A Diary of Feelings - Gail Harvey

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A Diary of Feelings
Gail Harvey
Abstract Line Drawings

June 16 - July 15, 2006.

Presented in conjunction with
the

Visual expressions of emotions
I have been recognized artistically, primarily as a photographer and filmmaker. These abstract line drawings pay homage to my very early roots as an artist and my present work with this series represents an excavation of my shifting perceptions, evolving emotions and personal mythology. In short, a diary of my feelings.

Produced over a twenty year period, my series of abstract figures and faces drawn on Polaroid film aims to reflect the transformative nature of the sub-conscious mind, to capture a visible rendering of dreams, nightmares and intuitive, emotional free associations in their transitional state.

The series maps the dynamics inherent to the quality and texture of line and motion, and explores the three-dimensional effect of the juxtaposition between tonal backgrounds and the line drawings. Gail Harvey

Bio
GAIL HARVEY has a 25-year history in the feature film industry, starting as a still photographer on more than 100 films undertaken by all major studios in the United States and Canada. Before this she also worked as a photojournalist for United Press where she photographed Terry Fox. She won an international reputation by creating deep and insightful work that helped her transcend the traditional role of the on-set still photographer. Her appeal stems from an ability to capture, in a single frame, the enduring presence and complex personalities of her subjects. Among them are Shirley MacLaine, Diane Keaton, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor, Faye Dunaway, Martin Sheen, Mel Gibson, Robert Mitchum and Tony Curtis. It was through her years of photographing actors, and understanding their creative processes, that she became fascinated with the moving image.

"After many years of developing my artistic vision through photography, I try to put all the life I've captured on the street and my studio into the performance on the screen."

Harvey's first short film, Uphill in a Wheelchair, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1987. That film earned her acceptance in 1989 as a director resident at The Film Centre founded by Norman Jewison. Harvey's first feature film, The Shower, was nominated for three Genie Awards. Her film Striking Poses. starring Shannen Doherty, premiered on Sky TV in Britain and aired on HBO and TMN. Cold Sweat, starring Ben Cross, was shown at the Montreal Film Festival and has been seen around the world. Harvey also has directed several short films, and various episodics for CBC, BBC, Fox, Channel 4, Showcase, History Channel, YTV and Warner Brothers. Harvey's producing credits include The Shower, Manic Organic, and Terry, and she has recently directed the award winning CBC hour-long drama This is Wonderland.