art of the Peace | Issue #7

A Publication for the Visual Arts Fall/Winter 2006

Issue 7

of the Peace ‘06 Symposium Fabulous in Fibre 3 Fairview Artists

CARMEN HAAKSTAD Looking Within www.artofthepeace.ca

art of the peace

in this place

Tabitha Logan

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contents 18

12 ‘06 Symposium

art out there...

Fabulous in Fibre

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3 Fairview Artists Carmen Haakstad unanswerable question the BUSINESS of art artists directory where it’s all at education & opportunities Editor: Wendy Stefansson Editorial Committee: Karen Longmate, Dale Syrota, Carrie Klukas Design, Layout & Advertising: imageDESIGN Contributors: Jody Farrell, Wendy Stefansson, Eileen Coristine Publisher: Art of the Peace Visual Arts Association,

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: Carmen Haakstad and his painting Two Trees With Stars

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Art of the Peace Visual Arts Association acknowledges the financial assistance of:

©All rights reserved Art of the Peace 2006

Alberta Foundation for the Arts

Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

City of Grande Prairie Arts Development Fund

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.

art out there...

Art That Heals

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Happy participants at H.A.P.I.

ince 2004, The Centre for Creative Arts in Grande Prairie has been hosting the Healing Arts Program Initiative (H.A.P.I.), an art program “designed to enhance the lives of those with physical, emotional and/or mental health barriers by allowing them to experience the many positive benefits of the arts.” Partnering with the John Howard Society Re-Integration Program, the Centre for Creative Arts aims to make available weekly arts classes to groups who need it. They are currently looking for groups and individuals interested in enrolling in H.A.P.I., as well as sponsors to help cover the costs of the program. Call Stephanie Hadley at 814-6080, or email her at steph@gparts.org.

Aaron Sorenson recreates history using Bonkers, the trained bear. Photo by Peace River Record Gazette

Hank Williams First Nation, The Mini-series

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riter/director Aaron Sorensen spent three weeks this summer filming a television version of his widely-acclaimed independent movie, Hank Williams First Nation. Many of the same characters that appeared in the movie will be in the TV miniseries, featuring a largely Aboriginal cast. A few have been recast, including the part of Huey, which will now be played by Grimshaw/Peace River actor, Sheldon Elter. (Sheldon also appeared on Canadian Idol this summer, in which he made it to the top 14.)

Filming for the series was done in Peace River, Grimshaw/Bear Lake, Dixonville, and Cadotte Lake. For one episode of the show, a real-life event was re-enacted, when a bear was filmed wandering down the aisles of the local IGA! The Hank Williams First Nation miniseries will air in November on APTN.

McNaught Homestead Sees Restoration

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Appleton School and Studio, photo by Vicki Hotte

art of the peace

he homestead of the late Euphemia (Betty) McNaught, a renowned painter and teacher from Beaverlodge, received some long-awaited restoration work this summer. A half-mile of new fencing was added along the highway; structures deemed beyond repair were removed, and the site was cleaned up. New trails were blazed through the woods. Old floor supports were replaced in the Appleton School building (built prior to the 1920’s), which served as Betty’s studio. All of this was made possible through a $40,000 grant from the province, as well as the generous contributions of the County, Burlington Resources, D. Ray Excavating, Dalton Longson, Randy Boettcher, Larry Sanregret and a staff of volunteers. The ultimate goal of the McNaught Homestead project is to restore all of the original homestead buildings of the McNaught family. In so doing, they hope to honour both Euphemia’s pioneer life, and the work and inspiration that is her legacy to Peace Country artists.

Peace Watercolour Society turns 30

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Ada Lovmo, Grandpa Kobbert Sowing’, oil. Photo by Eileen Coristine

History at Hines Creek

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RUSH ‘N’ TYME is a collective work of paintings by Hines Creek area artists. The 22 paintings cover the top half of a 30’ wall at the Hines Creek Seniors’ Drop-In Centre. Each of the artists donated his/her time and materials and created an image that depicts aspects of life in the Peace Country. The project began in May, 2006 and was coordinated by Sylvia Mierzewski. This gift from the artists to the community was unveiled at an official presentation on October 11.

he Peace Watercolour Society is celebrating its 30th Anniversary with a show and sale at the Fairview Fine Arts Centre opening on October 15th, 2006. This organization of painters exhibits original transparent watercolours that define the classical approach to painting. Original members still with the group are Robert Guest and Inez Demuynck. Over the years, many shows have been held in various galleries throughout the Peace Country, with the art reflecting the members’ love of the region.

Arc Tech Welding Team One, Winning Day. Photo by Eileen Coristine

Stopped in Steel

T Peace Watercolour Society 1976 - First outdoor painting workshop along the Wapiti. R. Guest, I. Demuynck, E. Gibson, S. Cox, E. McNaught, J. Adrain

New Faces in the Region

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ver the summer, The Prairie Art Gallery hired a new Executive Director/Curator. Robert Steven took on the position, beginning October 2nd. Robert comes to the Peace Country from Kitchener, Ontario, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, a Master of Arts in Museum Studies and years of experience at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.

At the Fairview Fine Arts Centre, Kerry-Ann Schatz has assumed the position of Curator/Program Co-ordinator; while at the Beaverlodge Cultural Centre, Debbie Ducharme has taken over as the Office Manager, a job which entails everything from looking after the Centre’s day-to-day finances to hanging shows.

ime and the B.C. Northern Winter Games were this year’s themes for the Great Canadian Welders Competition held in Ft. St. John in August.

To win up to $5,000 in prize money, welders had 29 hours to produce the best sculpture depicting one or both of these themes. This year’s winners of the top prize – Arc Tech Welding Team One members Randy Jordan, Justin, Jesse and Dave Diehl – combined both themes to create a 360-degree skiing scene topped by a stop watch.

This sculpture, now owned by the City of Ft. St. John will be on public display during the 2007 B.C. Northern Winter Games.

Robert Steven, Executive Director / Curator of the Prairie Art Gallery, Grande Prairie

Art That Teaches

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or many years, Holy Family School in Grimshaw, Alberta had an exterior courtyard that went largely unused. Now, following the vision and hard work of their First Nations Liaison Tracy Zweifel, the students have a place that is beautiful and green, and honours the Aboriginal heritage of so many of them. Dave Matilpi, local Aboriginal elder, storyteller, artist, and teacher of holistic balance, painted murals on all of the walls, which he uses to teach essential truths and bring healing to students, staff and families. Here, the tree image – from seedling to young tree, to adult tree, to broken stump with a new branch growing from it – represents the ongoing cycle of life. The medicine wheel on the tree speaks of balance and wholeness; emotional, spiritual, physical, and mental. The nearly-invisible wolf at the top left is the spiritual guide of the female powers, which he feels need to receive greater honour than they have. The eagle is born on earth, but flies closest to the Creator, carrying the messages of the people below.

Dave Matilpi’s mural at Holy School depicts the cycles of life. Photo by Lori Conellan

art of the peace

Menzies - 1/2 page f/c

art in this place Art Books in Review

by Wendy Stefansson

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ancy Townshend’s A History of Art in Alberta, 1905 to 1970 begins to fill the gaping void in books about the art of this province. It covers the “first and second generations of Alberta artists,” from the subtle watercolours of Walter J. Phillips and A.C. Leighton, to modernist painting by Maxwell Bates and Les Graff, to innovative printmaking by Marion Nicoll, and many more.

The Peace Country is represented by painters Euphemia McNaught and Evy McBryan.

McNaught is featured again in Mary-Beth Laviolette’s An Alberta Art Chronicle: Adventures in Recent and Contemporary Art, along with Peace Country artists Robert Guest, Ken Housego, and Peter von Tiesenhausen. This book takes up where Townshend’s leaves off at 1970, the beginning of the post-modern period.

This is not a book to take along on a family vacation, as I did. It is a book that both requires and rewards a careful reading. That

art of the peace

said, art at the end of the twentieth century does in many ways resemble the chaos of a cottage full of family, where multiple conversations and diverse activities compete for attention. It is no longer possible to spin a single linear narrative about art.

Rather, Laviolette weaves all the complexity, the pluralism, and the messiness of recent art practice into a loose mesh.

In both books, I alternated between the delight of recognizing names, places, and works that I know from two decades of living in Alberta; and feeling humbled in the face of all that I hadn’t known. The pictureless format of An Alberta Art Chronicle – all pictures of art works were included on a CD, rather than printed in the book – was a bit of a challenge, making it necessary to read beside the laptop, or make frequent trips to the desktop PC. Nonetheless, it was well worth the effort. Just don’t take it on your next family vacation!

If you’d like to see more art book reviews, let us know. You could even send us your own review or recommend a book.

unanswerable questions on art & craft

by Wendy Stefansson

and goodwill to

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am sitting across the table from Sarah Alford, drinking good coffee and asking the unanswerable question of what makes craft craft, and what makes art art.

“I’ve heard a couple of interesting definitions,” Sarah says.

“Bruce Metcalfe (a jeweller in the United States) wrote that he thought craft was loyalty to the medium, and art was loyalty to an idea. And if you are working through your process by using a material, and that’s how you generate your ideas – the material gives it to you – and it’s this exchange with your material and you and your imagination. If that’s how you generate what you make, that’s craft. But if you have an idea and you will use any material in order to make that idea a reality, that’s art.”

We talk about the fact that there are some people who, when asked what medium they work in, have an answer and others haven’t because they don’t perceive their work in terms of a medium. The idea of craft, too, has long involved the concept of mastery of a technique, and that often requires a lifetime of dedication to a medium. You don’t just dabble in glassblowing, for example. The techniques are so specialized, and often the tools and equipment are so expensive, you have to be in love with your medium.

But then, I wouldn’t want to say that artists never feel that kind of love, or aspire to that level of mastery. There are certainly both craftspeople who use

their chosen medium to convey ideas, and artists who develop their ideas through working with a material.

Sarah goes on: “The other thing I’ve heard that’s verging on satisfactory, is that ‘craft’ is a verb, and ‘art’ is a noun. And basically you craft your art.”

(Paul Greenhalgh, Former President of NSCAD). Craft, then, is the process or the technique; and art is the resulting object.

In which case, we are all both craftspeople and artists.

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Yet, I know I am capable of crafting an object that I intend to be art, but when it’s finished, it just doesn’t quite seem to make it. It doesn’t have that wholeness, or transcendence, or whatever it is – that quality that we can’t define, but we know it when we see it. Maybe it’s as simple as “beauty.”

Sarah is one of few academically-trained artists I know who doesn’t feel uncomfortable talking about beauty. She claims that, “when we have beautiful, hand-made, carefully-made, lovingly-made, beautiful things, our whole lives are different.” As Sarah explains it: “If you have a beautiful pen that somebody was proud to make, and you are using it, the letter you write will be different than if you’re using a mass-produced pen. And the person who receives the letter’s life will be different because you used the pen. And these objects actually have meaning and can change the world.” It’s a good place to start.

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Fabulous in Fibre Three Peace Area Artists

by Wendy Stefansson

George Henn

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eorge Henn became interested in weaving while on a trip to the American southwest. There he saw Navajo people using their simple, portable looms to create traditional blankets. When he returned home, he went out into the bush near his Beaverlodge home, cut down some dried trees, and built his own Navajo-style loom. Since that time, he has taught himself to weave increasingly complex works.

George makes textiles, but primarily he makes tapestries. Tapestries were originally a medium for telling stories, George says; like a comic strip today. They were a sequence of pictures depicting a religious or historical event. People in less literate times would have read tapestries as a source of information. “Weaving mostly communicates a message.”

Geoge Henn, Where Hope Meets Help, tapestry

George’s Where Hope Meets Help tapestry is a case in point. Handicapped people occupy the foreground beneath the peaked-roof logo of the Family and Community Support Services, for whom the piece was made. Above that are two swans in flight, representing the City of Grande Prairie; and a cluster of buildings representing the idea of a prairie community, a grain elevator, a church, and a log home. Higher still is a tilled prairie landscape backed by mountains and sky. George says the whole piece represents the idea that communities used to do for their members what the FCSS does now.

George admits that “weaving is a solitary pursuit,” but it’s clear that he likes this aspect of it. And although he works alone, through his craft he is participating in a larger conversation. Like the tapestries of old, George’s tapestries tell stories.

Susan Loland

Radiant Christmas, Susan Loland, quilting with hand-painted fabrics

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usan Loland feels that her whole life has been leading up to this moment. When Susan first got into quilting about 12 years ago, she did traditional piecework quilts, then moved on to appliqué techniques.

Some of her best-loved works in this medium feature a “stained glass” style, with bold outlines and simple, organic shapes. Because these quilts were so popular, Susan taught herself to use design and quilting software to reproduce and share her patterns. Most recently, she learned to paint her own fabrics, giving her latest quilts a delicate, painterly quality. They have the washy look of watercolours, rather than the collaged look of quilts made with found fabrics.

Susan also loves teaching quilting. She sees teaching as an opportunity to support and encourage women in their struggles in life. She shares with them not only her successes, but also her false starts and her challenges, which are all a part of the process. She encourages them to keep working through the difficulties to reach their goals.

art of the peace

Sarah Alford, Millefiori Tapestry, hot glue

“I know that’s what God has for me to do,” she says; “to encourage women and support them through whatever they’re going through.

And I get to use all the extra goodies He gave me to do it.”

Susan teaches out of the Patchwork Cottage in Grande Prairie, as well as in several locations in the Okanagan Valley. Her designs and her teaching schedules can be found on her website at www. blackeyedsusandesigns.com.

Sarah Alford arah Alford’s work is not what you typically think of as fibre art. Her background is in jewellery-making; her materials are various. Her techniques include drawing, wrapping, leafing, and papering. Her context is often the landscape outside her home.

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When she first arrived in the Peace Country, Sarah was amazed by all the miles of barbed-wire fences. She felt that, like a wedding ring, a fence says “I belong to somebody.” It’s a “promise to tend and nurture.” Sarah “We turn it (the wrapped gold wire around sections of fence to give visible wilderness) into form to this idea.

all these human

Later, likening the white picket stories, into a fence around her house in Demmitt to “a dress for the yard,” place where we Sarah took reproduction William Morris wallpaper, and recognize everybegan papering it. The paper, with its repeating floral motif, thing.” was like a textile or a tapestry.

It was Morris’ attempt to bring Sarah Alford natural shapes and subjects into the home, but Sarah has reintroduced it to the outdoors. The place where the handmade and the natural meet, is a place of creative tension and possibility for Sarah.

In another recent work, Millefiori Tapestry, Sarah recreated the repeating patterns of lace, drawing them with hot glue. Piecing together many panels of this glue work, she created a 16 foot long “fabric,” which she took outside and installed along an existing barbed-wire fence. She photographed the piece in all seasons and conditions: embellished by spiders’ webs in the summer, and hoar frost in the fall. Like a lace curtain hung out on the line to dry and never taken in, it became a part of Sarah’s landscape.

“It made me think about how people use craft and art and lacemaking, and it was sort of the beginning of the idea of making ourselves at home in the world.” Sarah sees us taking a wilderness that is so foreign and projecting ourselves into it.

“We turn it into all these human stories, into a place where we recognize everything.”

Sarah is currently working on her Master of Arts in Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. art of the peace

the BUSINESS of art Copyrighting the Land

by Wendy Stefansson

An eye tree on Peter’s land Peter von Tiesenhausen

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opyright law is something that concerns most artists sooner or later, but Peter von Tiesenhausen has taken copyright to a whole new place. His place.

Peter and his family live on land his father farmed near Demmitt, Alberta.

Several hundred acres of it is home to old-growth forest. When you walk through Peter’s land, you come upon his artwork at every turn. There are boats, figures, spheres, pods, and towers in various stages of reintegration with the land. On many of his poplar trees, Peter has drawn small eyes into the bark with his fingernail. The whole place has become his canvas; a work of art in perpetual progress.

Which is why when he was approached by various oil companies for access to the land, he refused. However, over time, it became more and more difficult to deny them access, and he was asked for it more and more frequently. He was also threatened with arbitration if he did not allow access. art of the peace 10

They offered him a standard sum of money, but he declined.

They offered him more, and he declined again. Then in 1996, in a conversation with curator Sue Ditta, discussion turned to the topic of architects trying to copyright their buildings. An idea was born.

stituted his original creative expression.”

The next time an oil company tried to come onto his land, he warned them that it was protected under copyright law as a work of art. Peter hoped that he had finally found a lawful way of protecting his project, and for a time there was some reprieve.

But later, “oilfield personnel blatantly ignored posted signs forbidding trespass, entered on his lands with their truck, destroyed trees, and caused damage to the land.” (Report of the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (EUB), January 23, 2003.)

To date, it has not been necessary to go that far. Peter’s copyright claims have never been tested in court, but the fact that several oil companies have decided not to pursue the matter leads Peter to believe that his case is a strong one. Alliance

Then in December 2002, Peter represented himself in a public hearing before the EUB regarding Conoco-Phillips’ plans for a new sour gas well and associated pipelines on land adjacent to his property. According to the report, Peter presented a slide show of his artworks and “claimed copyright protection to his five quarter sections of land on the basis that his artistic work was inseparable from the land. He explained that his lands provided the inspiration, materials, and setting for his work and that, essentially, it was the relationship between the objects that he constructed and the natural setting that con-

The Board seemed to respect Peter’s position, but ruled that copyright law was not within their jurisdiction. Matters of copyright would need to be pursued in the courts.

Pipelines rerouted their project around Peter’s land at considerable expense. And ConocoPhillips settled Peter’s damage claims out of court.

Peter has recently completed a project for The Tree Museum near Gravenhurst, Ontario, for which he marked a significant number of trees over their 400 acres with the symbol of the eye. Does this imply that Peter could now copyright the Tree Museum site? Will this land be defensible from future land-use threats under the Copyright Act because of Peter’s artworks?

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Art of the Peace Symposium ‘06

Artists and art lovers will gather October 13 and 14, 2006, for the fourth annual Art of the Peace Visual Arts Symposium in Grande Prairie, Alberta. As in past years, the range of topics will both educate and inspire, and may even get you laughing.

by Jody Farrell

John Hall

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ohn Hall’s vivid, often dazzling paintings have been widely celebrated, both here in Canada and abroad. They have been described by art critic Gary Michael Dault as “pictorially seductive, wickedly so.”

Since graduating from the Alberta College of Art in 1964, John Hall has wrestled with the challenge of creating an art which involves framing reality in such a way as to announce that what is contained in the frame is not real. He is interested in the formal process of painting;

John Hall, Muneca

the techniques of translating what he sees into another medium. He Jeff de Boer, Samurai tackles all aspects of our culture, and, with subject matter ranging from lollipops, masks, and fruit, to pencils and other everyday disposable items, celebrates in paint the way he sees light defining form “from a very specific place in space and time.”

While Hall’s compositions might suggest a lack of formal arrangement, they are, in fact, carefully considered, so as to welcome an interaction with the viewer. Author and creative writing teacher Ken McGoogan, who asks his students to “put themselves inside a painting” says that Hall’s images “call forth (more) imaginative responses than works of such masters as Picasso and Edward Hopper. Hall not only makes us look, really look at everyday objects, but makes those objects suggest stories,” McGoogan says.

For the Art of the Peace Visual Arts symposium, Hall will

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speak about the development of descriptive realist painting in the 1960s as an answer to what he calls “the increasing encrustation of convention on the once vital principles of Modernism.”

New Realism, which includes photo realism, hyper-realism, and super realism, matured in the 1970s, enjoying both critical and popular support. Hall will use his work as an example of the period, which he says “once again finds itself largely out of critical favour.”

Jeff de Boer

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algary-based artist Jeff de Boer is best known for his metal armour for cats and mice.

While some would argue that his work appears to belong to the realm of fine craft, Douglas Udell, owner of galleries in Edmonton and Vancouver, says his own interest in de Boer’s armour doesn’t stem from its craftsmanship, but rather its artistic intent.

“Jeff takes the tradition of armour and cranks it through his imagination to produce these tremendously interesting artworks,” Udell says. “He elevates function into form, and through elevating the form, he moves into art.”

One happy owner of two of de Boer’s cat armours is the actress Halle Barry, who became enamoured with the work when she saw it on the Cat Woman movie set in Vancouver.

De Boer grew up watching his father work as a tinsmith. In high school, he took an interest in metal work and started building armour. He later majored in jewellery-making at the Alberta College of Art & Design, where he combined his new knowledge with his armour-making experience and created the first suit of armour for a mouse.

These days, de Boer is working on large projects, having just

only professional mouse armour maker.”

Grande Prairie Filmmakers

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rande Prairie natives Scott Belyea and Riley Pearcy, along with Derrick Doll and Derreck Toker, have achieved what only a handful of artists manage to do in a relatively short time: they have garnered international recognition and acclaim for their short film, idaho.

The movie, which runs just over 13 minutes, was filmed over four days in February, 2005, in Delta, B.C., south of Vancouver. It’s a dark and humorous satire that takes aim at an unfeeling, overbearing corporate manager, whose employees toil away in suits in a most unusual setting.

“Jeff takes the tradition of armour and cranks it through his imagination to produce these tremendously interesting artworks.”

Gallery owner, Douglas Udell

completed a major group of sculptures for the centre court of the new Alberta Children’s Hospital. He is currently working on a life size bucking bronco made of barbed wire for the Glenbow Museum’s Mavericks of Alberta Exhibition.

At the Art of the Peace Visual Arts Symposium, de Boer will be talking about his works, both early and recent, and, he adds, “telling some of the best stories from my time as the world’s

(above) idaho DVD cover. (below, left) Riley Pearcy, (right) Scott Belyea

Written and directed by Belyea, with Pearcy as cinematographer and producer, idaho has won several awards, including best cinematography at the Hollywood DV Film Festival in 2005; best student cinematography at the Canadian Society of Cinematographers awards (Toronto) in 2006, and best film at Youngcuts Film Festival 2006 in Montreal. Doll was responsible for idaho’s music and Toker was co-producer.

Pearcy, speaking from Vancouver where he works full time in the film industry, says idaho took about three months from pre-production to the final cut. He says the B.C. location’s weather, normally wet and cold at that time of year, was, for most of the four-day shoot, beautifully warm.

“We had this amazing sunlight glaring down on us the whole time. Where you would normally need massive amounts of lighting, we were able to use the two lights we had.” The entire film was shot using only 55 mm and 12 mm lenses.

the project. He was forced to find another camera for the job.

“The guy (in charge of the Art Institute’s equipment room) flipped out,” Pearcy laughs, adding that following the film’s success, the school was very supportive.

Pearcy says working in the film industry pays well, but that, given its “crazy hours” and frequent trips to distant locations, “you really have to want to be doing it.”

The short film idaho will be screened at the Art of the Peace Visual Arts Symposium on Saturday, October 14, 2006.

As for glitches, Pearcy remembers having his film school (the Art Institute of VancouverBurnaby) confiscate the camera he was using on the second day of filming, after he had failed to sign out a table he’d taken for art of the peace 13

Carmen Haakstad: Looking Within

By Jody Farrell

by Jody Farrell

D

espite a serious car accident that has left him in a cast and hobbling on crutches, Carmen Haakstad is eager for me to understand the absolutely integral role art plays in his life.

He’s got journals of stories and poems, drawings, and fleeting thoughts he shares openly. He negotiates the stairs, with some effort, first to the garage, then to the second floor of his Grande Prairie split-level house to show me his workspaces – the lower one set up for painting the large-scale oil on plywood series he’d been working on before his accident; the other, a tidy, well-lit and accessorized studio where earlier works hang next to quick sketches and inspiring quotes.

Carmen Haakstad, One, oil on panel

From the mostly large, colourful pieces housed on every wall, to the abundant sketchbooks and well-worn journals, everything in this warm and pleasant home announces “an artist lives here.”

And yet, I get the impression Haakstad himself struggles with the notion.

“I always wanted to be an artist,” he begins. “Now, I see

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myself as an artist doing fundraising for a living, with the art moving gradually to the forefront.”

Haakstad’s emergence into the world of art began in high school, but really took off when he entered the University of Minnesota-Deluth on

a full hockey scholarship. He switched from a general arts degree to a Bachelor of Fine Arts, the heavy demands of his athletic commitment requiring him to stay on an extra year. He graduated in 1979, the university’s first BFA to have completed the degree by way of a hockey scholarship. The incongruous pairing of artist and athlete; that combination of deep reflection and full-out physical drive, was perhaps an early sign of what was to come.

The LaGlace native came back home, and, shortly after an exhibition of his BFA works, was made director-curator of Grande Prairie’s fledgling Prairie Art Gallery (PAG).

Haakstad spent the next seven years helping to establish and permanently house the PAG, now a highly-esteemed Class A gallery whose status allows for international exhibitions. More than two decades of fundraising for non-profit organizations followed. Today, he is the vice president of external relations for Evergreen Park, a multipurpose fairground and trade show complex in the County of Grande Prairie.

“When I consider my art, I don’t know if I could do it full time. I like the interaction I have with people.”

Still, Haakstad approaches his day job in the spirit of an artist.

Carmen Haakstad, Nature’s Cross, oil on panel

been very exhilarating,” he says. “They are generally happy people who want to be doing what they are doing. I am interested in the attitude of volunteerism, and fascinated by philanthropists who have been successful and choose to give it all back to the community.”

Haakstad is also a good promoter. He set up a website in 2004, marketing both his art and merchandise bearing his images. He manages to be affirmative without being aggressive. There’s an element of confidence that many artists seem not to possess; one that was perhaps honed in his hockey playing days.

Carmen Haakstad, The Bat Maker, oil on panel

A powerpoint workshop he’s designed to help people develop fundraising and organizational skills includes several of his designs, most with spiritual overtones. He finds that the art, inspired by thoughts on humanity and the need for benevolence regardless of race and culture, is a welcome addition to the mix.

“Working with volunteers has

He speaks of the marketing of hockey images as something he’s moved past. While they too held deep meaning for him at one time, he sees them as part of a more youthful perspective. Haakstad feels that, at 50, his focus is increasingly turning to humanity and our daily treatment of our fellow man. The car accident, which also injured his wife Gail and eldest daughter Daneil, coupled with the loss of both parents, has impacted him in ways he is still figuring out. He has been working on a series of figures he calls “seekers,” inspired by a drawing he made while pondering his journey in life. Many are lone, monklike shapes, rendered in oil on plywood. They stand about five feet tall, and appear to be

in a state of deep contemplation. The paint is applied like a stain, highlighting the grain of the wood in such a way as to restore it to its more woodsy, less manufactured origin. The figures often reveal a swirl in the grain that resembles some flow of energy, perhaps a soul. Interestingly, where earlier seekers’ hearts were located in the lower part of the body, a more recent one features the heart in its proper place.

(Top to bottom) Carmen Haakstad, Battle of Alberta, pastel; Carmen in his office; Carmen Haakstad, The Emerging Bat, oil on panel

“I’m always looking within for guidance,” Haakstad says.

“That’s where the art comes from.”

Carmen Haakstad is one of three speakers featured at the Art of the Peace Visual Arts Symposium in Grande Prairie on Saturday, October 14, 2006.

He will talk about how art has influenced his path in life.

art of the peace 15

Imagination is more important than knowledge. - Einstein

Imagine Art as a part of your

become a member

Life

of

visual arts alberta

VISUAL ARTS ALBERTA

1.866.421.1731

visartaa@telusplanet.net www.visualartsalberta.com

S

Suzanne Sandboe

•Aboriginal Art •Soapstone Carvings •Jewellery •Craft Supplies •Leather Products •Jade

ASA, PWS

www.suzannesandboe.com ssandboe@telusplanet.net Phone: (780) 568-4124

Red Bustier, 16� x 24�, oil on canvas

* . " ( & 4 0 ' 5 ) & 1 & " $ &

Dale R. Sales Painting from life experiences, landscapes, portraits, horses and western themes.

" /&8 4&3*&4 0' '*/& "35 1045&34 '30. cell: 876-5432 drsales@telusplanet.net 9807-97 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB

QIPUP(SBQIJDT */$ Potter y Glass Jewellery Hats Home Decore Handpainted Silk

$BMM UPMM GSFF XXX QFBDFQIPUP(SBQIJDT DPN o SE "WF %BXTPO $SFFL home accents, original art, glassware, jewellery, Grande Prairie's largest selection of pottery. bridal gift registry available.

9918A 100 Ave. Grande Prairie P: (780) 513-1933 F: (780) 513-1949

art of the peace 16

9929 - 100 Ave, Grande Prairie, (780) 538-2771 New Owner

Sonlight Gallery 30th Anniversary Fall Show & Sale

October 15th - November 4th

250 785 9099 9312 100th Street, Fort St. John, BC Custom Framing Local Artwork Home Decor

Fairview Fine Arts Centre Opening October 15th, 2 pm

Get the Big Picture Trudy Plaizier

Dale Syrota Watercolour Artist

PWS, CSPWC

Custom Framing & Gallery

Ph: (780) 539-4046 Exhibits with the Grande Prairie Guild of Artists & the Peace Watercolour Society

Local Pottery Original Work Prints Photographs Cards 9903 100th Ave Peace River, AB P: (780) 624-1984

www.gppl.ab.ca

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9910 99 Ave. Grande Prairie

Forbes & Friends Grande Prairie Scott Gallery Edmonton Wallace Galleries Calgary Willock & Sax Waterton Lakes

Jim Stokes

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780-354-2165 art of the peace 17

Three Fairview Artists

Twenty years after the Peace Summerschool of Landscape Art, watercolour and landscape still reign supreme with these former students.

by Eileen Coristine

Bernice Trider

“

You didn’t know there was so much art going on in Fairview back then did you?” Bernice asks, referring not only to the Peace Summerschool of Landscape Art, but also to three-day Peace Art Festivals and university credit courses that she took part in during the 1980s.

Bernice Trider, Summer from Seasons of the Peace series Greg Jones, Harold’s Mercury. Photo by Ziggy’s, Fairview

“The Landscape School was great, really intense,” Bernice says. “I wished I was staying at the college instead of at home so I could have been totally focussed on it.” She loved the field trips to Whitelaw, Sand Lake and other local spots. Those locations inspired many paintings. One of those paintings, of Cliff Paul’s farm, won her the Peace Watercolour Society “On the Spot Painting Award.”

Bernice began painting in 1969, returning to her childhood love of art. “At school I couldn’t wait for Friday afternoon art classes,” she remembers. “Once, after my children were a bit bigger, I saw a local art show in all the store windows in Fairview. I was enthralled. I haven’t missed a possible workshop since.”

Oils were the starting point for Bernice’s painting career, but that all changed after a 1980 course by Robert Guest. “I fell in love with watercolour because I liked what I did,” she explains. “My work was now so much more soft and subtle.”

Bernice is an avid art student who does a lot of research and reading. “I would have liked to have gone to college and learned design,” she says. Still a very active painter, Bernice is currently toying with the idea of watercolour portraits.

Although a different subject, portraiture

art of the peace 18

is consistent with her style, which she describes as realistic.

Clearly Bernice has enjoyed her times of learning and painting in the Peace. “I’ve had a great time,” she tells me, her smile the picture of pleasures recalled.

Greg Jones

“

My mother put a set of paints in front of me when I was nineteen and convalescing from a motorcycle accident,” says Fairview painter Greg Jones. “That’s how I started.”

Greg then began taking local workshops and the credit courses that were held at Fairview College through Grande Prairie Regional College. Teachers like Jim Adrain and Robert Guest were very encouraging and helpful. “Those classes were filled mainly with older ladies, many of whom became good friends,” Greg remembers. Since then many of those ladies have attended workshops by Greg and are always asking for more.

In 1984 and ‘85 he attended Peace Summerschool of Landscape Art. Greg spent many hours in the field with the instructors. “I really latched onto Laine Dahlen’s way of painting,” says Greg.

Greg had taken some drawing classes from fellow Summerschool student Doris Reynolds, but it wasn’t until later that he really appreciated the influence that she had had on him. “After I came back from art school, I recognized Doris’ talent. It was a great influence to see this in a local person.”

Doris was directly involved as a planner of the Peace Summerschool of Landscape Art throughout the four years in which it ran. “The courses ran ten days, started with a show and sale by the instructors and ended with a show and sale by the students, both at Fairview Fine Arts Centre,” she remembers. “The school’s main emphasis was to work directly from nature when possible.”

Doris Reynolds, Russian Orthodox Church at Hines Creek, pen and ink

While doing further studies at Red Deer College, Victoria College of Art and Alberta College of Art and Design, Greg tried out many materials and genres, but has always returned to what he calls his “minimalist landscapes” in watercolours.

“I’m not sure where that came from, but people really respond to them because they are stark, like a relief.”

An event that resulted from the Summerschool had a huge impact on Greg’s future. “Fairview College bought a piece of mine and tucked it away in the president’s office. One month later I saw it, in the same room as their A.Y Jackson. That inspired me so much.”

Greg now resides near Calgary but visits Fairview every month. He says he is planning more workshops for his old friends from the Peace.

Doris Reynolds

“

I paint what I see,” says Doris. “I’ve never done abstracts. My favourite subjects are landscapes, and the Peace Valley and Mountain Parks provide never-ending inspiration for my work.”

Although the instruction by such accomplished artists as Robert Guest, Euphemia McNaught, Laine Dahlen and Inez Demuynck inspired and motivated her, Doris was already an established local artist and instructor in her own right.

She remembers: “My mother was artistic and we always had paper and pencils.” To this day, Doris says, “I like to make detailed sketches. My sketch pad and pencils are always part of my gear, wherever I travel.”

Doris began painting by teaching herself to use oils. That inspired her to go to classes, where she met Robert Guest and Jim Adrain. “They encouraged me to try watercolours, and I tried but struggled. I couldn’t switch until I took two weeks just playing. Then I sort of got the hang of it.” Doris had soon left oils behind and begun using watercolours or pen and ink for her realistic, detailed work.

This past summer Doris painted enthusiastically and framed half a dozen new works, following a field trip to Buffalo Lakes with other Peace Watercolour Society members.

artists directory ART CLUBS 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. Semiannual shows throughout the Peace Country. New members welcome through a juried process.

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 7 - 10pm. Drop-in or monthly fee.

Artists North Grande Prairie Art Society Featuring artists from Grande Prairie, Grovdale, Peace River, Sexsmith & Silver Valley ADRIAN CLARK, CAROL ASHTON, ED DETTLING, KIM FREED, PAULINE GABOURY, BARB GABOURY, DIANNE GREENTREE, BARB

HOLLINGWORTH, WANDA JOHNSTON, WILHELMINA LAURIN, RAY MACKEY, GORDON MACKEY, MEGAN PATRICK, ANNE PEARCY, IRENE

RITZ, HUGO ROY, JANET SCHUDLO, EMILY STEINKE, VI THETRAULT, LINDA

For group inquiries please contact Gordon Mackey at 780-568-3334

Vicki Hotte Carol Sletsma Marilyn Snell Vivian Farnsworth Darlene Dautel Lee Salter Louise McNeil Toni Schuler

25

YEARS

Ruth Lewkowitz Sean Reilly Catherine Nychka Marion Brown Marjorie Henn Peggy Martin Deanna Burchett Lil Larson Joanne Loberg

art of the peace 19

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.

BEGGS, Lorraine 921 Cornwall Crescent Dawson Creek, BC V1G 1P1 250-784-0173 beggslorraine@hotmail.com Experimental photography, colourful; encaustics, chalk pastel, watercolour. Mixed media. Mostly abstract.

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

COCHRANE, Leona 12105 - 95A Street Grande Prairie, AB T8V 5C4 780-538-1208 lkc100@hotmail.com Architectural, botanical and human forms inspire mixed media and oil paintings.

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, giclée prints and cards.

GREENTREE, Barb Box 41 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 3A1 780-532-6658 barbgreentree@telus.net Artworks emphasizing the Wild Kakwa and Peace Country in acrylics and watercolour.

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.

DRONYK, Dymphny 11306 - 102B St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2Y2 780-532-8323 dymphny@telus.net www.dynamicdatagp.com Photography, writing, grants, proposals, screenwriting and video production.

GUEST, Robert Box 1784 Grande Cache, AB T0E 0Y0 780-532-8111 for information Painter in the Symbolist Landscape tradition preferring wilderness and nocturnal subject matter.

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

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 Watercolour painting, equine subject matter.

ENFIELD, Janet Box 815 Wembley, AB T0H 3S0 780-766-2795 jenfield@cablerocket.com Commission work of any subject in oil or acrylic.

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

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

HEIMDAL, Tim 9804 - 102 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2V2 780-532-1995 indigog@telus.net Murals, paintings, corporate logos, set design.

GILJE, Lena Box 252 Wembley, AB T0H 3S0 780-505-0873 lkgilje@hotmail.com Corporate, wedding and portrait photography, original artwork, one of a kind handbags.

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.

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

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.

BOZARTH, C. Paige Sexsmith, AB 780-430-7937 info@cpaigedesign.com www.cpaigedesign.com Contemporary absracts, landscapes and wildlife art. Acrylic or conte originals. Residential or corporate commissions available.

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.

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.

DEMUYNCK, Inez 11121 - 16 St Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4A1 250-782-6363 inez@pris.ca Teacher/Artist specializing in creative watercolour and handbuilt clayworks.

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.

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

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

www.artofthepeace.ca art of the peace 20

HOTTE, Vicki Box 277 Beaverlodge, AB T0H 0C0 780-538-1947 svhotte@telusplanet.net www.vickihotte.com Acrylic paintings and drawings rural subject matter.

KAUT, Donna, BSc, FCA Box 675 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 3A8 780-532-6468 ddakaut@telus.net www.pictureperfectfineart.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 quadgrannie@yahoo.ca “With acrylics, I can capture what nature has to offer us which is a panorama of colour.”

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.

LOLAND, Susan 780-513-8258 sloland@telusplanet.net www.blackeyedsusandesigns.com Pattern designer. Available for teaching at quilt shops and guilds.

LUND, Rhonda 780-957-3733 780-933-3914 www.rhondalundart.com Laser etchings on granite. Acrylics, colored chalk, mixed medium; Canadiana.

MAY, Nick 9902 - 96 Avenue Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0M2 780-539-6277 leonora@telusplanet.net www.theartofnickmay.com Award winning nature artist.

MCGUINTY, Kristine 12813 - 92 St. Peace River, AB T8S 1W9 780-624-2605 mc_guinty@hotmail.com www,nightorartists.com Harvest Moon Studio: Contemporary photographic images, polaroid emulsion transfers, acrylic paintings and drawings.

MCNEIL, Michele RR2 Site 13 Box 41 Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2Z9 780-538-4760 rpmcneil@telusplanet.net Stained glass with a contemporary twist. “Yours is to dream it. Mine is to create it.”

MULLIGAN, Helena 12705 99 A St. Grande Prairie, AB T8X 8C8 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 wilkomen@telus.net Oil paintings; impressionistic landscapes.

SANDBOE, Suzanne ASA, PWS Box 28, Site 9, RR1 Sexsmith, AB T0H 3C0 780-568-4124 ssandboe@telusplanet.net www.suzannesandboe.com Realistic landscapes, portraits and scenes from everyday life. Original work and commissions in a variety of mediums.

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

SMITH, Len 9110 - 100 St Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2K5 780-539-4608 lensmith@telus.net 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.

STAFFORD, Cathy 10429 101 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB 780-402-8860 sweetcap@telus.net Abstract/expressionistic oil painting.

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

STELMASCHUK, Erin Box 1296 Bow Island, AB T0K 0G0 403-545-6794 estelmaschuk@hotmail.com www.erinstelmaschuk.com Skilled in many mediums. Erin works predominantly with copper.

Commssions welcome.

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 780-532-8930 strombrenda@hotmail.com Watercolors, oil, monoprints of florals, intimate landscapes and hockey players.

SUTER, Evelyn PO Box 1416 Grande Cache, AB T0E 0X0 780-827-5175 evmakimage39@hotmail.com In print-making, there is a real challenge and joy in being part of the ongoing, if not surprising, evolution the method excites.

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.

WILLIAMS, Susan susanew@telusplanet.net Functional pottery, over 15 years experience with 8 years of teaching experience. Available to instruct workshops at beginner or intermediate levels.

PHOTOGRAPHY MCLAUGHLIN, Catherine Grande Prairie, AB 780-402-6211 cmclaughlin@telusplanet.net Photography - informal portraits of people and their pets, landscape. Freelance writing, poetry readings.

PETTIT, Don 1204 - 103 Ave Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2G9 250-782-6068 1-866-373-8488 info@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 Fort Nelson

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.

Manning

Hudson Hope

St. Isidore

Exhibits & Events Toni Schuler & Sara MacIntrye Show & Sale October 29 - November 24, 2006

49

Chetwyn

Falher 43

43

Tumbler Ridge

Variety of Artists Christmas Show & Sale November 26 - December 23, 2006

Valleyview

40

Sarah Smith Show & Sale January 7 - January 26, 2007

Grande Cache

Grande Prairie Regional College Art Students Exhibition January 28 - February 23, 2007 Beaverlodge Art Club Show & Sale February 25 - March 30, 2007 14th Annual Quilt Show April 1 - April 27, 2007 Leona Cochrane Show & Sale April 29 - May 25, 2007

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. • Dawson Creek Art Gallery 101 - 816 Alaska Avenue Dawson Creek, BC V1G 4T6 250-782-2601 www.dcartgallery.ca The Gallery and Northern Treasures Giftshop are open 10 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Friday; 12 - 4 pm Saturdays, from May to Sept.

Year round, artist run centre; gift shop; 13 exhibits per year; art rental; education programs. art of the peace 22

Exhibits & Events Emily, Dean & Karl Mattson The Expedition September 26 - November 11, 2006 South Peace Art Society Christmas Show and Gift Fair November 18, 2006 - January 7, 2007 Artists North Kaleidoscopic January 8 - February 3, 2007 M-K February 6 - March 3, 2007 Memory Lane March 5 - 31, 2007 Time out for Seniors Class Exploring Art April 3 - 21, 2007 Please check our website or phone

the gallery for a complete schedule of 2006/2007 exhibits and events.

• Picture It 920-102 Ave. Dawson Creek, BC V1G 2B7 (250) 782-4101 Gallery, framing and art supplies.

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 Peace Watercolour Society Show & Sale October 15 - November 4, 2006 Paula Fiorini & Erin Stelmaschuk Show & Sale November 10 - 25, 2006 Members of Fairview Fine Arts Centre Christmas Show & Sale December 2 - 23, 2006

FT. ST. JOHN, B.C. • Sonlight Gallery 9312 100 St. Ft. St. John, B.C. V1J 3X4 250-785-9099 sonlight@telus.net Art, framing and home decor.

‘Get the Big Picture.’

• 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 1-888-827-3790 tourism@grandecache.ca www.grandecache.ca Winter hours October - May 9 am - 5 pm, Monday - Friday 1 pm - 4 pm, Weekends Wildlife and historical displays, art gallery and gift shop.

Exhibits & Events Centennial Drawings of Alberta inlcuding two Grande Cache artists, Bob Guest & James Harvey October 10 - 28, 2006 Palette Pals Art Club Show & Sale Fall/Winter 2006 Call the Grande Cache Tourism Centre for details.

GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA • Centre for Creative Arts 9904 - 101 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0X8 780-814-6080 www.gparts.org Check our website for current information about our education programs, drop-in studios, artist run studios and cafe.

• Forbes and Friends 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.

Exhibits & Events Open House November 30, 2006 10 am - 7 pm

• Picture Perfect Frame & Gallery 9934 - 100 Ave. Grande Prairie, AB 780-539-4091;

fax 780-539-4554 picperf@telusplanet.net www.pictureperfectfineart.com Artists supplies and custom framing. Local artwork, prints and reproductions. Home decore.

Exhibits and Events Jack Ellis, Nick May, Joan Doll & Paul Martel Why We Love the North Show & Sale October 13 - November 4, 2006 Opening: October 13 at 7pm Capture the Beauty of the Peace Spring 2007 Contest ends with the announcement of the winners at a special reception. Open to the public.

• Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, The Courtyard Gallery 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.

• The Prairie Art Gallery 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 John Hall Duane Linklater Artists North Teachers As Artists September 8 - October 15, 2006 Dan Gordon Gerald St. Maur Sarah Alford, Joyce Goodman & Tina Martel: We Like Shiny Things October 20 - November 26, 2006 Tempt Your Pallet in Rome October 27, 2006, 7 pm PAG Members Exhibition Finding Home

Prairie North AFA Travelling Exhibition Round Table December 1, 2006 - January 14, 2007 Nicole Bauberger Susan Menzies January 19 - March 4, 2007 Terry Reynoldson Michael Dowad Julian Forrest March 9 - April 29, 2007

PEACE RIVER, ALBERTA • 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.

Exhibits & Events GALLERY Lynn LeCorre October, 2006 Jody Farrell November - December 2006 Diane Horneland January - February, 2007 Artists in Healthcare: Staff of the QEII Hospital March - April, 2007

SHOWCASES Don Nelson: Decoys & Carvings Minature Car Collection October - November, 2006 Festive Collections December, 2006 Angie Patternson: Photo Cards Collection of Antique Cameras January - February, 2007 Artists in Healthcare: Staff of the QEII Hospital March - April, 2007

What’s new . . . what’s happening?

GRANDE CACHE, ALBERTA

THE CENTRE FOR

CREATIVE ARTS

ry, e t t o P ts, r A e v s ... i t t r a A r o e c De , Fin e! s s a l G Stain so much mor and

it’s all at www.gparts.org 780.814.6080

ART ARTicipaction 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 Debbie, 780-354-3600 for dates and details.

Gallery exhibition and gift shop sales opportunities are available.

Please call Debbie at 780-3543600 for further information.

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. Dawson Creek Art Gallery Dawson Creek Art Gallery is offering an exciting line-up of classes through the fall and winter in the following: • Photography • Sculpture • Watercolour • Beginner Painting • Figure Drawing • Time Out for Seniors: Acrylic Painting • Pottery • Children’s Classes • Artistic Welding For details on these and other courses and registration information phone 250-782-2601 or e-mail artcoord@dcartgallery.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 more information.

FAIRVIEW, ALBERTA Fairview Fine Arts Centre This fall and winter, the Fairview Finearts Centre is featuring Friday night parties. Themes include: Belly Dancing, Altered Book, Quilting, Card Making, Henna Tatart of the peace 24

too, Circle Dance, Bead Jewellery, Story Telling and more. Call for details and to register.

The Centre also offers fine art courses in the following: Pottery, Wheel Throwing, Digital Photography, Oil painting, Mixed Media and Childrens Classes.

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

may also fulfill their Fine Arts option requirements with FAD credit courses. Non-credit Visual Arts courses include drawing, painting, digital arts, and photography.

Prairie North Creative Residency Mark your calendar! From May 18 to June 1, 2007, Prairie North is back on. The visiting artists will be Laura Vickerson and Harold Klunder. Find more details at www.prairienorth.org

education & opportunities GRANDE CACHE, ALBERTA Grande Cache Tourism Centre Drawing by James Harvey Fall 2006 For course details and registration call the Grande Cache Tourism Centre at 780-827-3300.

GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA Centre for Creative Arts For registration and up to date 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 exhibitions contact Karen at the QEII Foundation office 780-538-7583. Display cubes (showcases) are also 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

Visitor in the Arts Series Wednesdays from 11:45 am - 1:00 pm and is free and open to the general public. Contact the Fine Arts office for more details at 780-5392909.

Women in the Arts Symposium March 14 - 15, 2007. Call the Fine Arts office for more details 780539-2909

Picture Perfect Capture The Beauty of the Peace Call for entries for the spring 2007 contest. Call (780) 539-4091 for details.

The 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.

Saturdays 1 - 4 pm Studio & Art Mentors For children 6 + years.

Seniors Drawing / Watercolours Tuesday mornings at The Gallery beginning September 2006.

Art After Dark Ninety minute sessions cover everything from art history to art demonstrations. Sessions begin September 2006, Monday evenings from 7 - 8:30 pm.

TREX For information about the Travelling Exhibition Program contact Sue Cloake-Miller at The Prairie Art Gallery 10209-99 street Grande Prairie, AB TV 2H3 Please contact The Prairie Art Gallery for furthur information about these and other programs the gallery offers.

Robert Guest Gallery, Picture Perfect Frame & Gallery Robert Guest Gallery is available for exhibitions - call Allan at 780539-4091 for information.

PEACE RIVER, ALBERTA Northern Lights Evening with the Arts On November 4, 2006, Peace River will host its 2nd annual Northern Lights Evening with the Arts. Local artists will show and sell their work, while live musicians entertain. Organizers are looking for artists and musicians to round out the roster. Contact Mark Boychuk at chuckboy@hotmail.com or 780624-1719.

MORE OPPORTUNITIES Snap Gallery For more information about the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists (SNAP) visit www.snapartists. com or call 780-423-1492.

The Visual Arts Association of Alberta An inclusive arts service organization mandated to provide support, services and advocacy for all visual artists in Alberta. For more information call toll free: 1-866421-1731 or visit www.visualartsalberta.com

Alberta Craft Council Join one of Canada’s leading craft arts organizations and start reaping benefits today! For more information toll free in Alberta: 1-800-3627238 or visit www.albertacraft. ab.ca

Tabitha Logan, Red Bubbles, 6” x 6” encaustic on birch plywood

ENCAUSTICS

-------------------------Using wax as a painting medium is very therapeutic for me. The warmth and smell of beeswax takes a person back to simpler times as does the painting process itself.

When I approach this medium, I heat the pigmented wax to a liquified state and apply the medium to the substrate of choice (wood, paper, Plexiglas, etc.). After each layer of colour is applied it is heated through for the 'burned in' process which is what makes the wax painting an 'encaustic'. Even though this process might take some forethought and each stroke is deliberate, the burning in gives it an element of surprise.

Encaustic painting provides me with a challenge that sparks the creative juices.

This isn’t a process for the faint of heart.

Tabitha Logan art of the peace 25

Where Art & Comfort Meet

The Last Word: Space For It All

9934 100 Avenue Grande Prairie Phone: 780 539 4091 www.pictureperfectfineart.com

(780) 532-0355 mataylor@telusplanet.net 9506 77 Ave Grande Prairie, AB T8V 4T3

What I became convinced of was only this: that the art of this place is diverse. Perhaps because we don’t have the depth of tradition that other parts of the country have, we have the freedom of a blank palette, so to speak. Up here, in “the real hinterland” (as Mary-Beth Laviolette calls it in An Alberta Art Chronicle), an artist can hear him or herself think.

Marj Taylor

Fine Art Supplies & Creative Framing at it’s Finest

Lynn LeCorre, Hayfields’ Study II

Courtyard Gallery

Lower Level, QEII Hospital 10409 98 St. Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2E8 Exhibition Opportunities available by contacting Karen at (780) 538-7585

art of the peace 26

I had the incredible opportunity this summer to meet with a number of different Peace Country artists and to read at some length about Alberta art. I started off sceptical that there was such a thing as a distinctive art of this place. Other regions in this country have long-established art traditions. Central Canada has the Group of Seven. The Atlantic Provinces have “Maritime Realism” – Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt, Alex Colville, and the like. Coastal British Columbia has Emily Carr, and a strong tradition of West Coast Aboriginal Art. The Arctic has its Inuit carvers and printmakers. But the Peace Country?

Some of the art I’ve seen is intimately rooted to this place – think of Peter von Tiesenhausen’s work. Other artists have made art that responds to this place – think of Sarah Alford – or its traditions. Think of Vicki Hotte and Holly Crichton, making art about the ranching way of life; or Carmen Hakstaad and Brenda Strom making art about hockey. Many others depict this place in their art – think of the landscapes of Jim Stokes, Robert Guest, and many others. And then there are those of us whose art doesn’t seem to have much to do with the Peace Country at all. And that’s okay too.

Is there a distinctive Peace Country art style? I don’t think so.

But maybe that’s the point. I think when you live here with the wide open lands and skies, you develop a limitless sense of what’s possible. In the words of Sarah Alford: “I think that the world is so big that there’s room for everything. I think there’s room for the incredible, challenging, difficult work that people make, and I think there’s room for the extremely beautiful. There’s space for it all.”

Here at Art of the Peace, I am the new Editor! I am hoping to start a “Letters to the Editor” column, but first, I need to hear from you! Let me know what you like (or don’t like) about the magazine, and what you’d like to see more of. Respond to any of the articles, or send me news of what’s happening in your community, in the area of visual arts. You can contact me at art@artofthepeace.ca.

Wendy Stefansson, Editor, Art of the Peace

Sept 8 - Oct 15, 2006

John Hall Artists North Teachers as Artists

Oct 20 - Nov 26, 2006 OPENI N G : O c t o b e r 2 0 a t 7 : 3 0 p m

Dan Gordon, Gerald St. Maur, Sara h Alford, Joyce Good m a n , Tina Martel: We Like Shiny Things

Jan 19 - March 4, 2007

Nicole Bauberger Susan Menzies

March 9 - April 29, 2007

Te r r y R e y n o l d s o n Michael Dowad Julian Forrest

Dec 1, 2006 - Jan 14, 2007

I O

PAG Members Exhibition Find ing Home: Textile Pos t c a r d s from Canadian & Australia n A r t i s t s

M

OPENI N G : D e c e m b e r 2 a t 7 ; 3 0 p m

U P C

U P C O M I N G

E X H I B I T I O N S

See art.

Good art.

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G

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N T S V E

October 27, 2006

Te m p t Yo u r P a l e t t e ~ In Rome ~

Presented by Dr. Rob B. Strasdin Professional Corporation & The Prairie Art Gallery Exciting new changes for this year’s event. Make sure you’re there! Tickets available at The Gallery

The Prairie Art Gallery w w w . p r a i r i e g a l l e r y . c o m

10209 - 99 Street Grande Prairie, AB (780) 532 - 8111

Grande Prairie Regional College proudly presents the 40th Anniversary Concert Series.

September 15, 2006 – I Musici January 16, 2007 – Trio Solisti with clarinetist Alan Kay March 3, 2007 – Madrigal Singers March 11, 2007 – Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal April 14, 2007 – Isabel Bayrakdarian The inaugural concert of the series, I Musici, thrilled the audience September 15, and launched a season of classical music suitable to the great concert halls of the world. The Douglas J. Cardinal Performing Arts Centre at Grande Prairie Regional College resonated with the outstanding music and exceptional artists of I Musici.

This astounding series will continue January 16, 2007 with Trio Solisti, and clarinetist Alan Kay. This trio has thrilled audiences across North America, and has been described by the New York Times as “compelling and consistently brilliant.” Trio Solisti brings together three of the most soughtafter artists of their generation: violinist Maria Bachmann, cellist Alexis Pia Gerlach, and pianist Jon Klibonoff.

On March 3, the U of A Madrigal Singers will bring the highly acclaimed concert choir of some 45 voices performing music of all periods and styles. The choir is led

by Leonard Ratzlaff, now the chair of the Department of Music at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal will perform March 11, 2007. The group is internationally known for its energetic combination of ballet, jazz and modern dance.

Dance enthusiasts should prepare to be amazed and thrilled with this performance!

Trio Solisti JAN 16

C O N C E R T

Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, in concert April 14, 2007. Isabel Bayrakdarian has performed in virtually all the world’s major opera houses. She is admired as much for her stunning stage presence as for her uncommon musicality.

S E R I E S

Four highly acclaimed performances, and a truly rare opportunity for audiences of western Canada: the 40th Anniversary Concert Series at Grande Prairie Regional College.

For tickets to Trio Solisti, Madrigal Singers, Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal or Isabel Bayrakjdarian at the DJ Cardinal Performing Arts Centre at Grande Prairie Regional College, call the GPLT Box Office at 538-1616, or visit our website gprc.ab.ca.