A short series introducing many of the visual artists involved in Flourish Festival 2017.
Featured Artist: Patrick Allaby
Patrick Allaby lives in the attic of a building in downtown Sackville, New Brunswick. His apartment consists of a bedroom, where he sleeps for an hour or two each morning after waking up on his couch, a bathroom where he takes a brief shower, a kitchen, where he quickly takes insulin, makes coffee and eats a bagel before running up the hill to work and arriving ten to fifteen minutes late. After the working day is done, he eats supper with his girlfriend in their dining room, before they each go to their individual studios to make art. His girlfriend has very interesting and interdisciplinary art practice, but he just draws comics until around 2 in the morning at which point he lies on his couch and falls asleep watching Friends, where he wakes up at around 6.
What does it mean for you to create / showcase in a new environment, even if it’s only for a few days?
I’m excited by any opportunity to show my work. In particular, any opportunity to show my work in other New Brunswick communities means a lot to me, especially when it’s Fredericton, because I feel like everything I do is about or set there.
What have you been working on recently? Anything you’d like to showcase in this article?
I’m currently working on a graphic novel about a diabetic teenager growing up in Fredericton. I’ve been working on it for, like, ever and will hopefully be finishing it this summer. It’s pretty much an ad for how great Fredericton is, featuring all the best things about it, like the park by Liverpool Street Elementary School which I spent half my youth in.
What are you planning for FLOURISH this year?
I’m planning on doing, like, three things at Flourish this year. The first is a slideshow comic about the time I thought I really liked drinking water, but was actually living with undiagnosed Type 1 Diabetes. The second is a drawing collaboration with Laura Watson. We’re doing a stream of consciousness adaptation of Kate Bush’s the Ninth Wave. This will maybe be the backdrop for one of the stages. I’m also making a daily zine documenting Flourish, which I’ll be giving out for free. Maybe I’ll only end up doing 1 or 2 of these things. Who knows? I’ll probably just be at the zine fair…
What is exciting you about FLOURISH this year?
I tend to think of New Brunswick to be a bit of a cultural wasteland and I LOVE that Flourish has blossomed in such an inhospitable environment. I am just SO excited to be a part of something like this which has grown from nothing into an amazing festival.
Anything else you’d like to mention?
Please follow me on Instagram. I am in desperate need of more followers. instagram.com/patrickallaby
Visit www.flourish-fest.com for complete festival information.
