation.
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