FEATURED ARTIST - The Double D

Double D: Paintings by Dean Hillier and Drezden Ford

Dean Hillier was born in the UK and moved to Canada at
the age of 4. His grandfather was an amazing graphite artist and his mother’s
favorite medium was Indian ink. So there was no surprise that art came easy for
Dean in school. He enjoyed drawing, painting, crafts and making pottery.

After high school, Dean took up cooking which lead to
his culinary career. He moved to Galiano in 2004 to work at the Galiano Inn and
Spa as the Head Chef which he still does today.

Remembering his roots as an artist, Dean began playing
around with acrylic pours several years ago. “It’s simple but it’s a really
messy procedure once you figure out the consistency of your paint” He later got
into alcohol inks which he likes to use when he doesn’t want a large mess to
clean up. His artwork is fun and explodes with Colour Bursts.

Drezden Ford was born in Newfoundland and moved
to British Columbia after high school. He's been living on Galiano Island since
2016.

A self-taught pyrography artist, Drezden tried many different art forms
throughout his life but was never satisfied with just one in particular. He
decided to draw from these experiences to combine different mediums to create
what you see here.

Using "electric" pens that can reach a temperature of 745C, Drezden burns his image onto a piece of wood. Next he adds colour with watercolour pencils, then takes an open flame
to blacken the image. Afterwards he uses a combination of knives and feathers to create a Scratchboard effect revealing the "hidden" image
underneath.

This art form can be a bit of a challenge as it leaves little room for error.But Drezden loves what he does and the different effects he can achieve with this
unusual combo of mediums.