Art battle hosted by FEAC ‘all about being mentally ready,’ says winner

Every artist works at their own pace, but not during Saturday’s art battle at the Sanctuary Centre for the Arts in downtown Ridgeway.

Hosted by Fort Erie Arts Council (FEAC), about a dozen painters took part in the competition, a time trial with three rounds to determine one winner, decided by guests casting votes.

Each artist has 20 minutes to complete a piece of artwork, which is auctioned at the end of the night with proceeds being split between the artists and FEAC.

Vincent Verboncouer, a longtime member of FEAC, was declared the winner at the end of the night.

Before the show started, he spoke with Fort Erie Radio and explained his mindset heading into battle.

“It’s all about being mentally ready,” said Verboncouer, who works in a variety of mediums, like drawing, painting, and using coloured pencils.

Getting your tools all set and organized is important, but so is having a gameplan.

“You don’t want to go in and wing it,” he said.

As the artists worked, the close to 100 spectators were encouraged to circle the area where they were working to see the progress being made.

“You don’t want the outside to influence or distract you from what you’re about to produce,” said Verboncouer.

This was his sixth battle over the years, and the he hopes more people gain an understanding about what the event is and how much fun it can be to watch.

“If more people would come see this, it would just get bigger and bigger,” he said.

David Wierzbicki is a Brantford-based artist who makes the trip regularly for FEAC’s art battles, which are held four times a year.

He said painting his abstract-style work under time pressure has played a role in how he creates.

“It really changed my work,” he told Fort Erie Radio before the clock started ticking.

“Before, I would take my time and kind of get lost, but now I have to trust my instincts,” he said.

FEAC president chair Donna MacLeod said the event is always an exciting one and that there are well-known names in Niagara’s arts community on the roster, as well as ones who are up and coming.

“We try to keep a nice mixture of artists and styles,” she said.

Stay Informed

Events, offers, contests, and breaking news, all delivered straight to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Subscribe