In order to curb any tendency to watch too much tv, I don’t subscribe to a paid streaming service. But I do watch shows from our public broadcaster, CBC, and recently discovered two shows of interest to artists: Landscape Artist of the Year Canada, and Maudie.
The first one, Landscape Artist, is a multi-episode show that has artists, both professional and amateur, competing to depict a particular landscape. It is fascinating to watch the contestants work quickly to interpret the scene, with such differing results; many of their struggles to make artistic decisions will resonate. Because it’s in the form of a game show, the judges have to pick winners, but they do a good job being fair and basing their choices on real criteria.
Maudie is a feature-length movie about Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis. It is the engaging story of an untrained woman who turns to painting to express herself and ends up earning the praise and patronage of many.
Both are available free through gem.cbc.ca. Enjoy!
