THE COLD FIRE Gallery Show Chat with Creator Aaron Navrady
This interview was conducted by Chris Doucher, Editor-in-Chief, Writer and Comic Panel Moderator for GeekNerdNet. (Video/image credits to: Chris Doucher/GeekNerdNet, Aaron Navrady)
THE COLD FIRE creator/artist, Aaron Navrady. (image credit to: GeekNerdNet & Aaron Navrady)
Aaron Navrady is a Canadian (Calgary-based) comic book artist and the creator of the long-running graphic novel series, THE COLD FIRE. I am more than happy to say he’s incredibly talented, and I’m am lucky enough to call him a friend. Navrady and I recently jumped into our computer monitors and we talked about the completion of the series he started in 2010. For a little more about it, it’s explained in the following excerpt from his press release (below our interview):
The story is a medieval epic about a Norman Crusader tasked with pursuing heretics across the frozen Alps during the Albigensian Crusade. The pages were created using ink, watercolour and gouache to depict a rag-tag cast of knights, squires, peasants and priests slogging their way through the harsh, snowy environment of the French Alps during the middle ages. Original chapters of the book will be on sale at the show…
As THE COLD FIRE comes to a close, there’s no better celebration and send off than during this gallery show at NVRLND Boutique. He’ll be showcasing all of the graphic novels in the series, original art and more. The FREE show begins Thursday, November 13 and it’ll open at 7:30 p.m. with Navrady holding an artist talk. Speaking of talking, Navrady and I did a lot of it. Hit play on our interview right now, right here:
PRESS RELEASE
WITH HIS LATEST ART SHOW, AARON NAVRADY IMMERSES READERS ELBOWS DEEP IN THE MAKING OF A GRAPHIC NOVEL
Calgary comic book artist Aaron Navrady is putting on a week-long art show of original comic book pages from his first full-length graphic novel, The Cold Fire. The show will be opening on Thursday November 13 at NVRLND Boutique in Ramsay (1048 21 Ave SE, Calgary AB / nvrlnd.ca) and will be running until the following Wednesday November 19. The show is free for the public and an artist talk will be held 7:30 PM at opening on Thursday.
The story is a medieval epic about a Norman Crusader tasked with pursuing heretics across the frozen Alps during the Albigensian Crusade. The pages were created using ink, watercolour and gouache to depict a rag-tag cast of knights, squires, peasants and priests slogging their way through the harsh, snowy environment of the French Alps during the middle ages. Original chapters of the book will be on sale at the show, and Aaron’s work can be found at aaronnavrady.com.
In describing the show, Aaron Navrady says, “I wanted to give the public, students and fellow artists an up close look at original comics pages, in all their visceral glory, both to immerse themselves in the complexity of ink and watercolour illustration and give them insights into the comic book creation process. This will hopefully encourage them to get their hands (and face, ears and elbows) dirty with traditional materials.”
Aaron Navrady launched the project in 2010, and has been releasing a chapter from the book almost every year since then. He is an annual exhibitor at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo and the Panel One Comic Creator Festival, a show he helped co-found with a cohort of indie Calgary comic artists in 2016.
The best part about the Calgary arts scene he thinks, is there is so much room for self-starting your own projects. “If you’re willing to invest the time to develop your craft, you will find opportunities to build an audience.“ he says, “It’s remarkable to be able to show work at such a dynamic arts space as NVRLND Boutique. In larger cities a space of such quality would have a long waiting list. It’s a tremendous privilege.”
About Aaron Navrady:
Aaron graduated from the Alberta College of Art & Design (now AUarts) in 2002. He has created short stories for Renegade Arts & Entertainment, Nelson Education, BionX, BeatRoute Magazine and Top Shelf 2.0 (along with a plethora of other art projects). Based in Calgary, Alberta, Aaron is a proud member of Panel One and former Art Director of the Panel One Comic Creator Festival. Links to all his work and social media are found at aaronnavrady.com.