-David Wylie

-Images: Lia Crowe

David and Jorden Doody are more than just collaborative artists香蕉视频直播攖hey are wife and husband, mother and father, intuition and structure. Their art and relationship are intertwined, a conversation between two artists who create as one.

They first met at Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 Hotel Eldorado in the summer of 2001. Jorden worked at the hotel as a housekeeper. David worked next door at Manteo Resort in parasailing. One momentous night, David went to the Eldorado bar with a friend; Jorden was there at a birthday party. When she walked up to the bar, near where he was sitting, David was paralyzed.

香蕉视频直播淲e bumped into each other and had one of those classic love at first sight kind of stories,香蕉视频直播� said David. 香蕉视频直播淲e fell madly in love and within a month moved into an apartment that had very little furniture, and we lived on the floor.香蕉视频直播�

Neither had intended to stay long in Kelowna.

香蕉视频直播淲e had both returned from elsewhere, being young ages of 19 and 20, and coming back to our hometown where our family was,香蕉视频直播� said Jorden.

The couple gelled and only a few months later planned to move to the Grand Caymans together. Two days before their flight on September 13, 2001, planes were grounded and delayed after the 9/11 attack in New York City.

Not long after, while still in Canada, they discovered they were going to have a baby.

That was 20 years ago. Now just entering their 40s, they香蕉视频直播檙e still deeply invested and deeply passionate about their relationship.

香蕉视频直播淚 don香蕉视频直播檛 know if anybody else could do what we do if they weren香蕉视频直播檛 madly in love with each other,香蕉视频直播� said Jorden.

The couple has always tried to work at the same place so they can spend all their time together.

香蕉视频直播淎rt seems to be the language that we end up speaking with each other. So we make these crazy installations that really only we get because it香蕉视频直播檚 a conversation between the two of us,香蕉视频直播� said David.

Still, they strive to make art that香蕉视频直播檚 also accessible to those outside of their relationship. Using their different yet complementary styles, they add depth to their work.

香蕉视频直播淎 lot of people find our work interesting because it is not just a conversation between one artist and the material at hand, with the viewer seeing the work afterwards. Our work is really a conversation between two separate artists [expressed] in the work itself. So there香蕉视频直播檚 already a conversation that香蕉视频直播檚 happening before it gets presented,香蕉视频直播� said David.

Added Jorden: 香蕉视频直播淵ou can feel that there香蕉视频直播檚 a masculine and a feminine perspective intertwined a lot of the time, depending on the work.香蕉视频直播�

Some of their pieces are developed over months, as the artists converse through their individual styles. Jorden has worked frequently in costuming and is comfortable with a variety of fabrics and materials to create touch and tactility. She香蕉视频直播檚 free-flowing, creative and intuitive.

David香蕉视频直播檚 energy gravitates to planning, architecture and space. He teaches sculpture and painting at UBC.

Together, they create art that香蕉视频直播檚 worth venturing out to the gallery to see in person: tactile, textured, large-scale, exciting.

香蕉视频直播淭he scope of our work is often larger than life. There香蕉视频直播檚 a real kind of presence香蕉视频直播攜ou can feel it,香蕉视频直播� said David. 香蕉视频直播淚n order to get that experience, we really need to go big before we go home.香蕉视频直播�

While raising their children, the couple took the unorthodox path of attending art school, first at UBC in Kelowna, then Capilano University in Vancouver, and then on to Montreal香蕉视频直播攚here David did his master香蕉视频直播檚 degree at Concordia. The family immersed itself香蕉视频直播攊ncluding the kids香蕉视频直播� in the vibrant arts scene.

香蕉视频直播淚t set the bar pretty high,香蕉视频直播� said Jorden.

They moved back to Kelowna three years ago, and Jorden has since completed her master香蕉视频直播檚 degree at UBC. Still, they maintain a studio in 香蕉视频直播渓a belle province.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檝e been in art school for 12 years,香蕉视频直播� said David with a laugh. In fact, they were the first collaborative team to graduate as a unit from UBC nearly a decade ago.

Having the influence of children around has also led to a playful feeling, as displayed in recent installations in the Okanagan. In Kelowna, I Must Be Streaming香蕉视频直播攅xhibited at Kelowna Art Gallery until November 1香蕉视频直播� is a spacious, colourful display that incorporates a digital-age feel. In Vernon, Electric Sleep is a sculptural installation that uses re-purposed objects with sculptural elements juxtaposed with screen culture. It can be seen at the Vernon Public Art Gallery until December 22.

David has also been behind a mural project in Kelowna香蕉视频直播檚 Rutland area that will add a dozen public art pieces by artists from all over Canada, and locally, by the end of the year.

香蕉视频直播淲e香蕉视频直播檙e injecting a lot of energy into the local art scene where we grew up,香蕉视频直播� said David.

The Doodys describe their work as optimistic香蕉视频直播攅ven if it is touching on darker topics. They don香蕉视频直播檛 want people to feel confronted by the work, but rather be invited into it.

Their current work responds to the juxtaposition of staying grounded in the physical world while also existing in a digital realm. It香蕉视频直播檚 a theme that hits home香蕉视频直播攁lthough the couple grew up in a world where social media was not part of high-school life, their children have a different experience.

Their kids are now 18 and 15 years old, and have both found their own creative niches. Their elder offspring works in creative writing and poetry, as well as game design. Their younger child paints murals and helps with installations.

香蕉视频直播淥ur kids have really had this super-cool opportunity to grow up in a studio environment with some of Canada香蕉视频直播檚 best and most creative minds,香蕉视频直播� said David, adding they香蕉视频直播檝e spent time with poets, singers, designers and philosophers.

香蕉视频直播淎rt and our relationship is a real reflection of our belief that it香蕉视频直播檚 worth doing it, and it香蕉视频直播檚 worth doing it well香蕉视频直播攚hether that means having a relationship and being married, raising our kids, making a painting or making a sculpture. We believe that it香蕉视频直播檚 valuable and it香蕉视频直播檚 worth putting all of our life and energy into it. And we really do go all the way,香蕉视频直播� said David.

香蕉视频直播淔ully invested,香蕉视频直播� added Jorden.

Check out their art at .