REPRESENTING HERSELF & OTHERS: Above, Artist Debra Bevaart with two of her soapstone carvings, a seal and an otter. Top left, the gallery represents dozens of West Coast artists. Far left, Debra carves in her gallery, Tug-Guhm, in the Lund Hotel. Photos by Isabelle Southcott
Meet the ‘seal lady’ of Lund BY ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT
T
he smooth carved face of a seal with its big, soulful eyes looks up from beneath the surface of the water. It’s an iconic west coast image and one that artist and Tug-Guhm Gallery owner Debra Bevaart has perfected through carving for more than 20 years. The seal lady of Lund, as Debra is often called, says her fantastically popular seal face carvings were actually a “happy accident,” and not something she had planned. After seeing a photograph with a seal face looking up out of the ocean, Debra was inspired to carve the face of that seal out of a piece of Brazilian soapstone she had. “This is an iconic west coast memory for travellers here,” she explained shedding some light on why her seal faces strike a chord with so many people all around the world. For the past 25 years Debra has worked out of her gallery in Lund, carving, organizing, curating, promoting the work of other artists and helping customers who walk through the door. Her studio, next to the front door of the gallery, shares space with a cash register, display space and packing platform. “People like to watch me carve,” she says. “They like to see the process and ask questions.”
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• March 2022 • qathetliving.ca
Happy Birthdays, Tug-Guhm and Debra Tug-Guhm Art Gallery in Lund will celebrate its 25th anniversary on June 16. At the same time, gallery owner/curator/artist Debra Bevaart will celebrate her 65th birthday. The gallery, which represents 60 artists and strong imagery of the West Coast, is famous around the world for Brazilian soapstone seal heads carved on site by Debra. Incidentally, March 22 is International Seal Day. Part businesswoman, creator, salesperson, waitress, wildlife artist, carver, illustrator, gallery owner and curator, Debra isn’t scared March 8 to get her hands dirty to do what needs to be done. She’s also a woman with vision and an incredibly hard work ethic. “I entertained the thought of being a fulltime artist when I was young but working at paying the bills can get in the way of the time invested in being an artist,” she told qathet Living. “Turns out that sales and waitressing jobs were good people skills training needed for my future as a
gallery curator,” she says. Many artists have no idea how to sell their work, she says. “You have to be able to make that connection. Ask questions, find out what people want. I’ve always been good at finding gifts for people. One of my strengths is finding the perfect art piece for someone to give or for themselves.” Debra has been an artist for as long as she can remember. “I excelled in art class growing up, especially sculpting in clay,” she said. “After graduation I had no access to clay but still leaned toward the three-dimensional work. A wholesaler of Brazilian soapstone was nearby, and I was inspired. Clay, you build with, soapstone is all about reduction and after forty years of honing my skills I still love the challenges of taking away the excess to reveal the subject. And the polished smooth stone is always wonderful to see and to touch.” “I started Tug-Guhm Gallery in Lund after being offered a spot for the summer to try it out. It was a big decision to go ahead on my own, but use of the space as a studio and gallery together allowed onlookers to see the art of creating my work and my clientele grew.” Tug-Guhm is a Coast Salish word which means a vessel of light like the sun or moon, she explained. “For the last 25 years, Tug-Guhm has been shining a light on the village of Lund.”
