Last week I was invited to show my work on Calgary's daytime pedestrian walk- Stephen Avenue. I must be a lucky "bunny" 'cause I'll be there again during the Stampede!!! My good friend Jesse Gouchey will be there as well, his aboriginal inspired urban styled works can be seen at his website

Come on down!!!
Wednesday July 14th, 2010
in front of The BAY between 10am-4pm.
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It's out and I'm officially in print. Check out the Stride Gallery Catalogue 2009-2010, Page 20. ISBN 978-1-897551-10-3

This was for the show:
RISING TALENTS SELECTED BY THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF THE ARTS

There is a nice write up by John Will,
a photo of my "Fortune Favors the Bold" painting and a brief bio.

Thanks to Stride Gallery, their staff and board for creating such a beautiful compilation. It's nice to be able to hold a book in my hands and see my work in print.
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I got the call from Mr. John Frosst that my application to ArtCity 2010 is successful!!!!!
I will be creating a 4ft. music box for the downtown core. I am super excited. I was also told that my application was the most professionally put together. I have been improving my grant writing skills and they are paying off.

So keep an eye out this September 10th - 19th during the Art City Festival in Calgary, AB.

For more info Artcity

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I will be showing a new work titled:
"Beauty is Only Skin Deep"
with a whole bunch of other great artist's at the Sugar Shack Art Salon this SUNDAY!!!!! As part of their GenderBlender Show.

Here are the details:

Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010
Time: 2:00pm - 6:00pm
Location: Sugar Shack Art Salon
Street: 1424 - 23 Avenue NW
City/Town: Calgary, AB

here is the link to the facebook event page

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I just completed a fun Mentor day at the Quickdraw Animation Society. There are a number of shining stars in the YAP program who deserve a pat on the back. They are making really good work. I was lucky enough to be invited down for lunch to talk to the participants. I got to have meeting with every participant and give them props and words of wisdom and experience in regards to my artistic pursuits and career. It was a lot of fun and I hope they all took away from it a ton of good stuff.

I also completed an application to Artcity to make and present my music box idea. It was mailed off Monday and now I just have to wait for the jury's decision. My fingers are crossed. I sure hope I get to do this because it will open some doors to making more rad automata and musical sculptures.

Ciao
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Hung about 7 pieces at the Apartment Show organized by Derek Bisbing.
Donation door cover and bar proceeds go towards Derek & Teri's 2010 Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Group art show featuring & more

featuring: Justin Allen LaFontaine, Brian Batista, Dylan Birkholm, Derek Bisbing, Nick Blakeney, John Boletta, Teri Dillon, Chris Dow, Jim Laing, Drew McIntosh, Jordan Pasiuk, Darren Parnell, Heath Smith, Scott Veldohen, Cutie Cup Cake Creations

http://www.bisbing.com/conquercancer

Show: Saturday, March 27, 2010
4328 4th St NW
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I am showing another new piece at the Stride Gallery Fundraiser/ Silent Auction.

Friday February 19, 2010

The theme is revolution and I created a piece called "Wings of Change"

Check it out, one night only!
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Post show report: The show was a success, I had four bids on my painting and it sold to a collector of mine:) So I know it will have a beautiful home.

It was also a lot of fun to reconnect with some of the artists in the community. I performed a new illusion called 'pressure' for Chris Cran. I made a bunch of bids though I didn't win an this time. It was a great evening and to top it off I went to a sculpey party afterward and made more art, then discovered the Korg Kaossilator.
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Love is in the air: February 13th 2010

I will be showing a new work titled "taming the tiger" as part of a pre Valentine's Hook up P'ART'y and love theme group show at ARTSPOT

Come on down. It's FREE!!!

Love is in the air... and at ART SPOT! Experience the lovely art by over 16 talented artists, be romanticized by spoken work artists, dance your heart out to the music of multiple DJs, and maybe get lucky! Artspot will be supplying colour coded heart necklaces, so you can express if you are looking for friendship, love, or sex!


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I have been invited by the Calgary chapter of the Taoist Tai Chi to design this year's (2010 - Year of the Tiger) T-shirt for the western region.

I met with their administrator on Friday Jan 15th to get the specifications. I am doing preliminary drawings for the design. The preliminary drawing is done and looking awesome (January 23/2010) Then I will create a large painting to be photographed, do clean-up digitally and add all the necessary design aspects for the printers.

I am excited about the opportunity and cant wait to see someone wearing the T. They should be available by the Chinese New year on or around February 14th, Valentines day;)

They will be available for purchase at the calgary main center so check out their
site: TAI CHI

I practiced tai chi for years and decided to trade classes and start doing it again. If you have never tried it you should. It is awesome!

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Excerpt from Article featured HERE


"Another Canadian visual artist I am keeping notes on 2010 is Brian “Bunny” Batista. Yes I have known Brian for many years and yes he made a documentary on me and some may believe this is a plug, please let me reassure you though I am harder on my friends then I am on casual acquaintances. So when I say he has earned this spot, he has earned this spot. Recently awarded the honor of being elected into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (a very high honor in the Canadian art world) by his peers (peers in this case being notable Canadian Artists of the highest stature) Brian Batista’s work in his various artistic endeavors is always interesting and compelling. Although I have not been able to follow his video or performance work for the past few years as he hasn’t posted it on his site I have been following his paintings. His works hold similarities to that of Attila Richard Lukacs which is why I love it. These images often references spiritual and historical works, utilizing iconic beings from different culture’s histories to tell his own story. Often characterized with creation of modern mythical deities from his own mythology, his work speaks of the forgotten realm of gods and their musings on the world in which we play. Insinuating that one day they come back for their revenge. These are timeless themes and questions with which we have struggled with through out humanity. Add to this his brilliant use of bright colors and little light hearted play and that is some pretty modern art."

by Rosetto Ink

http://www.artandculture.com/feature/1589

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Alfred Hitchcock Dioramas

I am part of a group exhibition at BIRD DOG VIDEO as part of their 3rd Annual Bird Dog Video Art Show/Silent Auction! Each year a selection of artists, musicians and all round creative people graciously donate their time and efforts to help raise money for a local charity. The Bird Dog Art Show/Silent Auction has become a favourite event for art lovers and collectors.

This year we will honour one of the greatest Film Makers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock has an extensive film repertoire, each artist has been asked to recreate a specific scene, create a new scene or simply use Hitchcock as the theme for your idea. All dioramas must be made with the same size box, but feel free to embellish outside the box.

I am spellbound by the idea, have my shadow box and dreaming of Salvador Dali. No other clues necessary;)

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article here

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I just finished working as DOP on a two day music video shoot for the Band THE DUDES. The song we made the video for is 'girl police', we shot it on 1080/24p HD on a Sony XDCAM.

It was a lot of hard work in a super hot trashed old party house. Imagine 30+ dudes having a party in a small living room, with gear, lights and no A/C.

We finished up principal photography with the final shot of the 'girl police' running toward a wheelchair dolly carrying a ladder. Awesome! There were some other very creative shots including an ode to the Iwo Jima memorial where the girls put up a ladder with the traditional rising sun flag to get into the dudes jam space shot in slow motion and a scene where we lit Dan the singer entirely with cellphones. Yes!!!

The design of the various palettes was based on epic war movies like Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket. The colors will be washed out, focusing on a grey/green palette while putting the yellow of the house exterior on the interior as well. The shadows will be crunched to create rich dark contrasting elements. We upped the gain to compensate for the darkness and to blow out the whites.

The Interior action shots where shot at 1/250 shutter and the outdoor 'girl police' portions were shot in 60 & 54/24 fps with a standard shutter. We used a lot of hand held camera with dynamic framing. The trusty wheelchair dolly was used in 2 shots and the tripod only for a few. Since it is a music video cuts will be made on movement anyway, high shutter and jerky motion = good. There is now a lot of footage to go through. We expect it to be edited within the next two weeks.

Stay tuned (double pun)

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For the past decade, I have survived on word of mouth to do my marketing. I have had people call out of the blue on a whim and still get a hold of me (my phone number hasn't changed since 2002).

I opened up my mail to a box today and found it full of business cards...... finally. Boy am I excited! I cant wait to give them out.

The work has been dropped off at the gallery.

Special thanks goes out to my good friend Ray Kruger for providing transportation of the piece. Cheers buddy;) I look forward to seeing everybody who comes out to the show.

at the Stride Gallery from June 26 – August 1, 2009

Brian Batista will be showing his newest creation
“Fortune Favors the Bold”
An oil on canvas piece measuring 90 cm by 180 cm

The opening takes place on June 26th between 5 – 8 pm @

The Stride Art Gallery Association
1004 MacLeod Trail S.E.
Calgary, AB CANADA
T2G 2M7

Email or phone for more information.
403.262.8507
stride2@telusplanet.net

PS: Special thanks goes out to Chris Cran and John Will for selecting my work for this exhibition.

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BRIAN BATISTA is proud to announce that he has become a full time artist!
Support him today by helping him find an adequate studio, buy some one of a kind original artwork or just give him a pat on the back for taking the leap.

He has been invite by John Will and Chris Cran to present a work at the ROYAL CANADIAN ACADEMY of ARTS: Annual General Assembly at the Stride Gallery, opening June 26.

Visit http://www.rca-arc.ca/en/news/index.asp#
to find out more about the RCA and the show.

http://finearts.ucalgary.ca/events?art/lectures/2008-09/BrianBatista


Events at the Faculty of Fine Arts


Brian Batista Artist Talk

On Friday September 26 Brian Batista will discuss his recent video ‘Battle Between the Sexes.’ In his work, the Calgary based artist asks “what is the modern experience of courtship?”

EMMEDIA Artist-in-Residence Brian Batista visits the Art Building to talk about his recent work on Friday September 26, 2007, at 9:30 am in Room 672 on the 6th floor of the Art Parkade Building.

This Lecture is free and open to the public.

Centuries have passed but the battle between the sexes still rages on. Battle Between the Sexes is a documentary-style installation that contrasts and compares the difference in opinion between men and women in regards to the mating ritual. It is an invitation for introspection from both viewers and participants. The goal of this provocative work is to shed some light on what this battle is really about, reflecting on modern and traditional beliefs regarding the topic of courtship.

Two randomly selected video interviews are projected simultaneously side by side on screen, contrasting the subjects' opinions and explorations on the "battle" that goes on between the sexes. The viewer is witness to two simultaneous, often opposing, viewpoints. Thoughts and biases are intended to surface, as the viewer becomes entrenched in the duality of the dialogue.

What is the modern experience of courtship?

Bestselling books for both men and women outline everything from "The Rules" - from how to catch him and keep him - to guides for girls on having one night stands. The rise in popularity of related websites, blogs, e-zines and reality-based shows like "The Bachelorette", "The Pick-up Artist" and "Keys to the V.I.P." point to a renewed sexual revolution, not only in how to get a mate, but why? Purveyors such as David DeAngelo, Mystery and Neil Strauss's have turned dating techniques into trademarked methods and multi-million dollar industries. Harlequin novels still hold sway and online dating has become the new force in making connections. The goal of Battle Between the Sexes is to ascertain what it means to be a modern "available" Canadian in today's world.

Get involved!

This project will be ongoing past its exhibition date at EMMEDIA. Brian Batista invites singles willing to share unique experiences on camera to email: artistavision@gmail.com

This event is part of Visiting Artist Lecture Series 2008-09