It's official. Paint is back and it looks delicious.

Etienne Zack, Collision, 2006

Recently, along with my amazing art teacher colleagues, I had a chance to go check out the exhibition "Paint" at the Vancouver Art Gallery. We spent a few hours taking in the exhibition which was focused solely on the medium of paint. Never before have I been so aware of what is missing in our everyday visual experience. Lumps, streaks, mess, viscosity, raw energy. All things that the liquid and unpredictable nature of paint provides. All things that we are surely being deprived of in the increasing bombardment of the pristine, computer generated art and media in our daily lives.

I'm not taking a cheap shot at digital media or technology in general . I love technology. I am a supporter and user of Photoshop and strongly support its place in the world of art. I'm an avid Digg user and, later this month, will most likely be skipping and prancing around my apartement with a Wiimote. Yep computer technology is good stuff....

However, what this exhibition highlighted for me was two things:

1. We need to watch that technology and digitial media are not our only forms of expression, entertainment or interaction.
2. That although Paint is an ancient medium it still deserves its place in the forefront of visual arts both in education and in galleries.

Go check it out if you are in town or keep your eye out for painting exhibitions in your local galleries. I could be wrong, but it seems like this may be the start of a paint resurgence that will hopefully be able to exist symbiotically, rather than in direct opposition to digital art and media.