art of the Peace | Issue #5

www.artofthepeace.ca

A Publication for the Visual Arts Fall / Winter 2005

Issue 5

of the Peace EDNA MCPHAIL: Inspiring Spirit

3rd ANNUAL ARTS SYMPOSIUM ARTISTS as teachers art of the peace 1

Congratulations to Art of the Peace for your wonderful initiative in the publishing of these excellent magazines.

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Stop in or call Al for his wine expertise (780) 532-5945 Located in The Beer Box art of the peace 2

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contents art out there...

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PRAIRIE NORTH review

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the artbox

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the BUSINESS of art

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SYMPOSIUM speakers

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EDNA MCPHAIL: inspiring spirit

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ARTISTS as teachers

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artists directory where it’s all at education & opportunities Enduring Moment

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Editor: Jody Farrell Editorial Commitee: Karen Longmate, Dale Syrota, Carrie Klukas Design, Layout & Advertising: Image Design Contributors: Jody Farrell, Sarah Alford, Brenda Mansfield Publisher: Art of the Peace Visual Arts Assoc., c/o The Prairie Art Gallery, 10209 99 St., Grande Prairie, AB, T8V 2H3; Ph: (780) 532-8111; art@artofthepeace.ca Printing: Menzies Printers Cover: Edna McPhail at home with her painting Persistent Poppies Art of the Peace Visual Arts Association acknowledges the financial assistance of: City of Grande Prairie Arts Development Fund

Peace Country Canada

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©All rights reserved Art of the Peace 2005 Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

Art of the Peace makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes, but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

A Toast to Art Teachers

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evoting an issue to art education seemed a logical plan for a magazine that wants to raise the profile of the arts. There were many arts teachers to write about, and a wide range of programs and services through which to explore and advance our own arts knowledge. We realized soon enough that this will not be our last foray into helping people lead fuller lives through learning art.

For our teacher profiles, we sought those who had not only taught but practised art, and who had influenced students in different areas of the Peace. We found these people to be enormously humble: Each suggested we choose someone else, who, in their mind had had a wider influence, and was, if not a better artist, a more worthy teacher specimen.

Yet, there are still elementary, junior and high schools where arts instruction is not available, despite a concerted effort on behalf of parents, and the availability of outside programs offered through non-profit arts organizations.

With ever-growing evidence of the need for developing the part of the brain that houses creative thinking, arts programs continue to struggle for recognition in many of our schools. Hiring teachers who actually have fine arts backgrounds to teach art is very important in addressing the issue.

Arts educators everywhere, this issue salutes you.

Jody Farrell, editor art of the peace 3

art out there...

In Memoriam

he Palette Pals Art Club in Grande Cache dedicated its June exhibition to the memory of Esson Gale, a beloved and respected resident artist and lifetime honorary member of the group who passed away last March. The exhibition space in the Grande Cache Tourism Centre will be named after Gale, who had taught oil and acrylic painting for many years.

In July, The Palette Pals won first place in the area’s Canada Day Centennial Celebration parade.

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“Prairie Finds” Exhibition

Charity Dakin, Fairview Sky

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anning artist Charity Dakin featured eight of her works in Edmonton’s Agricom during its annual Klondike Days festivities. About 20 artists were part of the Prairie Finds exhibition in July. The show, which depicted rural scenes, was curated by Phil Alain. Also on show was the Alberta-Saskatchewan centennial mural mosaic Buffalo Twins featuring 336 paintings, many rendered by Peace Region artists. The mural can be viewed online at www.muralmosaic.com.

Sweetwater 9/05

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olla, BC, artist Emilie Mattson and her family recently hosted some 200 guests at an arts event dubbed Sweetwater 9/05, in honour of their acreage street name and the date of the show. Emilie and artist sons Dean and Karl. along with other Dawson Creek area artists featured works in what became a multi-faceted celebration including music and song.

Karl’s wife Inge-Jean also included written impressions of the couple’s recent canoe trip from Rolla to the Arctic.

Dean Mattson, Untitled - Acrylic on canvas

On the Road with Art he Peace Region’s art community was the focus of a recent road trip organized by the Prairie Gallery. On the Road with Art, a tour which took place on June 11, 2005, was an exploration of the diversity and skill of the artists working in the region. Exhibits, demonstrations and open studio visits were included in the tour, allowing participants the opportunity to view first hand some of the processes involved in the creation of the artists’ work. Raku firing, printmaking, photography, metal sculpture and painting were among the disciplines showcased on the tour through Fairview, Whitelaw, and Peace River.

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Kristine McGuinty, So as in autumn - Acrylic on canvas

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Wanted: Travelling Teachers

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he Prairie Art Gallery is looking for arts teachers who are interested in visiting Peace Region schools as part of a pilot program. Transportation costs and distance have many local and rural schools requesting that arts instructors come into their area for workshops.The programs would follow a lesson prepared by Gallery staff. If you are interested, please contact Lynn LeCorreDallaire at The Prairie Art Gallery, 532-8111.

Multi Media Exhibition

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rande Prairie Regional College fine arts instruc tor Ian Forbes’ recent exhibition at Fringe Gallery in Old Strathcona, Edmonton, combined multi media installation with storytelling. Forbes’ initial inspirations for the exhibition Morbid Anatomy - one being an image involving a drowned girl emerging from a wheatfield - were disturbing enough to warrant something that helped “remove them from reality.”

He purchased a few old photos from a Grande Prairie secondhand store and developed a fictional scenario around a poet he named “William T. Morris.” In an interview with Edmonton Journal writer Gilbert Bouchard, Forbes explains: “I’m looking ultimately at how fiction makes truth more palat able and how important storytelling is for all of us as human beings...” The website portion of the work is still available at http://homepage.mac.com/bolundin/menu1.html. Go to Morbid Anatomy.

The Prairie Art Gallery featured artists and funky chairs in its annual summer arts celebration

McNaught Celebrated reparations for The Prairie Art Gallery’s third annual McNaught Celebration arts festival were almost as fun as the July weekend event itself. A plein air paint-a-chair saw a number of practising and newly initiated artists meet at Bob and Eleanor Andrews’ acreage west of Dimsdale in June, to artfully dress a series of adirondack-style resin chairs. These, as well as amazing, original chair designs were assembled on Main Street throughout the arts festival, whose logo this year was “Come Sit With Art.” An estimated 10,000 people visited the downtown during the combined arts program and Street Performers Festival. They were able to dabble in a bit of painting, pottery, and collage, while watching the likes of ceramicist Bibi Clement and other artists do their thing.

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Husband and wife teacher-artists John Kerl and Laurel Rohne’s paintings Muskeg Scene (above), and Untitled (below) will tour with a future TREX exhibition.

TREX popular visual arts program is organizing a northern Peace tour of some work of the Grande Prairie Public School District’s teacher artists. The Alberta Foundation for the Arts travelling exhibition program (TREX) sends original artwork out to the remote parts of the province. Its Peace Region coordinator Sue Millar, of The Prairie Art Gallery, is working with Grande Prairie Composite High School art instructor and artist Steve Burger to curate a show of selected works from teacher artists in the Grande Prairie Public School District #2357. This Teachers as Artists exhibition debuts at The Prairie Art Gallery in September 2006, and will include both artworks and documentation of artistic techniques and classroom applications

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Come Sit With Art chairs were painted for the McNaught Celebration on Main

Peace River artist Miriam Gair’s painting depicting the last raft race held on the Peace River, (shown above), won a gold medal at the August seniors games in Wetaskiwin.

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Carol Adrian-Clark realistic renderings of nature in coloured pencil and oil painting (780) 532-0846 9338 - 69A Ave Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6T3

Suzanne Sandboe The Peace River at Dunvegan - Watecolour

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Forbes & Friends Grande Prairie

Domino the Seeker Oil on Panel 5’6” x 16”

he recent Peace Watercolour Show and Sale at Picture Perfect Gallery showcased the work of 11 artists from Grande Cache, Grande Prairie, Beaverlodge, Dawson Creek, Buffalo Lake, Spirit River and Fairview. The PWS has annual fall shows that rotate amongst galleries in the peace region.

Its next show will be at the Small Gallery in Beaverlodge in the spring of 2006.

Scott Gallery Edmonton WallaceGalleries Calgary

Jim Stokes

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Marj Taylor Gerda Duiverman with her Untitled lake painting.

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erda Duiverman, whose recent Dawson Creek Art Gallery exhibition one of paintings entitled Land and Sea featured both Canadian and Dutch landscapes, says that of her paintings stood out for many viewers as a “familiar Alberta lake.” She had planned to name the painting for its Dutch location, but decided it should remain Untitled and represent whatever personal memory it evoked in those who saw it.

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Janet Enfield Pretty Women

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(780) 538-7585 Lower Level, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital 10409 98 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2E8 Exhibition Opportunities available - Contact Karen

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PRAIRIE NORTH review

by Sarah Alford and Jody Farrell

Three takes on GPRC’s summer art residency.

Lori Czoba

ori Czoba, installation artist from Fairview, admits to being overwhelmed “by being in the midst of such talented artists” during the first few days at the Prairie North Creative Residency. How ever, as the days unfolded, it became apparent “that there was a genuine spirit of sharing among the artists,” and she remembers that for two weeks most of her conversations began: “What do you think if I…?” “How did you…?”

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In the place of formal instruction, the residency, which takes place at the Grande Prairie Regional College in May, offers two weeks of intensive studio time with fellow artists. Czoba found herself learning not only about different materials and processes, including casting, performance art and digital media, but the experience confirmed for her that “when you bring so many people together from various regions and backgrounds, you take with you a new perspective in all things.”

Marilyn Gourlay Lori Czoba with Other I - Fabric

or Grande Prairie artist Marilyn Gourlay, who has participated in and offered retreats all over the world in many mind-expanding practices, including yoga, aromatherapy, colour therapy, and shamanism, Prairie North offered a local space to explore and sythesize all that influences her art.

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“It was a huge gift,” she says today. “It was well-organized, fun, and intellectual.” Gourlay praises the work of GPRC fine arts staff and community support - Murray Quinn’s end-of-residency gallery show is an example - as part of what made Prairie North so invaluable an experience.

“My intent was to show up and play with all of these forms of creativity, and see what came of it,” she says. “Together, we fed off of one another, reflected with and connected with each other. What I came away with was a better sense of how the daily practice of art - take painting - can be every bit as important to self-preservation and the care of the soul as is yoga.”

“Together, we fed Marilyn Gourlay, Sacred Play - Mixed Ann Manuel, Untitled - Ink on mylar

Along with a painting she calls Sacred Play, Gourlay created a multi media shrine that embraces the importance of the multi-sensory aspect of her work.

Ann Manuel

off of one another, reflected with and connected with each other.”

Marilyn Gourlay nn Manuel travelled from Fredericton to attend Prairie North and found that it had “the right mix of informal and personal attention…a cross-pollination that gave the experience even more breadth.” Manuel, who set herself up at the printing press, was delighted not only by the prodigious amount of work she created in such a short time but by the growing number of fellow painters who had begun to etch and ink their own prints. She joked that she had converted them “to the dark side!”

“When you are surrounded by support and encouragment, along with buckets of fun, the work does develop more quickly and has a depth and reasonance not possible without it.”

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the artbox

by Jody Farrell

why workshops on art?

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or all the studies that identify its inherent ability to develop the brain, art is still struggling to gain a serious nod in most schools in North America. Still, it’s general knowledge that art education accesses and develops a part of the brain that otherwise may go unused, and that more and more, we are seeing creative thinking as essential in today’s world.

According to the Ottawa Board of Education: “Research shows a direct correlation between arts experiences and enhanced student achievement, in writing, reading and mathematics.”

Let’s look at some of the evidence that points to its importance and benefits for not only children, but adults, who can access art education through workshops and courses.

American psychobiologist Roger W. Sperry published research findings in 1968 that the human brain uses two fundamentally different modes of thinking, one verbal, analytic, and sequential, and one visual, perceptual, and simultaneous. His work earned him a Nobel Prize. Ten years later, Betty Edwards published the first edition of her still popular book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, in which she instructs in how to switch from the predominant, left-mode thinking to the right-mode. It’s a process which until about 10 years of age is easily accessed, but afterwards, requires practised and guided efforts to shift into the right-mode thinking that “gets” the questions aroun spaces and perception.

As Betty Edwards says in her famous drawing manual, drawing itself automatically engages that spacial side of the brain in a way that will never again be lost once it has been re-taught.

She focuses primarily on teaching adults to draw. One of her many students was a 68-yearold woman, who, having suffered a lifetime of depression, learned to draw and went on to gain national recognition for her work and story.

The desire to access the arts as an adult may begin with a need to find out what creativity resides in us. Too often, we hear people saying “I haven’t got an ounce of it in me,” when, the fact is, we have never been exposed to the kind of exercises that open that side of the brain.

Many adults seek out art once they’ve sat through a class with a child, and discovered that they really do have a desire to learn more in this field.

The more we expose ourselves to the multitude of arts-related activities available through leisure centres, galleries, colleges, and private courses, the more likely we are to find that very individual mark that is ours.

For some, it becomes the very reason to get up every day.

Menzies

See the directory at the back of this magazine for more information regarding arts exhibitions and classes. Also, visit galleries and centres for pamphlets on private courses in painting, drawing, pottery and other media. art of the peace

the BUSINESS of art

by Jody Farrell

what’s your brand?

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he Art of the Peace Society has representatives from the Dawson Creek, Grande Prairie, Fairview and Peace River areas, and not only boasts the magazine and directory, but a website, and an annual symposium for artists and arts enthusiasts.

Art of the Peace has received support from and worked with The Peace Region Economic Development Alliance (PREDA). This provincially funded program is responsible for the Branding the Peace initiative, in which different sectors of the region’s industry define and package their key selling features. The notion of “branding” sometimes raises questions by artists, whose personal goal is to render a work authentic through its differences. Does “branding” or packaging under a single umbrella somehow compromise the artist? Here’s what PREDA’s Nicole McMullan says of promoting art under its newly-adopted logo Peace Country Brand: “Image is important. Artists of the Peace don’t need to be selling their wares internationally to worry about branding.”

“Whether you are just embarking on art as business, or headed to the New York Affordable Art Fair, adopting the Peace Country Brand is to your advantage.

A brand is the impression that consumers share about a product. It’s what we think about a product when we hear its name.

Branding the Peace influences the consumer to perceive quality assurance, best practices, environmental stewardship, and art of the peace 10

made in the Peace Country.

“Your product is not what you say it is,” McMullan continues.

“It’s what the consumer says it is. All you can do is try to influence their perception. By joining the marketing advantage called Branding the Peace, artists benefit from regional, national and international media campaigns and regular press coverage. Above all, adding the Branding the Peace logo to your product will make sure your brand image is recognizable, consistent, and repeated often.”

Still, with artists being the nonconformists that they sometimes are, the notion of unifying under a brand doesn’t always sit well.

Vancouver’s Adbusters magazine, the Burning Man festival in Nevada, and Naomi Klein’s famous “no logo” campaign are artist-driven ideas that look for alternatives to the market economy to spread the goods. They eschew branding and logos partly because the hype around these tends to be so insidious as to create a compulsion to buy without awareness of what it is we’re buying.

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Some of us have come to be able to use our name alone to sell our art. This is still a brand of sorts. Others, who have not achieved, but wish for exposure, must decide if we choose to come under a bigger umbrella.

For more information about the Peace Country Brand, visit http://www.communityfutures. biz/branding.html.

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SYMPOSIUM speakers

by Ellen Corea

The Third Annual Art of the Peace Arts Symposium brings together four guest speakers representing a variety of visual arts media. With topics ranging from painting and sculpting to filmmaking, photography and marketing, this two-day event, hosted by The Dawson Creek Art Gallery, promises to address everyone’s creative palette.

Laine Dahlen

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or more than 28 years, Laine Dahlen has taught visual art at Northern Lights College. He sees himself as a painter on a lifelong mission to master the skills that allow him to interpret the world creatively. His work reflects traditions of the masters in both their symbolism and imagery. The process through which we deliver such creations is another main focus for him.

Sharon Moore Foster, Bone Goddess - Clay

Dahlen’s work and teaching look at the role of the artist, who, by definition, is a student of the arts who creates works. He ponders questions like: Can all works, including what is discovered or rendered in the sciences or math be considered art? Where practical application and understanding of the arts are taken care of by the muses, Dahlen sees the chemist as possibly channelling a similar muse to create elaborate crystal trees.

Laine Dahlen, Untitled - Oil

For Dahlen, people address these questions as they, in turn, explore their own creativity.

As the painter develops his skills, and the sculptor masters his medium, they, as do all of us, ask: “Am I an artist?”

“We tend to be uncomfortable with the definition,” he says. “Perhaps the titles painter, sculptor, dancer, poet, give boundaries and are thereby more comfortable to wear.”

Sharon Moore Foster To what the eye can see, the artist adds feeling and thought. He can, if he wishes, relate for us the adventures of his soul in the midst of his life.

Kilmon Nicolaides.

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haron Moore Foster is one of those artists humbled by the term. Whether drawing or painting the graduate of the University of Alberta’s main goal is acquiring knowledge, connecting all her senses through the manual labour of art.

In an essay entitled Ground Zero, Moore Foster shared her thoughts around her choice of career as visual artist.

“What is ground zero? It is the place where I begin again, much like the Boy Scout campfire songs sung in rounds. Finneghan begin again? Ground zero is the Maginot Line where

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I hold loosely organized chaos at bay. Ground Zero is where I regroup and recharge and re-illuminate my heart. In this space I draw and sculpt.

After I struggle to show up, past the barbed-wire fences and random foxholes, I engage in the most perilous battle of all, extricating my self from my mind and repositioning her physically in this moment. It is said that the battle of the spiritual warrior is always with the self, building and shaping one’s character through action, trusting the process and remaining unattached to outcomes. In Ground Zero, my arena for self-conquest, awarness, single-mindedness, discrimination and perserverance are called upon. The weapons used for recovery and reconnection with my self are drawing and sculpture.” Moore Foster will explore more of the visual arts and her work at the symposium.

Don Pettit

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or over 30 years, photographer Don Pettit has travelled the rich landscape of the Peace River Region of Northeastern BC and Northwestern Alberta exploring and documenting his unique vision of this beautiful Canadian Frontier. His lifestyle and images express his active concern for the natural environment.

Pettit loves photography, with its finely crafted cameras and lenses and the way the film is kept cool until just the right moment. Experimentation is important in his work; making little discoveries, strange accidental images that no amount of skill could ever reproduce. The techniques and technology offer some of its richest rewards. Like other technical crafts, Don Pettit at work photography provides the satisfaction of creatively applying acquired tools and knowledge, won after years of study and practice. Pettit loves its magic and crisp reliable reality. He appreciates its usefulness, its ability to precisely record, but also to reveal strange, unseen worlds: The infrared and polarized, stopped motion and blurred time, the almost invisible made manifest. Precise focused pulses of light making images. Petit will tell symposium guests about the process of taking an artistic product to the next level, through publishing, marketing and distribution of varied art wares.

Aaron Sorensen

Aaron Sorensen, writer/director of Hank Williams First Nation

aron James Sorensen is an award-winning feature film director from Dixonville Alberta. His first feature Hank Williams First Nation was the first Canadian film to ever open in competition at the American Film Institute’s AFIfest in Los Angeles.

There, it premiered with such films as Hotel Rwanda and Merchant of Venice. The same film has gone on to play several US festivals and recently won the “Best Music in a Feature Film” at the Nashville International Film Festival. The Village Voice in New York City recently cited Sorensen’s film as the Best Undistributed Film of 2004.

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Just out of university, he began his working life as a small town school teacher and newspaper reporter in 1989. Sorensen’s varied career include stints as president of the oilfield company CompuTorque Canada Ltd. and elected municipal councillor. As a musical composer and performer, Aaron travelled much of North America with a variety of ensembles. He also worked with the Loose Moose Theatre Company while studying acting at the University of Calgary under visiting director Keith Johnston.

As President of Peace Country Films, Mr. Sorensen is currently overseeing the Canadian theatrical release of Hank Williams First Nation, which opened in Toronto on five screens this September. He is also involved as writer/director and co-producer on a script called Meet Pamela with Paramount pictures. art of the peace 13

by Jody Farrell

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dna McPhail greets you at the door with an energy that defies her 82 years. She’s got a handshake and a look that somehow puts you both at ease and attention. This is one firecracker of a woman.

Winters Edge - Acrylic on Canvas

“Never downsize,” she advises as she moves swiftly through her brightly lit condo unit in the heart of Dawson Creek. “I’ve had to get rid of so much, and now I can’t find a thing.” She easily removes a heavy, framed watercolour from above her bed for better viewing, then is off to dig out little mementoes of her abundant career of giving to the arts.

The few scrapbooks and photo albums she still has document over half a century of service to the community. She pours over them wistfully, sometimes stopping to laugh at a memory, or share it with Jim, who sits quietly nearby reading the newspaper. Asked what it’s been like to live all these years with an artist, her husband pauses, and, with a smile that says more than he’ll betray, simply replies, “Interesting.”

McPhail came to Dawson Creek in 1950 as a teacher. Born in Medicine Hat in 1923 and raised in British Columbia, she wanted to experience the province’s more northern reaches. By 1970, she and Jim had already given enough of themselves to be awarded Dawson Creek’s Citizens of the Year, and still, nearly 35 years later, she’s the person most will credit with continuing to shape and support the visual arts in this South Peace city.

While McPhail left full-time teaching to raise her family shortly after her marriage to Jim, she never stopped teaching art to children and adults, and still runs the Wednesday seniors art program at The Dawson Creek Art Gallery. These experiences would keep any single human busy, let alone a mother of four, and yet, Edna has done much more than teach. She’s been part of the development of many civic projects, including a library, and in 1985 was awarded a lifetime membership to the local curling club for her work at local and district levels. Other awards have recognized her out-

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standing contribution to cultural heritage. Still, it’s the visual arts she feels most passionate about.

One of her proudest achievements came while serving a second term as president of the South Peace Art Society in 1982. The Society ran a public art gallery in a space it shared with the area museum. Cramped quarters and a desire

for something grander spawned an idea to save one of the remaining Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevators.

“I was standing there (near the grain elevators), thinking about what we could do, and it just came to me,” she says today. It all happened fairly quickly, as the committee wishing to save and move the elevator and its annex from its original location to its current site five blocks east, learned that the sale was conditional upon their moving the buildings in 40 days. The elevator was renovated and opened as The Dawson Creek Art Gallery, and now, 20 years later, attracts as many history buffs as arts enthusiasts throughout the year.

“It was really interesting to watch,” McPhail says of the hours-long relocation of the elevator. “Here it was, this big building slowly moving down the street, and hardly a person batting an eye. The pigeons came right along with it, never moving off.”

McPhail was instrumental in rescuing, relocating, and refurbishing an Alberta Wheat Pool grain elevator that became the Dawson Creek Art Gallery and annex.

We laugh about how blasé we tend to be about the oddest sights: Entire living accommodations are rolling down the Alaska Highway bound for some unknown destination we presume has to do with the oilpatch. “Who really knows what they’re doing out there?” Edna titters mischievously. That’s the true artist’s imagination at work; the one that inspires awe and a sense of the wildest possibilities.

McPhail’s own art - several watercolours and acrylics hang alongside those of such well-known friends and relatives as Robert Guest and Allison Forbes - is primarily landscape and still life. Her mixed media and collage works are housed somewhere else. McPhail’s compositions are playful, and her style loose and happy. The titles reflect not only a keen eye for everyday miracles, but a sly sense of humour: She has named a watercolour of ravens feasting beneath a restaurant garbage bin Breakfast at Smitty’s.

It’s the desire to share this sense of wonder that keeps McPhail teaching. “I try to teach them to look at things their own way.

Nothing should be a forgone conclusion.” Then, looking up from her fat, weighty scrapbook, with not a whiff of pretense, McPhail adds, “I have also always thought you should leave something to show you were here.”

Watercolours from a series McPhail painted following a visit to the Galapagos Islands.

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October 21 • November 27 • Eric Cameron • Peter Deacon • Edward Bader December 2 • January 8 • Art of the Peace • David Casey • Lori Czoba January 14 • February 19 • Laura Vickerson • Frank Grisdale • Lorraine Beggs February 24 • April 2 • George Sawchuk • Reinhard Skoraski • Alberta Society of Artists April 7 • May 14 • Limitless Potential • GPRC • All Schools/All Art

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2005/2006

Exhibitions

The Prairie Art Gallery

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ARTISTS as teachers

by Jody Farrell and Sarah Alford

Students learn to see things differently thanks to art educators.

Greg Gourlay

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rande Prairie artist Greg Gourlay has spent the last six years of a varied education career teaching art at Beaverlodge Regional High School. While he’s humble about his own contributions, others say the path he cuts in exposing students to all facets of the arts is wide open.

He’s been known to delve into anything he feels might create excitement around self-expression.

Once, he brought in an aromatherapist to help students explore the link between scent and creation.

As an artist, he’s focusing these days on metal sculpture and design in his recently-acquired studio, a log homestead he moved from Huallen to his backyard.

First

Gourlay spent years touring remote Northern Alberta, including Fox Lake, Jean D’or Prairie, and Wood Buffalo Park, as the arts coordinator for the Northland District Board, helping new teachers design and carry out programs that these days, hardly exist.

He looks back fondly on the “heyday” of art education, when provincial funding in the eighties allowed for some innovative programs. Gourlay and (Grande Prairie Regional College fine arts instructor) Ken Housego once loaded up a twin engine Islander with bandsaw, wood, tools and paint for a community workshop in Chipewyan Lake.

Greg Gourlay with his Pile of Steel sculpture.

“If a math teacher looks for the same 25 answers to a problem, the arts teacher looks for 25 different ones.”

Gordon Perret

One real coup for him involved bringing the late Ojibway artist Arthur Shilling to the Peace. A biography published following the Nations painter’s death noted the trip to Northern Alberta as having been particularly important to him.

“My idea is to give kids the opportunity to make something with their hands,” Gourlay says of his role as teacher. “It’s sad when they don’t want to take it home because “Dad will laugh.” I guess just the process has been good though.” Teaching students to use their imagination, to think on a different level is important for him as well. “It really is one of the higher things in life,” Gourlay says of visual arts.

Gordon Perret

G

ordon Perret is famous in these parts for his clay sculptures depicting rural life, in all its glorious layers. His farmers and grain elevators, pickled gophers and country store clerk have made for incredibly vibrant and popular exhibits.

Gordon Perret, right, and Store Clerk from his Prairie Preserves exhibition.

What many don’t know is Perret has taught art at Montrose Junior High School, in Grande Prairie, for 27 years. His students’ works are always a high point in the year end “All Schools, All Art” exhibitions at The Prairie Art Gallery. The mixed-media sculptures, featuring fake fur animals or papier mache oversized cereal bowls or backpacks, hint at the humour that has to come through in his example.

“I give them the concept of being original. I want to see something that is about the person.” Perret tries to encourage efforts at being genuine, and discourages what is less so. “If the math teacher looks for the same 25 answers to a problem, the arts teacher looks for 25 different ones,” he explains. art of the peace 18

“It’s harder to get kids to take craftsmanship seriously,” Perret says of today’s culture. The immediacy of computer clip-art, while effective for research, sometimes replaces the desire to make one’s own mark, he comments. Still, the new technology makes for new tools, and his teaching now includes courses in video and digital art.

“It’s an important part of training your mind,” Perret says of teaching visual arts. “It leads to creating and understanding what is good art.”

Fay Yakemchuk

F

ay Yakemchuk’s courses, offered in Peace River through the Grande Prairie Regional College, have attracted a loyal following. She attributes the success of the program to her passionate students. Her students attribute their success to their creative, challenging instructor. Yakemchuk says that becoming a teacher was a natural step for her as she was completing her Master’s degree at the University of Lethbridge.

“Why Peace River? People always ask me that!” She laughs, “I wanted to go home to teach, I wanted to give people an opportunity I didn’t have, and honestly, I can’t leave the program, it would have to shut down. It’s the students, they stretch like rubber bands, they have heart, desire, they ask questions, and they challenge me.

It’s everything you want as a teacher. Why leave?”

Yakemchuk urges her students to see the details, not only in their work, but also in their lives. In doing so, both their art and their

From Fay Yakemchuk’s installation Gestation of Thought.

lives change. “It’s not how you draw, it’s how you see things, when you can really see things, you can’t help but draw well.”

She asks her students to see what gets missed in our busy lives.

Yakemchuk’s influence extends beyond the classroom. She recalls that her husband found one of their cat’s whiskers on the floor and saved it for her.

artists directory

ART CLUBS

ARTISTS NORTH Box 399 Sexsmith, AB T0H 3C0 780-568-3334 Barb Exhibit original artworks. Each artist has their own style.

GRANDE PRAIRIE GUILD OF ARTISTS c/o 9329 - 47 Ave Grande Prairie, AB T8W 2G6 780-538-0616 Louise mlissowa@telus.net Meet weekly to paint at The Prairie Art Gallery, Sept - May, 7 - 10 pm, Tuesdays. Annual membership fee. Opportunities for instruction and exhibition.

PEACE COUNTRY SPINNERS & WEAVERS 780-532-1472 Shannon carlshom@telusplanet.net Representing guilds from the British Columbia and Alberta Peace River region.

PEACE WATERCOLOUR SOCIETY c/o Box 825 Spirit River, AB T0H 3G0 780-864-3608 Judy; 780-568-4124 Suzanne Peace Country artists focusing on transparent watercolours.

Semi-annual shows throughout the Peace Country.

PRAIRIE FIGURE DRAWING GROUP c/o 10209 - 99 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2H3 780-532-8446 Karen 780-532-2573 Jim Non-instructional, informal group meets weekly at The Prairie Art Gallery, Sept.-May, Thursdays 710pm. Drop-in or monthly fee.

ARTISTS ADRIAN-CLARK, Carol 9338 - 69 A Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6T3 780-532-0846 www.adrianclark.ca art@adrianclark.ca Realistic renderings of florals, landscapes and still life, in coloured pencil and oil painting.

ASHTON, Ed #37, 8910 - 122 Ave Grande Prairie, AB T8X 1P8 780-532-6803 eashton@telusplanet.net www.edashton.com Original artwork in watercolour; Alberta grain elevators, rustic scenes, barns.

BIBI POTTERY (Bibi Clement) P.O. Box 144 Hythe, AB TOH 2CO 780-356-2424 bibipot@telusplanet.net www.bibipottery.com Studio Potter/Sculptor specializing in wood fire and raku techniques.

Director of BICWA Society, International Residency Program

The thing about art, says Yakemchuk, “is that there is no right or wrong answer. No one is the same. I tell my students that this is a free for all; it’s the one time you get to take off your hat and be yourself. And then,” she exclaims, “They never see things the same way again! They can never go back. My gosh! I could never go back. You mean I get to make art, use my brain, and my heart?

This is what it’s all about!” art of the peace 19

BROWN, Judy Box 825 Spirit River, AB T0H 3G0 780-864-3608 judybrown@robbtech.com My paintings reflect the peacefulness and serenity of our landscape.

BROWN, Dennis A. J. 408 McNiven Road Ladysmith, BC V9G 1W7 250-245-9918 djabrown@shaw.ca www.northstarartstudio.com Colourful landscapes and seascapes in acrylics and watercolours.

CLOAKE, Sue 9927 - 86 Park Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0C9 780-539-7405 Mixed media collage - a combination of mediums creates an intricate abstract textural surface.

COWAN, Corinne RR3, Site 2, Box 6 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 5N3 780-532-6643 den_cor@telusplanet.net Because watercolour lends itself to a wide range of values and freedom of movement on paper, it is my choice of medium.

CRAIPLEY, Sheila Box 569 Sexsmith, AB T0H 3C0 780-568-3754 Landscape, acrylic and oils in local landscapes and historic sites.

inez@pris.ca Teacher/Artist specializing in creative watercolour and handbuilt clayworks.

DICKSON, Yvonne 10015 - 89 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2Y9 780-532-1629 Watercolours with a Peace Country theme.

DITCH, Valerie Box 882 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 3Y1 780-538-9238 serendipiditygirl9@yahoo.ca Primarily working in watercolour with attention to light and detail.

Originals and giclée prints and cards available.

DIXON, Suzanne Box 124 Pouce Coupe, BC V0C 2C0 850-786-5582 Folk art paintings, pictures, cards.

DRONYK, Dymphny 11306 - 102B St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2Y2 780-402-3280 dymphny@telus.net www.dynamicdatagp.com Photography, writing, grants, proposals, screenwritting and video production.

DUPERRON, Frances 9909 - 92 Ave Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0H7 780-532-2753 Acrylic/oil paintings, landscapes, still lifes.

CRICHTON, Holly General Delivery Grovedale, AB T0H 1X0 780-538-9264 holly_crichton@hotmail.com www.nightofartists.com Watercolours, graphite. Varied subject matter. Commissions welcome.

FARRELL, Jody 8508 - 100 A St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 3C3 780-538-1499 jody.farrell@gmail.com Paintings, oil, acrylic - mostly landscapes, flowers.

CURRIE, Gordon 1512 - 113 Ave. Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2Z5 250-782-6388 gcurrie@eldoren.com www.watercolorpainting.info Watercolour and mixed media artist - scenic nature works of art.

GAIR, Miriam Box 7211 Peace River, AB T8S 1S8 780-624-8528 miriamg@wispernet.ca I use semi-abstract form, light, and simplification to create oneness with spirituality and nature.

Work in any media but prefer watercolour.

DEMUYNCK, Inez 11121 - 16 St Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4A1 250-782-6363 art of the peace 20

GILJE, Lena Box 252 Wembley, AB T0H 3S0 780-505-0873 lkgilje@hotmail.com Corporate, wedding and portrait photography, original artwork, fabric art.

GOURLAY-MORGAN, Jocelyn Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0H9 780-532-8105 vgorgan@telusplanet.net Original jewellery, sterling silver and semi-precious gems. Custom designs.

GOURLAY, Marilyn Grande Prairie, AB 780-539-3992 mgourlay@telus.net Mixed media, life drawings. I enjoy the creative process. Facilitate art retreats and teach yoga.

GUEST, Robert Box 1784 Grande Cache, AB T0E 0Y0 780-827-2346 Painter in the Symbolist Landscape tradition preferring wilderness and nocturnal subject matter.

HAAKSTAD, Carmen 8012-99 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 3V1 780-539-4483 carmen@evergreenpark.ca Original art.

HART, Louanne 4611-94 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8W 2G7 780-532-6457 hartlr@telus.net Watercolour originals, prints and cards of local and international subjects.

HEIMDAL, Tim 9804 - 102 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2V2 780-532-1995 indigo@cablerocket.com Murals (interior and exterior) commissions, portraits. Acrylic on canvas. Impressionistic.

HENN, K. Marjorie Box 262 Beaverlodge, AB T0H 0C0 780-354-2165 ghenn@telusplanet.net Countryside and wilderness

themes are my inspiration, watercolour is my main medium.

HERBISON, Janis PO Box 126 Hudson’s Hope, BC V0C 1V0 250-783-5534 www.hummingbirdfineart.com Watercolour, pen and ink realistic paintings. Portraits, landscapes and wildlife. Workshops available.

HOLLER, Colleen Box 363 Wembley, AB T0H 3S0 780-766-2567 choller@telusplanet.net A variety of watercolour subjects with a view to contrast, light, colour and form.

HOMMY, Barry Box 298 Beaverlodge, AB T0H 0C0 780-354-8117 (w) 780-356-3741 (h) Artist in watercolour - local landscapes.

HOTTE, Vicki 11405 - 97 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4K9 780-538-1947 svhotte@telusplanet.net www.vickihotte.com Acrylic paintings and drawings - rural subject matter.

KAUT, Donna Box 675 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 3A7 780-532-6468 ddakaut@telus.net www.nightofartists.com “I focus on oil paintings of wildflowers and berries of Alberta.”

KLUKAS, Carrie 10818 - 95 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 1Z5 780-532-0102 carrieklukas@yahoo.ca Acrylic paintings on board, abstract expressionism.

LAURIN, Ray 9637 - 113 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 1W4 780-532-5232 With acrylics, I can capture what nature has to offer us which is a panorama of colour.

www.artofthepeace.ca

LE CORRE, Lynn 11110 - 95 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 1Z7 780-538-4046 skyrock@telusplanet.net Painting in miniature simplifies the landscape to colour and painterly forms.

MAGNETIC NORTH IMAGES (Brian Don Hohner) Box 104 North Star, AB T0H 2T0 780-836-0021 info@magneticnorthimages.com www.magneticnorthimages.com Landscapes and skyscapes of the north. Pastels. Commissions welcome.

MANHOLT-HOTTE, Sherrie PO Box 626 Wembley, AB T0H 3S0 780-766-3183 sherriemh@cablerocket.com Mixed media painter. Abstract.

MCGUINTY, Kristine 12813 - 92 St. Peace River, AB T8S 1R9 780-624-2605 Harvest Moon Studio: Contemporary photographic images, polaroid emulsion transfers, acrylic paintings and drawings.

MULLIGAN, Helena 8709 - 98 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2C7 780-538-2009 Insights, expressions of everyday life in sculptures, drawings and paintings. Commissions welcomed.

PALMER, Valerie ‘Spores n’ More’ Box 6512 Peace River, AB T8S 1S3 780-624-8589 donval@agt.net Mushroom spore prints: images created from natural spores of fungi.

PETERS, Rika 10514-103 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 1C7 780-814-7430 rugur@telusplanet.net Oil paintings; impressionistic landscapes.

PRESTONE, Keith Grande Prairie, AB 780-532-1803 snobear_777@hotmail.com

Snow, ice and sand sculpture/coordinator. 2D and 3D work in a variety of mediums.

SANDBOE, Suzanne ASA, PWS Box 28, Site 9, RR1 Sexsmith, AB T0H 3C0 780-568-4124 ssandboe@telusplanet.net Realistic landscapes, portraits and scenes from everyday life.

Original work and commissions in a variety of mediums.

SHILKA, Marian Grande Prairie, AB 780-532-7562 mshilka@telusplanet.net Primarily watercolour, capturing the essence of brief, unforgettable moments in time.

SMITH, Len 9110 - 100 St Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2K5 780-539-4608 Relief wood carving, 3D carving, intarsia, woodburning. Custom artwork and instruction.

ST. ANDRE, Vivian Peace River, AB T85 1E7 780-624-4701 iriverdr@telus.net Acrylic and watercolour, abstract and traditional, sculpture and digital imagery.

STEFANNSON, Wendy 10509 - 81 St. Peace River, AB T8S 1M7 780-624-8522 wstef@telus.net Working conceptually, employing photography, acrylic paints and sculptural techniques.

STEINKE, Vi Box 10 Silver Valley, AB T0H 3E0 780-351-2174 vsteinke@telus.net “My paintings of scenery and florals are done in oils, acrylics or watercolour.”

STOKES, Jim 10417 - 110 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 1S8 780-532-2573 Quality, original paintings, drawings and prints. Contemporary representational work.

STROM, Brenda 10205 - 76 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8W 1Y6

of the Peace

Members Exhibition Opportunity The Prairie Art Gallery Dec. 2nd, 2005 - Jan. 8th, 2006 Opening - Saturday, Dec. 3rd • Must be current work created between 2003 - 2005 • Maximum of 1 piece • May be offered for sale • Works must be framed (if applicable) and ready to hang • Work has to be at The Gallery

by Friday, Nov. 25th.

CONFIRM YOUR PARTICIPATION Doug Wills, Curator The Prairie Art Gallery (780) 532-8111 doug@prairiegallery.com 780-532-8930 strombrenda@hotmail.com Watercolors, oil, monoprints of florals, intimate landscapes and hockey players.

SWANSTON, Nan RR3, Site 4, Box 6 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 5N3 780-532-6745 nan@imagedesignpros.com Watercolours of landscapes, florals, people and close-ups of nature and still life.

SYROTA, Dale 7601 - 102 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8W 1Y7 780-539-4046 hsyrota@cablerocket.com Traditional transparent watercolour painting rendered in a true and unique style.

PHOTOGRAPHY MCKENZIE, Cheryl 9102 - 105 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8X 1H7 780-532-6353 cheryl@imagedesignpros.com www.instantimages.com Stock photography site for Peace Country photographers and graphic artists to promote their work.

PETTIT, Don 1204 - 103 Ave Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2G9 250-782-6068 1-866-373-8488 don@peacephotographics.com www.peacephotographics.com Peace Region nature photography, graphic design, publishing, marketing, product development.

art of the peace 21

where it’s all at . . .

galleries of the Peace Peace Region Gallery Events and Exhibitions Out of the Woods Regional Woodworkers October 24 - November 13, 2005

Fort Nelson

South Peace Art Society Annual Christmas Show and Gift Fair November 19th, 2005 - January 7th, 2006 Manning

Hudson Hope

Art Auction April 28th, 2006 St. Isidore

49

Chetwyn

Falher

43 43

Tumbler Ridge

Valleyview

Grande Cache

Please check our website or phone the gallery for a complete schedule of 2006 exhibits and events.

FAIRVIEW, ALBERTA • Fairview Fine Arts Centre 10801-103 Ave. Fairview, AB T0H 1L0 780-835-2697; fax 780-835-5561 www.fairviewfinearts.com finearts@telusplanet.net Hours: Tues. - Sat. 12 pm - 5 pm Gallery, fine arts gift shop and education programs.

Exhibits & Events

BEAVERLODGE, ALBERTA • Beaverlodge Cultural Centre 512 - 5 Ave. Beaverlodge, AB T0H 0C0 780-354-3600 (phone & fax) Hours: Tues. - Fri.1 pm - 5 pm Sat. & Sun. 1 pm - 4 pm Gallery, gift shop and tea room.

Exhibits & Events Dave McRae ‘High Browns & Stetsons’ Show October 2 - October 28, 2005 Marjorie Henn Show and Sale October 30 - November 25, 2005 All Artists Show and Sale November 27- December 23, 2005 art of the peace 22

Thomas Krejcar January 2006 Grande Prairie Regional College Art Students February 2006 Beaverlodge Art Club Miniature Show and Sale March 2006 13th Annual Quilt Show April 2006

• The Small Gallery 917 - 2 Ave. Beaverlodge, AB T0H 0C0 780-354-8117 Pottery, fine art, framing & wood turnings.

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. • Dawson Creek Art Gallery 101 - 816 Alaska Avenue Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4T6 250-782-2601 www.dcartgallery.ca Winter Hours at the Gallery and The Northern Treasures Giftshop are 10am to 5pm Tues. - Fri. and 12am to 4pm Sat. from September through to May. Year round, artist run centre; gift shop; 13 exhibits per year; art rental; education programs.

Exhibits & Events Body Double Commemorating Breast Cancer Month September 27 - October 22, 2005

Heather MacNair A New Leaf Show and Sale October 1st - 15th, 2005 Paula Fiorini and Erin Stelmaschuk The Space Between Show and Sale of new works October 22 - November 12, 2005 Midnight Madness Craft Sale November 25th, 2005 Lee Ann Jones and Kerry-Ann Schatz Vertu Show and Sale November 18 - December 3, 2005 Members Christmas Show and Sale December 9th - 31st, 2005 Midnight Madness December 16th, 2005

Fairview Fine Arts

• McCaffrey’s Art Gallery

New Year Open House and Silent Auction January 21st, 2006

10017B 100 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6W7 780-832-0146 www.desmccaffrey.com Open 10:00 am - 5:30 pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Wildlife art originals and canvas giclee by artist Des McCaffrey.

Youth Art Show and Sale March 2006

• Forbes and Friends

Funky Furniture Travelling Show January 7th -25th, 2006

FT. ST. JOHN, B.C. • Sonlight Gallery 9312-100 St. Ft. St. John, B.C. V1J 3X4 250-785-9799 sonlight@telus.net Art, framing and home decore.

Get the Big Picture

GRANDE CACHE, ALBERTA • Grande Cache Tourism & Interpretive Centre Home of the Palette Pals Art Club Highway 40 South Box 300 Grande Cache, AB T0E 0Y0 780-827-3300 tourism@grandecache.ca www.grandecache.ca Winter hours October - May Weekdays 9 am - 5 pm Weekends 1 pm - 4 pm Wildlife and historical displays, art gallery and gift shop.

Exhibits & Events Palette Pals Art Club Annual Show & Sale November 4th & 5th, 2005

GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA • Centre for Creative Arts 9904 - 101 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0X8 780-814-6080 Education programs, drop-in studios, artist run studios and cafe.

Lower Level, QEII Hospital 10409 - 98 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2E8 780-538-7585 Original works by local artists.

In affiliation with the QEII Foundation.

Exhibits & Events

9918A - 100 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0T9 780-513-1933; fax 780-513-1949 Gallery of Alberta crafts. Pottery, glass, jewellery, accessories, hand painted silk, home decor.

SHOWCASES Pearl Wilson Collection of Cats October - November, 2005 Jocelyn Gourlay-Morgan Collection of Angels December 2005 - January 2006

• Picture Perfect Frame & Gallery 9934 - 100 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB 780-539-4091; fax 780-539-4554 picperf@telusplanet.net www.pictureperfectfineart.com Robert Guest Gallery, main floor gallery, original art, reproductions, framing & art supplies.

Representative for www.fineartprint.ca.

Exhibits & Events Kakwa Falls by Robert Guest Limited Edition prints available Celebrating Alberta’s Centennial.

Robert Guest The Foothills and Rockies Show and Sale Oct. 8th - 29th, 2005 Grande Prairie Guild of Artists Harmonies November 3rd - 26th, 2005 1st Annual Christmas Art Show & Sale December 2005 14th Annual Capture the Beauty of the Peace in conjunction with Artists North Spring 2006

Be Included!

• Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, The Courtyard Gallery

Sue Menard Collection of Pottery February - March 2006

4th Annual Tempt Your Palette - In Paris theme Trumpeter Hotel and Meeting Centre - October 28th, 2005 Art of the Peace David Casey Lori Czoba December 2nd, 2005 - January 8th, 2006 Laura Vickerson Frank Grisdale Lorraine Beggs January 14th - February 13th 2006 George Sawchuk Reinhard Skoraski Alberta Society of Artists February 24th - April 2nd, 2006 Limitless Potential GPRC All Schools/All Art April 7th - May 14th, 2006

GALLERY

Art Auction April 2006

Janet Enfield October, 2005

• Unique Gallery

Dale Sales January - February 2006

9929 - 100 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB 780-538-2771; fax 780-538-2790 Original artwork, pottery, jewellery, glassware, giftware.

• The Prairie Art Gallery

PEACE RIVER, ALBERTA

Ed Ashton November - December, 2005

10209 - 99 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2H3 780-532-8111; fax 780-539-9522 info@prairiegallery.com www.prairiegallery.com Class A gallery, education programs, art rental and gift shop.

Exhibits & Events Eric Cameron Peter Deacon Edward Bader October 21st - November 27th, 2005

• Frameworks Custom Framing & Gallery 9903 - 100 Ave. Peace River, AB T8S 1S4 780-624-1984; fax 780-624-1984 Custom framing and ready-made framing supplies. Original artwork, prints, posters, photographs, pottery, and other local handicrafts.

• Your name in the gallery directory and on the website • Exposure for your events and exhibits throughout the region • Magazines for your gallery visitors and customers

visit www.artofthepeace.ca for more information art of the peace 23

BEAVERLODGE, ALBERTA Beaverlodge Cultural Centre Ongoing programs in pottery, stained glass, batik, weaving, acrylic, oil and watercolour painting classes for a variety of ages.

Please call Sue, 780-354-3600 for dates and details.

Gallery exhibition and gift shop sales opportunities are available.

Please call Sue at 780- 354-3600 for further information.

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. Dawson Creek Art Gallery Adult Courses Watercolour, sculpture and stained glass classes are being held October to December 2006.

Time Out for Seniors Every Wednesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm starting in October.

For details and registration information phone 250-782-2601 or email dcagchin@pris.bc.ca.

Opportunities for exhibition in the gallery are available. Guidelines for exhibitions can be viewed at www.dcartgallery.ca

Northern Lights College The College offers a one-year program, leading to a graduation certificate in the Visual and Graphic Arts, to prepare the student for a wide variety of career opportunities. In addition, a two-year program is also offered leading toward an Associate of Arts Diploma. The primary focus is to build a portfolio for job preparedness or to continue education in another institution.

Phone 250-782-5251 for information.

FAIRVIEW, ALBERTA Fairview Fine Arts Centre Art-Themed Parties Come and join in on a ‘Friday Night Wine & Cheese Party’ or ‘Saturday Afternoon Coffee and Biscotti Party’. During the party you will complete a project and get to learn and try out new techniques. art of the peace 24

Fairview Fine Arts Centre offers courses in pottery, stained glass, fabric and fibre, painting and drawing and children’s programs.

Call the Centre at 780-835-2697 or email finearts@telusplanet.net for program details and registration information.

Visitor in the Arts Guest lecturers, who vary from our own faculty to professional artists and musicians, speak to the students on topical areas related to their profession and practice. The lectures are scheduled throughout the year during the college community hour on Wednesdays 11:45 am - 12:45

education & opportunities GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA Centre for Creative Arts The Centre offers many classes including: - Decorative Arts - Fine Arts - Practical Arts - Physical Activity - Business - Art & Craft Club - Children’s Programs - plus many more!

For more information and updated class information, check out our website at www.gparts.org or contact us at info@gparts.org. You can also call us at 780-814-6080.

Courtyard Gallery, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital For information about showing contact Karen at the QEII Foundation office 780-538-7583. Display cubes (showcases) are available for collections or 3-dimensional art.

Grande Prairie Regional College The Fine Arts Department Offers students a wide range of career and learning opportunities in the Fine Arts. These include Diploma, University Transfer programs, and courses in Music, Art, and Drama. Students in all programs may also fulfill their Fine Arts option requirements with FAD credit courses. Non-credit Visual Arts courses include drawing, painting, digital arts, and photography.

pm in the Fine Arts Recital Hall, Rm. L106. These lectures are open to the public, everyone is welcome.

There is no admission charge. Lectures this season include: - Peter Deacon - Mixed Media - Eric Cameron - Sculptor - Jennifer Bowes - Printmaker - Scott McFarland - Tanya Sehn - Sean Caulfield - Clay Ellis - Isla Burns - JP Decosse Women in the Arts Symposium 2nd annual symposium focussing on the role of women in the arts.

Two full days in March 2006. Call Lena at 780-539-2215 for information.

Prairie Art Gallery PD Days These great hands-on workshops will allow the teacher or art lover to learn a new technique to teach or enhance their own work.

sculptures which are kiln fired.

Call 780-532-8111 for furthur information on these and other programs or check our website at www.prairiegallery.com.

Art of the Peace Exhibit Exhibition opportunity at The Prairie Art Gallery for Art of the Peace members. December 2nd , 2005 - January 8th, 2006. Opening Saturday, December 3rd. Confirm your participation with Doug Wills at 780-532-8111 or doug@prairiegallery.com. (see ad page 21).

TREX The Prairie Art Gallery is compiling a bank of artists throughout the Peace Region. This is a great opportunity for the Gallery to become more familiar with the artists in the region and what they are doing.

Submit your name and contact information with a brief artist statement ,no more than 150 words, and a maximum of 3 images which gives an overview of your work. Please note that this is not considered an exhibition proposal.

Artist Bank Files The Prairie Art Gallery 10209-99 street Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2H3 Attn: Sue Cloake Millar

Red Deer College Visual Arts Series Series in Grande Prairie is returning in summer 2006! Watch for details in April’s issue. For information call Wendy Meeres at 403342-3504 or wendy.meeres@rdc. ab.ca

Robert Guest Gallery, Picture Perfect Frame & Gallery

Masters in the Classroom Jody Farrell, artist and teachergives a history and easy workshop on some of the great artists including Matisse and Picasso.

Capture the Beauty of the Peace contest. Amateur and developing artists of the BC and AB Peace.

Works must be of local subjects and completed since Spring 2005.

Art After Dark A great program where the public is welcome to take in a session on an art. The ninety minute sessions cover everything from art history to art demonstrations.

Robert Guest Gallery is available for exhibitions - call Dan Kameka at 780-539-4091 for information and available dates.

Colourful Characters Full Figure Clay A hands-on workshop where participants will build full figure clay

Dale Syrota Watercolour Artist

Ph: (780) 539-4046

PWS, CSPWC

Exhibits with the Grande Prairie Guild of Artists and the Peace Watercolour Society

ssandboe@telusplanet.net

(780) 568-4124

Marjorie Henn

P.W.S

Picture Perfect Grande Prairie

Small Gallery Beaverlodge

Beaverlodge Cultural Centre 780-354-2165 art of the peace 25

E

Enduring Moment Working with a threedimensional art form has many facets, which require constant attention. I love the challenge of unveiling the secrets from within the stone. Each piece is unique and original.

Stone, being a masculine medium, is contrasted by my personal style of incorporating feminine characteristics into my pieces. I am most recognized for my interpretation of the swan. I appreciate their natural grace and serenity and try to bring this out through my work.

Colour, type and shape of the stone, all play an important role in my final sculpture. The process begins first with the selection of the raw material.

My favourites are soapstone and alabaster. Each is very different and allows me to explore alternative styles of carving.

Soapstone is a softer stone, which is easier to carve and enables me to create very detailed pieces. The process of sanding, staining and waxing helps me to highlight different aspects of the pieces by creating natural colour changes and textures.

Alabaster has a beautiful opaque quality to it and I like to explore creating more abstract, less detailed pieces. The translucency of this stone makes it a challenge to create pieces which work with different lighting situations. Part of the beauty is the way the light shines through.

I try to allow natural elements to be drawn out of each piece I do.

Petula Pettman Enduring Moment

Green Brazilian Soapstone Carving 15� tall

art the peace peace2626 art of of the

Dawson Creek

visit downtown.

Simple Pleasures

Home Decor & More!

Ph: (250) 782-7920

10301 Unit B, 10th Street.

Custom made jewelry with Digital Goldsmith™, a one of a kind computer design system.

Lothar Triebel Jewellers Ltd. Over 40 years of expertise Ph: (250) 782-4114

932 102nd Avenue

... you’ll love it!

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P U R E Photography Distinct portraits on location or in studio.

• Weddings • Pregnancy • Children • Family

THE CENTRE FOR

CREATIVE ARTS

For an appointment call Lori-Ann Brough at 780-832-8626

The Centre for Creative Arts offers a number of unique and interesting programs for all ages and skill levels, for artists and those yearning to develop the artist within.

Trinity Massage Therapeutics

Stacey Coppens R.M.T 780-832-1012

• Drop In Studios

• Swedish Relaxation Massage • Therapeutic Assesment & Treatment • M.L.D. • T.P. Therapy • Sports Massage

Pottery, stained glass, photography

• Decorative Arts

Interior decorating, feng shui, fused glass, pottery, stained glass, photography • Breakfast • Lunch • Catering

• Fine Arts

Drawing, watercolour painting, oil painting

• Practical Arts

Horticulture, cooking

• Physical Activity

CAFE COMPANY

8am - 4pm Phone: 780-539-3131

2nd location 10136 101 Ave. 780-513-8554

Yoga, fusion, dancing, taekwon-do

• Business

Store layout, merchandising, displays, lighting

Shards of Glass Studio

• Art & Craft Club

• Offering stained glass and fusing supplies • Custom Design Work

• Birthday Parties

Phone: 780-513-0913 or 780-538-4760

Different topic each week, for children or adults

A variety of activites

• Kid’s Club

After school club for children ages 6 +

• Summer Program

Multi art camp for children ages 6 +

• H.A.P.I. Healing Arts Program Initiative

Healing mind, body and spirit through creativity and self-expression . A program for groups or organizations

Contact Us 9904 101 Avenue Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0X8 Ph 780-814-6080 Fax 780-814-6084

info@gparts.org www.gparts.org

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Vela Gifts

Scented Candles & accessories • Highest Quality Fragrances • Best Burning Candle on the Market Phone: 780-832-7999 or 780-831-8074

.the color box.

HAIR STUDIO

Kim Milliken Phone: 780-933-9339 www.thecolorbox.net