Collaborative Alchemy

plant-based visual arts

January 10 - February 2020
Works by Edward Peck, Phyllis Schwartz, and Pierre Leichner

Opening Reception: Friday, January 10th, 2020, 7 - 9 PM
1120 Brunette Avenue, Coquitlam, BC.

Regular Gallery Hours: Mon-Fri 9 am - 9 pm; Sat. 9 am - 5 pm, Sun 1pm - 5pm

For INFO: 604 664 11636, Place des Arts Event.

Pierre Leichner, Edward Peck and Phyllis Schwartz are artists whose practice contemplates the full cycle of natural growth and transitions that are in an ever-changing state. They use plant-based materials to create works of art that reflect states of permanence and impermanence. They are choreographers and arrangers who have manipulated natural materials into compositions that challenge the viewer to contemplate time, form and the ephemeral.

On exhibit are Phyllis Schwartz’ hybrid prints made by a contact printing process that leaves traces and shadows on photosensitive surfaces. Her lumen prints engage viewers on a primal level to look again and to make their own meaning from ambiguity.

Pierre Leichner uses plant roots and moulds in an exploration of our relationship with nature and the beauty of the life cycle. In Pierre’s work, the roots of plants become sculptural forms.

Edward Peck’s photography addresses the symbolism of flower arrangements and the transformation of meaning when they are discarded. He explores the beauty that extends beyond our utilitarian use of these obsolete floral arrangements.

Vancouver International Airport 2019

Two works from Phyllis Schwartz and two from Edward Peck are on display at the Vancouver International Airport in the Domestic Terminal. So if you are passing through you will get a peek at four pieces that are also featured in the show opening November 1st, 2019 at the Amelia Douglas Gallery.

Formulation of Time

Available for Viewing and Purchase

Lipont Place, 4211 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC

Phyllis Schwartz and Edward Peck use plant-based materials to create works of art that speak to issues of permanence and impermanence that challenge the viewer to contemplate time, form, and the ephemeral.

Phyllis Schwartz uses hybrid camera-less process to create photograms that leaves traces and shadows on photosensitive surfaces. Plant enzymes and atmospheric conditions interact with creating alchemical results on the surface of the paper and sheet film, leaving X-ray like marks of shapes and interiors. These Lumen Prints are primal hovering on the cusp of poetry.

Edward Peck’s series, Arrangements, addresses the transitional processes found in nature and our esthetic manipulation of natural objects through the discarded floral arrangement. The moment we perceive beauty fades, the beauty is not lost what follows has its own striking beauty and relationship to the natural cycles around us. His hybrid photograph processed images work with the symbolism of flower arrangements exploring the beauty that extends beyond their symbolic use. 

Richmond Chamber of Commerce Article, Preview Article, Fairchild TV Article, YKLM Interview with Artists, Richmond News Article

Past Events

For past sassamatt projects, exhibitions and collaborations Click Here.

Lumen Print Demonstration

Sunday January 26th, 2:00 pm to 4 pm

Place des Arts
1120 Brunette Avenue
Coquitlam, BC

Thirteen Arguments

Thirteen Arguments is a new photography book containing thirteen images form Phyllis Schwartz and thirteen images from Edward Peck that are part of a collaborative process of using organics in an abstract aesthetic dialogue.  To Order on Line Click Here.

Our Blurb Bookstore

Sassamatt Publications at Blurb feature exhibition catalogues, photographic records of artists residences, illustrated memoirs, ceramics history and psychology. Many of these publications are collaborations with our artistic community, and we look forward to collaborating with this diverse group of individuals.

In this hands-on workshop, participants made photograms of plant materials, and discover how to leave marks and traces on photosensitive paper. There were opportunities to participate in the entire process from gathering materials, composing two images and developing two prints (8 x 10 inches). The workshop extends the concept of analogue photography as the pencil of nature. Schwartz rediscovered this process while studying the Victorian botanists who sought a method of documenting their fieldwork. Lumen Prints are both photographic and x-ray like, producing both documentation of nature and artistic renderings of botanical specimens.

Phyllis Schwartz is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in photography, ceramics and publishing based in Vancouver, Canada. Her work at Emily Carr University consolidated these interests with a concentration in photography. She was the recipient of the Canon Photography Award. As a visual artist, she seeks detail, texture, and poetic elements. She uses photography to investigate and record what eludes the eye. Her photography has been exhibited and published across Canada and internationally; her works are in both public and private collections.

Past Workshops

To view past workshops click here

As curators, Edward Peck and Phyllis Schwartz engage local and international artists in conversations to develop exhibitions. They offer participating artists the opportunity to collaborate and develop a body of work for exhibition. This collective approach invites diverse artists to work together: creating opportunities for collaboration and conversations about artist practices, the creative process and community engagement. Out of this process, a thematic approach to each exhibition develops. 

Curatorial Projects

All Content On This Website Is Copyright © Phyllis Schwartz, Copyright © Edward Peck- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED