A graduate of Parksville's Ballenas Secondary School is off to Chianciano, Italy for his second international art show. Spencer Zaborniak's portrait was selected to be displayed with works by artists from 40 countries at the Biennale Chianciano 2024 this month. "It felt like an honour to be one of the 150," Zaborbiak said.
“They select from, sometimes, thousands of artists." His entry, titled 'Into The Light', depicts a young woman standing among glistening green leaves with shadows falling across her face. It was the last in a series that experimented and showcased female beauty in nature, according to Zaborniak.
"I feel like that piece really stood out to me as kind of representing that theme that we are a part of nature," said Zaborniak, who now lives in Vancouver and is an artist with the Empty Wall art gallery. He met with the model, named Nicole, at Queen Elizabeth Park for a photo shoot. “She’s a very talented model, so we connected very well.
It came very naturally," he said. Zaborniak arrived early to plan out the perfect spot for a photo, but by the time he and Nicole met, the sun had moved and the lighting had changed, so he had to improvise with a new location. “I kind of caught a moment where there was partial shade going into her eye, but also sunlight going into her eye," he said.
“I really fell in love with the image and it really spoke to me." He's excited to travel to Italy for the first time and plans to explore Florence and Rome with his girlfrie.