Okanagan Art Works - July 2010

JULY 2010

DIANA CREASY-FUNK DEBORAH WILSON DENNIS WEBER THERESA HEINRICHS JOYBILEE FARM TINA SIDDIQUI DIANNE SCHNIEDERS LEE CARSON

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communities – they make communities more attractive places to live, they help bring a community to life, they define a community’s unique characteristics, they attract tourists and they help communities compete economically around the world”.

The Canada Council for the Arts

The Vision of OKANAGAN ART WORKS online magazine is to nurture, encourage, promote, and showcase the extraordinary talented artists who have chosen the Okanagan region in beautiful British Columbia, Canada as their home studio for creating original art.

We also show appreciation to those who support local artists by collecting their work.

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“Arts and cultural activities are at the heart of

OKANAGAN ART WORKS July 2010 Publisher, E.I.C.: Liz Burnett and, until the right person walks through the door . . .

All content and layout: Liz Burnett Contact info: Okanagan Art Works P O Box 20084 Kelowna, BC, V1Y 9H2 Tel.: 250.215 0929 Website: www.okanaganartworks.com Email / Submissions /Subscriptions: info@s2sartworks.com © All rights reserved.

OKANAGAN ART WORKS is published monthly on-line.

Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

OKANAGAN ART WORKS 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.

Artists published in this issue of OKANAGAN ART WORKS are granting us permission to publish their work and images on the cover and throughout this issue via the internet as needed, to help bring attention to this publication and their work. Copyright of all the artworks in this issue belong to the respective artists.

This month’s cover: ‘A Thousand Times’

by Diana Creasy-Funk see page 16.

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DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY? Click here to visit WWW.OKANAGANARTWORKS.COM and complete the comments form.

It is as easy as that.

Welcome to the July 2010 issue of OKANAGAN ART WORKS. This magazine is growing from strength to strength. Thank you! It is your continued interest and positive feedback that make all the late nights and long hours of putting each issue together so worthwhile. And when I hear about Lucho Veraflores (June 2010 issue) gaining a new customer for art restoration within days of that issue being published, well, that is the wonderful cherry on top.

In gathering information for an issue, my first goal is to make sure there is a diversity of art genre represented in the magazine. Most of this is planned well in advance, but sometimes a discovery is made of an unusual and interesting situation that just has to be added to the issue. The July issue is a good example of what I mean. Purely by chance I found out about Sarah Dalziel and her dedication to developing a strong and reliable source of natural indigo, something fiber artists would find very interesting. Sarah has been experimenting with woad and its indigo dye since 2000, and winning a few science awards for her efforts. What makes this story even more exciting is that Sarah is only in Grade 11. You go girl! Read all about Sarah and her indigo dye on page 40.

A second interesting discovery in preparing for this issue was to find out how many local painters practice the old masters’ technique of using only three colours in creating their paintings. Whether their medium is watercolor, acrylic, oil, or pastel, it makes no difference. Therefore, this July 2010 issue is in awe of those artists who can create so much spectacular beauty with only three colours.

Enjoy!

Liz

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CALL FOR ARTISTS OKANAGAN ART WORKS – DECEMBER 2010 COVER ART Did you know that a GIFT EDITION of OKANAGAN ART WORKS is scheduled as a printed hard copy in December 2010? This printed Gift Edition will combine all the monthly on-line issues of this year, plus the December feature articles, in one stunning, beautiful and vibrantly colourful presentation copy. This will be a wonderful record of local art to keep in your library, or give away as a gift to someone special.

We are looking for a special cover for this gift edition.

Here is your chance to get onto the prestigious December 2010 cover!

There are a few simple rules to follow: 1. Any visual artist 18 years and older and residing in the Okanagan region, who has not been on the cover of OKANAGAN ART WORKS yet, is welcome to enter.

2. All visual arts genre can be entered: paintings, fiber art, ceramics, sculptures, jewellery, etc.

3. Your work will be judged by images. Submit top quality photos of your artwork, and clear closeup photos of any three dimensional art.

4. Images will be displayed on-line at www.okanaganartworks.com and judged by the viewers through Twitter and Facebook. Artwork will be shown anonymously to allow impartial judging.

5. Judging will be done on a points basis – the more points allocated to an artwork by the public, the better your chances of winning. Therefore, the sooner you enter, the better.

6. Deadline: Enter now. Judging will start on August 1st and be ongoing for three months.

7. Final judging: The winning entry will be announced on-line on November 15th and will appear on the December 2010 cover of Okanagan Art Works. A feature article on the winning artist will appear in the same issue.

8. A CDN$25 non-refundable fee is due for every two items submitted by an artist. You can submit as many entries as you want. Cheques are to be made payable to Okanagan Art Works.

Print out, complete and submit this page to enter:

DECEMBER 2010 COVER ART:

NAME: _________________________________ TELEPHONE: ____________________________ MAILING ADDRESS: _______________________________________________________________ CITY/TOWN: _____________________________ POSTAL CODE: __________________________ TYPE OF ART: ____________________________ NUMBER OF ARTWORK SUBMITTED: ________ TITLE OF ARTWORK: _______________________TILTE OF ARTWORK: ______________________ I HEREBY GIVE PERMISSION FOR AN IMAGE OF MY COMPETITION ARTWORK TO BE LISTED ON-LINE AS PART OF THE OKANAGAN ART WORKS - DECEMBER 2010 COVER ART COMPETITION. IMAGES RELEASE SIGNATURE: DATE: _________________ SEND YOUR COMPLETED ENTRIES, IMAGES AND SUBMISSION FEES TO: OKANAGAN ART WORKS – DECEMBER 2010 COVER ART COMPETITION P O BOX 20084, KELOWNA, BC, V1Y 9H2 ANY QUESTIONS?: CONTACT LIZ BY EMAIL INFO@S2SARTWORKS.COM, OR TEL.: 250.215 0929

OKANAGAN ART WORKS INDEX ON THE COVER 16 DIANA CREASY-FUNK finally coming out as an artist

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CALL FOR ARTISTS December 2010 Cover Competition

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DEBORAH WILSON an inspiration for women jade carvers

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DENNIS WEBER preserving the history of his people

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DUBIOUS DIAMONDS taking another look at that diamond

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DIAMOND WORKSHOP important information to know

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THERESA HEINRICHS travelling the world for a painting

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JOYBILEE FARM and the indigo days of summer

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TINA SIDDIQUI and the joy of sharing what she knows

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DIANNE SCHNIEDERS and her two passions

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LEE CARSON stockpiling all her stories

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ARTISTS’ NEWS

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COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS

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Deborah Wilson an inspiration to women jade carvers Jade is one of the most beautiful stones found in nature and often carved in exquisite jewellery designs or sculptures. It so happens too that British Columbia is one of the biggest producers of jade in the world. If this is so, then why are there hardly any female jade carvers in the Western world? Deborah Wilson, a well-known jade carver from Vernon has set her mind to change this fact.

What is so special about jade that has created this allure and mystery around it?

Firstly, there are two types of jade. There is Nephrite jade, a silicate of calcium and magnesium. This is the jade historically associated with China and found in carvings, beads and cabochon cut gemstones. Nephrite jade is also the jade found in British Columbia. In its pure form Nephrite jade is white, also called ‘mutton fat’. White Nephrite jade is most desirable. Various trace elements in its chemical composition cause a variety of colours, from yellow to dark brown, grey, black and all shades of green.

Then you get Jadeite jade, a silicate of sodium and aluminum, and found in Burma. High-end jewellery auctioned at Christies and Southebys would be Jadeite jade. Colours of Jadeite jade range widely as well and is found in white, black, red, yellow, purple, brown and green.

Translucent intense emerald-green gem quality Jadeite jade, also known as Imperial Jade, is rare and expensive. This colour is the most desirable and expensive Jadeite jade, followed by lavender being the second most sought after colour in Jadeite jade.

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The allure of jade can be found in its translucency, the surprising colours, the ultimate shine you can get from the surface when it is finely polished, and its almost mirror-like luster. There is no other stone from which man can produce such captivating beauty. No wonder in China this stone is known as ‘The Stone of Heaven’.

With all this beauty comes quite a challenge. Jade is extremely tough to work with. In gemmology you talk about the hardness and the toughness of a gemstone. This really means two different things. Hardness is its ability to resist scratches or abrasions, like a diamond. Toughness is its ability to resist being fractured, like jade.

Jade is a very tough stone. It is also fibrous in its structure. This is the reason jade is impossible to be cut with chisels, but has to be ground with very hard, sharp abrasive material. This is what challenges a jade carver the most when creating a sculpture and why we are so awed when we see such exceptionally well carved sculptures created by Deborah Wilson. This is also why we understand when she explains that it took nine months to complete the 2 feet tall ‘Phoenix’ (see image on previous page) and that ‘Gathering Qi’ (see image on page 12) was technically so difficult.

“When I do a big piece like ‘Phoenix’, I must have other pieces to work on in between. It helps to keep busy with other things,” she says, “and about ‘Gathering Qi’, I love this piece. I like the title too.

Technically it was difficult to do, all angles and curves. It is hard to get at them physically.”

Deborah is truly a master of her craft and deserves the acknowledgement by fellow carvers as ‘undoubtedly the best woman jade carver in the world.’

Previous page: ‘Phoenix’, Canadian Ogden Jade, 24” x 11” Below: ‘Oomingmak’, Inuit for ‘the bearded one’, Canadian Kutcho Jade, 6.5” x 4.5” x 10” All artwork © Deborah Wilson

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Deborah reflects on her own connection with jade, especially the piece of jade used for carving ‘Dove of many Moons’ (see image on previous page): “Ogden Mt Jade is one of the original jade deposits in B.C.'s Northern Interior, near Williston Lake.

“The block I chose for the ‘Dove of Many Moons’ project was purchased from a man who lives not too far from me.

He bought it from Jade West a number of years ago, and was told it was one of those treasures that represented the quality of jade that Ogden Mt was known for in the old days.

“I was fortunate enough to have been carving in that era, my first year being 1973. New World Jade in Vancouver was where I got my start as did 30 others. Most of us were keen recruits from the Vancouver School of Art and ready for the challenge of carving this incredibly tough, but stunningly beautiful stone.

“I went from that early and formative experience to join others who also wanted to continue with "hard stone carving.

“Carving jade has brought a number of wonderful things into my life, such as traveling to participate in events that celebrate jade, and meeting interesting people who have a passion for carving and collecting alike.”

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Reflections on Inspiration I like the notion of God being not “up there” but within us all.

Same with inspiration or the act of creation, It lies within.

The Dove of Many Moons took shape from that place after the tangibles were gathered and themes discussed.

From my head there were questions, some answered..

From my heart a glow from being warmed by this gifting, Finally from my hands that busy themselves at the task, which at the end caress smooth wings only to let go…….

Previous page: ‘Dove of Many Moons’, Canadian Ogden Mt Jade, 9” x 8” x 5”, original weight 44 lbs, now 8lbs Below: ‘Cone Shell’, black Australian jade, 4 ½” x 2 ¼” x 2” All artwork © Deborah Wilson

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There are different types of jade, each with its own collectible and desirable reason. Take Polar jade for instance. This is a jade found in British Columbia and is known as the brightest, most translucent, greenest, hardest nephrite yet discovered. However, desirable jade is not only found in green. Any unusual colour jade carved into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece by a talented carver, whether it is translucent or opaque, would be collectable. Add to this the way the color of jade can change depending on how light falls on it. You may think the jade is black, but with changing light it could be dark green, or a deep blue-green.

“When I buy jade I look for good colour,” Deborah explains. “It should have as few fractures as possible and I always keep an eye open for that. Wyoming jade is a real pleasure. It is super hard and gives a fine velvet polish. Honey olive is one colour, black Wyoming is another gorgeous one.

Apple green Wyoming is a disappointment again. It has flecks throughout that make it difficult to finish. BC jade is softer than Wyoming jade or Siberian jade or New Zealand jade, but then Polar jade is harder than Ogden jade, both from BC. This is wonderful for me. I can do complex pieces with denser jade.”

Previous page left: ‘Gathering Qi’, Canadian Kutcho Jade, 9 ½” x 4" x 4" Previous page right: ‘Maternida’, Limestone, 15” x 7” x 5” All artwork © Deborah Wilson Left: ‘Awakening’, Jade, bronze and steel, 60” x 33” x 30”

Deborah remembers working with the sculpture on the left: “‘Awakening’ was a real challenge. A teacher at Capilano College offered wonderful technical support, but I did all the bronze casting myself. The vine is from 6 sections of 1” steel that I forged and tapered to create this piece.

This steel vine is what the butterfly hangs from, having emerged from its chrysalis. The chrysalis is attached to the vine with rods in 3 places and there are only six bolts attaching the wings to the chrysalis.

“The concept of the butterfly came by chance. I had two slabs of jade cut in South Surrey, and when I opened up the two slabs, they looked like a butterfly. I thought ‘wow, this is what I have to do’. I have never had this happen before where the jade dictated to me what it wanted me to do.

“This jade has white streaks in it and the white is softer than the jade. This makes it hard to work with both together, but you find a way to do it."

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Deborah is encouraged by the newfound interest in jade.

“There seems to be a renaissance in jade with more interest being shown in finished pieces. Jade carvers seem to be coming out of the woodwork . More and more people visit the jade festival in Big Sur, California, so it is obvious there is a renewed interest in jade.

One thing feeds the next and the interest in jade from the internet has increased too. This growth is very encouraging. The jade community needs to become larger, we need more young people. Right now our main age group is 50 to 60 years old. I would hate for this to die out again. New Zealand has a big time at it. In BC it was very intense for 5 years, then nothing. Our members need to do more shows to get the interest to grow. And I definitely want to get more women involved.”

Now, would it not be great to see our Okanagan region develop into the next big jade center in British Columbia . . .

Above: ‘Talisman’, black Australian jade 9” x 2 ¼” x ¼” Below left: The sculptor Deborah Wilson standing next to “LUNA” Mabel Lk Marble 77" x 69" x 36"

To encourage artists, especially women, to try their hands at jade carving, Deborah has put together jade carving workshops at her Vernon studio. In China where jade is a very popular stone, there are many female carvers, but here in the West, the carvers are mainly men. She is reaching out to women in this part of the world by offering them an opportunity to get to know this very special stone and an art that goes back to ancient times and several cultures.

Deborah Wilson can be contacted at evergreenjade@shaw.ca More images of her work can be viewed at http://deborahwilson.bc.ca All images in this article copyright of and supplied by Deborah Wilson.

Diana Creasy-Funk finally coming out as an artist For some artists it can take a long time to get to that point of acknowledging who they are – artists. Diana Creasy-Funk was one of them. She denied the fact for years but has finally accepted that undeniably, that is who she is – an artist.

As a child art was not part of Diana’s world.

“I always thought drawing was just something kids do”, she says. “It felt kind of good when people would say ‘Oh, that’s good’ when they looked at my drawings. As a teenager I really liked art, but did not know you could do something worthy with it so when I had to choose a career between art and hairdressing. I took hairdressing. The thing is, once you start working, how do you get to art. It feels like you get stuck there.”

Diana moved to Kelowna in 1985. She visited Okanagan College, discovered their art program and this changed her life.

“My heart was pumping,” she remembers. “I just knew I had to go there, but had to figure out how I was going to do this. So, I worked very hard and saved every cent I could. I went to school for a year, went back to work for a year, then went back to school again. It was heartbreaking when I could not attend school and do art. It felt like I was going to die.

“The other kids at school were so young and such a different kind of people. There were older students too, even grandparents. It made no difference what our ages were, we were all artists. This rocked my world and changed everything for me. I learned about local art galleries and ones in Europe. Yes, it changed everything for me. It made me think outside the box.

“At the end of the day though, you are an artist based on your talent and what happens in your heart, not your academics. Art is a gift and I work very hard to do what I do. Some of the students at college are so good at art, but they just don’t seem to care that they are.”

Opposite page: ‘White’, 36” x 3”6 acrylic on textured canvas Artwork © Diana Creasy-Funk

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During all this time Diana still did not call herself an artist.

Self-worth as an artist is so important, and the word ‘artist’ is one to respect. She did not see herself in this role yet. It was only when she and her husband moved out to Ellison in Kelowna, and she became a full time artist, when this point of view changed.

“When I finally became a full time artist, that was when I felt like a proper artist”, she says. “I denied it for years and finally I said yes, I am an artist. It was like coming out. I still don’t always say it with pride and give it the full justice it deserves, but that is who I am, I am an artist.

“I am not the spiritual sweetheart of an art person though, I paint, and there it is. Some artists can be so passionate about art, but I don’t think in terms of fluff. Art is what I do.

“And when I look at other artists’ paintings, I look at how it was done, at the technical part of it.

I find great enjoyment in this side of art, how layers were added and the effect of each layer. The technical part is really the cool part for me. “

Left: ‘Green Sunflower’, 3”0 x 54” acrylic on textured canvas Opposite page: ‘Sushi and Cake’, 24” x 60” acrylic on textured canvas All artwork © Diana Creasy-Funk

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Diana’s paintings are large and powerfully realistic. It is impossible to just walk by, you have to stop, stare and become visually involved with her paintings. Her two-tone style gives you the idea that there is something distant, old, mysterious about her art. Yet, a subtle hint of colour, sometimes in the deep blue of the eyes of a young girl, or in the greenish yellow petals of a sunflower, breaks the almost metallic spell her style creates.

What inspires her to create at this level?

“Faces inspire me”, she explains. “I always said I would never be a portrait artist and now all I do is faces. It could be boring, but it is not all about you as the artist. I find with faces and people, every person is as valid and important as the next. Maybe not every part of that person is appealing, but there is a part of every person that is so perfect. I may know the people I paint, but they become something else when I paint them. Their expressions and moods create something brand new. You think you know someone, but when you start to paint them, you realize you have no control over the painting.

“I don’t like doing commissions. It is too constricting. I cannot feel the freedom I do with my own work and some people I just cannot paint. They are not able to let out who they are, they pretend too much, they stiffen up too much, and the muscles in their faces tighten up. You can only paint that kind of person when they are unguarded, as that is when the real person comes out.

“When I struggle with a painting, it never ends up as a good painting. Sometimes I start something and am really frightened that I will never pull it off. When it is right, it just shapes itself.

When it fights with you, or when you end up reworking and reworking it, it stays wrong.”

Above: ‘Chang’, 12” x 24”, acrylic and conti on panel Below: “Hush”, 12” x 24”, acrylic & conti on panel

Previous page top: “Pink Martini”, 24” x 36”, acrylic on textured canvas Previous page bottom: “Eveline”, 30” x 36”, acrylic on textured canvas

All artwork © Diana Creasy-Funk

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It is known that self-trained artists tend to be too perfect in their renditions, too realistic. Diana has a natural artistic gift, but with only two years of academic training, she feels her work is still too tight.

“I do the surface texture for a reason,” she explains. “I used to paint very tight at first. My paintings were smaller and full of detail. I decided to change that by putting a texture onto the canvas first before I start the painting. This way I know the painting cannot be perfect as the texture makes it imperfect right from the start.

“It is the same idea behind doing close up images. Why do we have to have a background? Why not paint just an ear, or other individual parts of a person?”

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“Now I want to lose the colour from my paintings and am slowly working towards less and less colour. It is like looking at old photographs where no colour creates a mystery. This can be very beautiful. There are three colours I use, ochre, Payne’s grey and burnt amber. I don’t like using black. Pure black can be so dead. To get black I use Payne’s grey and brown.

“Colour takes away from the painting and can distract us. Don’t get me wrong, I like colour.

Colour is good, but for now I am working with little or no colour in my paintings.

“Last year, the paintings I did in this way sold like crazy. This year a bit more.

“My artistic goal? I am not even close. I will be an old, old lady and I will still not be there. I am really, really excited about art, all the new ideas, the technical things, graphite on canvas, for instance. The inspiration never ends. I have to live a very, very long time to be able to do it all. If I was already at my goal, I would be very sad, but then, being an artist is not about finding the end. Also, I am still a newby. I know I am not, but I feel I still am.”

Previous page: ‘A Thousand Times’, 30” x 42” acrylic on textured canvas Below: The artist, Diana Creasy-Funk Artwork © Diana Creasy-Funk

Diana Creasy-Funk can be contacted by email at dcfunk@shaw.ca Her artwork can be seen at The Barn Gallery in Oyama, and at Functional in Kelowna.

All images in this article copyright of and supplied by Diana Creasy-Funk.

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Dennis Weber preserving the history of his people The Métis Nation in Canada has a rich and fascinating history. From its origins in the 17th Century, to its final recognition of Nation Status in the 20th, its development can be told through Dennis Weber’s ancestors. Dennis is proud to be who he is and feels it is his heritage that has influenced his art so greatly.

Canada’s most renowned Métis was the visionary poet Louis Riel, a first cousin of Dennis, five generations removed. In 1885 Louis Riel predicted the revival of his people by saying: "My People will sleep for one hundred years. When they awaken, it will be the artists who give them back their spirit."

As if in fulfilling this prediction, more and more native artists are becoming established sought after artists. Dennis Weber is following on this road.

“Art came so easily for me,” he remembers. “I did my first artwork when I was 6 years old. It was a drawing of ‘Madonna and Child’ that I did for my grandmother. Everyone thought it was remarkable.

“In Grade 7 I did a poster size felt pen drawing of mice hanging a bell on a tree for a Christmas auction. My art teacher would not believe that I did the drawing until my friends convinced him that I did.”

Left: ‘Stepping Stones’, oil

Artwork © Dennis Weber

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Dennis’ parents did not really like his interest in art. They felt there was no future in it and therefore did not push it, but at the same time could not stop it. ”I always did lots of drawings. Often I would do free hand pencil sketches off TV and have sketch books filled with news reporters. Or I would sit at Calgary zoo and draw the animals. This is so good for hand-eye coordination. Even though I hated school, I had a 4.0 grade average and decided to go to Alberta College of Art. I finished all assignments in the allotted time, but dropped out as it felt like I was not learning anything. It seems that too much of anything was accepted. I believe when you want to do abstract art, you have to first understand anatomy. I just did not see that happen.

“So I took many workshops and learnt from other artists instead. In this way I gathered a lot of knowledge, and found that I learnt more than at school. I learnt how to apply paint techniques a bit better, learnt what to use, where to go, and mostly how to make myself a better artist.

“But still I was not a full time artist. For a long time I had two careers. I was a carpenter in Calgary for almost 25 years. That was my day job and I would paint late into the night. I had my first real show at the age of 40. This was at Devonion Gardens in Calgary, a place where they promote artists. It is a two week show on the top floor of a building. It is not easy to get into this show. They have a 2 year waiting list and then you have to get juried in. Also, you cannot be a professional artist to participate.

When it was my turn to show my work, I took 35 paintings. 27 paintings sold. That was when I decided before I turned 50 I would be a full time artist. I managed to do this at 48 and it has been 11 years now.”

Dennis often does art commissions and is known for putting much thought, time and effort into his commissioned work. ‘Finding my Nokum’ (image on the right) is a case in point.

“David Bouchard was working on his book ‘The Secret of your Name’ and approached me to do this painting for this book. He gave me a picture of his grandmother and wanted her in the painting ‘speaking to him’, either as a vision or through smoke. I thought about it and decided to paint his grandmother in the water inside the boat as it is a Cree believe as you look in water, your relatives look back at you. I also painted him wearing a Hudson Bay coat, typical of the 1880s. He liked this painting so much he bought it. Altogether the book has seventeen of my paintings in it, of which David Bouchard personally owns eight or nine of the originals.”

Previous page top: ‘Native Love Flute II’, oil Previous page bottom: ‘Ponderosa Bandits’, oil Right: ‘Finding My Nokum’, oil All artwork © Dennis Weber

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There is so much more to being a professional artist than what we think we know. It is a difficult career to pursue. You have to find out where you fit in, and find the correct gallery for your style of art.

There are 1000s of artists out there doing the same thing, yet one artist is selling and the other artist is not. Dennis’ career started with the same struggles, but he has indirectly found one advantage.

“I was widowed in 1994,” Dennis remembers. “Then I met and married Sharon in 1995 and she encouraged me to become a full time artist. Together we went into it slowly. She supports me by managing this as a business and acts as my personal assistant. She does everything. All artists need someone like her as without this help it is a long haul.

“At first I thought it would be easy, but it was much harder than I ever imagined. We opened our own gallery when we first came to Kelowna in 1999, but that just ate our money away as no-one knew me here. So we closed the gallery and focused on art shows, festivals and on-line sales. Eventually I got into the Calgary Stampede. It took 4 years to get in and it was worth the wait. Overall the transformation into full time artist took a few years. We just persevered and learnt as we went along.”

Below: ‘Invoking the Spirit’, oil

Artwork © Dennis Weber

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The art community in British Columbia is bigger than in Alberta but most of Dennis’ sales are in Alberta. The reason being, Albertans seem to prefer Western art whereas it is more contemporary art in British Columbia. Dennis’ style of painting is Western, therefore a good match with Albertans. His style is also very realistic.

“People say I am a realistic artist,” he says. “But I don’t try and copy photos, I want to make it look better. If you look at a photo portrait of someone, the photo is very plain, but the painting of that photo would have more depth as it has more glazing. There could be up to 50 layers of glazing in a portrait painting I do to get it to where I want it to be. The face in particular would have many layers of glazing. There is so much colour in the shadows, so many subtle changes. This is something I discovered as I evolved as an artist, but my style changes all the time.

“Once I did a series of 3-colour paintings by applying an old master 3-colours technique of using only ochre, burnt sienna and Payne’s grey. I did this for about a year and enjoyed painting like this the most, but somehow sold the least. I could not understand why until a friend said one day, ‘if it does not have red, it is dead’, and I think he is right. Most of my paintings with red in them sell well.”

Dennis’ painting style has evolved over the years. He would still do a painting in the same way as before, but the start would be different. He used to struggle with the background and landscape, but now he has changed this into doing a complete painting in black and white acrylic or gesso. Then cover everything with transparent red oxide. Finally he would complete the painting with oils (see images of this technique in progress on the next page). This is a great way of creating depth in a painting.

Sometimes he would leave the background in acrylic paint diluted with an airbrush medium (see ‘Feeling the Beat’ on page 31). He would splash rubbing-alcohol on it to create separation, then paint the picture in oils on top of this background.

When choosing paint supplies, Dennis prefers using ‘Genesis’ oils, a type of oil paint that has to be heated to 265° for 10 seconds to dry otherwise it will not settle. This is great as the oils can dry quickly; the painting process does not get interrupted with delays of waiting for paint to dry naturally; and you can do as many wet-on-wet painting for as long as you want as the paint will not dry until you dry it yourself. The unused oil paint also will not spoil with time.

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Dennis sees his art career as a great way to give back and constantly strives to do the best he could possibly do.

“I don’t think I will ever reach a point where I can say I have finally made it as there is always more to strive for and too much to learn still. What I am striving for is to paint a painting that is timeless, like the Mona Lisa, something like that, something that everyone would recognize as being timeless. It could still happen as I have a few years left in me.

My eyes are starting to go though. Figures don’t work out as well as before. As a teenager I could do a portrait and never had to erase once. I can’t do that anymore.

“But what I can do is, do my best. If you are in art for the money, forget it. You have to be in it for the love of the art. I carry the expense for being an artist, but I do this because I want to give my best. When the painting is finished and I walk away, I know I gave my client a good deal and the best quality I could.”

And this is why Dennis Weber’s art is so sought after.

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Dennis Weber can be contacted at slweber@shaw.ca More images of his artwork can be viewed on the website: www.webergallery.com All images in this article copyright of and supplied by Dennis Weber.

Previous page: Work in progress and the finished panting ‘Lake and Horses’, oil Below: ‘Feeling the Beat’, oil All artwork © Dennis Weber

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Dubious Diamonds It was big and round and sparkled like a thousand stars on a clear summer’s night. The shine of the diamond equaled the delight in your girl’s eyes when you slipped the ring onto her finger.

You were told by the jeweller that the price of your diamond was based on a combination of the Four-C factors, the carat weight, cut, colour and clarity. The clarity of your diamond was said to be SI-2. This means it has a few inclusions inside the diamond that are visible when you look carefully. Most people can only see this through a microscope. SI-2 is supposed to be not too bad. It is not the best clarity grade, you know this, but, it is also not the worst.

What if it is? What if you had perhaps bought a laser drilled diamond and this was not disclosed to you?

Laser drilled diamonds are also known as clarity enhanced diamonds and this is just what the purpose is behind this enhancement. A laser is

used to drill into a diamond to bleach dark visible inclusions to give the appearance of better clarity. This enhancement can easily make an I-1 diamond, one that is heavily included, look like it has an acceptable SI-2 clarity grade.

Even though it is not supposed to, many times clarity enhanced diamonds get sold as better quality diamonds without disclosure and therefore at a higher price. There could be a difference of as much as $4,000 retail value between a diamond of 1.00ct H, SI-2 and one of 1.00ct H, I-1.

This treatment has been used to deliberately mislead the consumer. Larger diamonds for sale on the internet are good examples. If you want a laser drilled diamond, by all means buy one, but always make sure you pay for what you get. Buyer beware!!

For peace of mind always have your jewellery appraised by an Independent Jewellery Appraiser. Call Liz Burnett, Graduate Gemmologist and Registered Master Valuer at 250.215 0929 for an appraisal appointment.

Left: The plotting diagram of a laser drilled diamond showing the laser drill holes on the table.

Below left and right: The top and side views of a laser drilled round brilliant cut diamond. The hairline drill channels, as seen on the right, indicate where the diamond was laser drilled to improve clarity.

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DIAMOND INFORMATION WORKSHOP DATE: AUGUST 16 & 17, TIME: 9am – 4pm ROTARY CENTER FOR THE ARTS 421 CAWSTON AVENUE, KELOWNA, BC REGISTRATION FEE: $325.00 PER PERSON PLUS APPLICABLE TAXES. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT DIAMONDS? ANYONE IS WELCOME TO ATTEND. YOU CAN ALSO BRING YOUR OWN JEWELLERY TO EXAMINE. INSTRUCTOR: LIZ BURNETT, G.G., RMVP GRADUATE GEMMOLOGIST AND MASTER VALUER JEWELLERY APPRAISER TEL.: 250.215 0929 EMAIL: INFO@S2SARTWORKS.COM WEBSITE: WWW.S2SARTWORKS.COM WORKSHOP CONTENT: DAY ONE Carat Weight: The History of diamond discovery Comparing rough weight to cut weight Getting to know the Metric System Estimating weight of mounted diamonds by measurements PRACTICAL WORKSHOP Cut: How facets of the Round Brilliant Cut diamond affect its appearance The best cuts to buy Symmetry and Proportion Reflection and Refraction Discussing old diamond cuts PRACTICAL WORKSHOP

NAME: ADDRESS:

DAY TWO Clarity: How clarity affects values Explanation of clarity grades Explanation of clarity types and durability issues Treatments used to improve clarity Looking at the plot diagram PRACTICAL WORKSHOP Colour: Looking at international grading systems How fluorescence affects value Grading colour in loose stones Grading colour in mounted stones Treatments and practices used to improve colour PRACTICAL WORKSHOP PRACTICAL – TWO STONE TEST

REGISTRATION FORM TEL. NO.: POSTAL CODE:

EMAIL: SIGNATURE:

FORWARD YOUR COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORM AND PAYMENT TO: LIZ BURNETT, G.G., RMVP P O BOX 20084, KELOWNA, BC, VIY 9H2

DATE: WORKSHOP FEE: $325.00 HST $ 39.00 AMOUNT DUE: $364.00 CHEQUES PAYABLE TO: LIZ BURNETT, G.G., RMVP TEL.: 250.215 0929 EMAIL: INFO@S2SARTWORKS.COM

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Theresa Heinrichs travelling the world for a painting As an artist you are always influenced by your life and when your life means constant travelling, this broad spectrum of influences will show up in your art. As a child Theresa Heinrichs often travelled across Canada, and has never stopped being fascinated by this country’s unusual beauty.

Her curiosity about art really started with the colour plates in the back of the ‘Book of Knowledge’. She found these fascinating and when they moved to Nova Scotia, she was pleased to be able to join the arts program at school and did well. Her art teacher was quite taken with her work and one day asked to take one of her pastel paintings away with him.

“He brought it back a few weeks later with a ribbon attached to it,” she remembers. “Bless his heart. He saw my talent and made me aware of what I could do and started me on the road of art.

“Then one day we moved to Courtney in BC. There was no arts program at the school but they did have a great music program. So, I used to do all the sets for the music shows. The school was so impressed they eventually gave me a scholarship to the Vancouver Summer School of Art. “I have been very fortunate. I graduated with a double arts major from UBC and learnt so much about art, sculpture, and paint. I finished my studies when I was young, about 19, and was offered a job at a high school in Merritt. I just could not do that, teaching kids that were 17 and I was 19, so I changed to an elementary school in Vernon, Alexis Park Elementary. That was 30 years ago. I wrote the arts program for that school. Unfortunately that program does not exist anymore. The art room has since become an ordinary class room. This is so sad. I always thought art classes were a good tool for that school.”

Previous page: ‘Italian Sunflowers’, 24” x 30” Right: ‘Okanagan Hillside Sunflowers’, 16” x 20” All artwork © Theresa Heinrichs

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Theresa responds well to painting flowers. Her grandfather was a great gardener and a painter and she probably takes after him. However, she also likes painting landscapes, people, and Okanagan Lake. This is one of her biggest passions.

“This is one of the most beautiful lakes I have seen,” she says. “I can never get enough of painting Okanagan Lake. The potential is unlimited. There is a jade green colour in the middle of this beautiful blue lake that is so difficult to match. I have not been able to get that colour right until I travelled to Australia recently. That is where I found the right shade of blue.

“I mix and blend about 85% of my own colours. I always taught my students that you will never have a colour clash if you use basic colours and mix this, then each new colour will have some of the same colour in it. For instance, you can get a unity in a juicy red and an Okanagan gold. You will never have discordant colours this way. I like it better than buying colours.

“I am a colour junky. Right now I am hooked on red. That is huge in my life right now. It is a colour that makes me feel really good. I like slapping it on.”

Apart from slapping on colour, Theresa also likes slapping texture onto her canvas before she starts her painting. In a way you could say she is a frustrated sculptor.

“I can’t leave a painting without adding texture to it,” she explains. “It must be an impressionism influence. At a gallery in Italy I saw a massive painting of flowers. They were almost leaping off the canvas, it was done so well. I realized then that is what I want to do and now I am addicted to adding texture. I use a Golden molding paste as it is archival, and literally buy buckets of the stuff. It is so much fun. It is about sculpting on canvas and I really love it.

“When it is done, I cannot resist running my hands over the canvas surface.

It is that blend of the tactile sensation you get from sculpture and the vibrancy and colour of a painting that gives such an added dimension to how the light bounces off a painting. “ Below: ‘Biking in Italy’, 10” x 10” Previous page top: ‘Clashing Sails’, 24” x 30” Previous page bottom: ‘Coldstream’, 24” x 36” All artworks © Theresa Heinrichs

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Theresa has travelled around the world appreciating art. She has visited Monet’s garden in France, Joachim Sorolla’s studio in Madrid, various art galleries in Germany, took art workshops in Australia. Having seen and done so much, where would she want to go with her own art?

“I read Malcolm Gladwell’s book “Outliers” and his premise is ‘anybody can be good at anything if you put the time into it, but you need about 10,000 hours to make someone an expert’. My goal is to get to 10,000 hours. I am getting close and it is very rewarding to see my own improvement. I have been asked many times to teach art again, but I want to do my 10,000 hours first. I will teach again when I am 80, with a glass of wine in one hand and a paint brush in the other. That kind of art class . . .”

We look forward to sharing that glass of wine with her.

Theresa Heinrichs can be contacted at ctheinrichs@shaw.ca More of her artwork can be seen at Nadine Fine Arts and Frame Gallery in Vernon All images in this article copyright of and supplied by Theresa Heinrichs Below: ‘Sunbeams’, 36” x 48” Left: The artist, Theresa Heinrichs Opposite page top: ‘The Harvest’, 30” x 40” Opposite page bottom: ‘Textured Memories’, 16” x 20” All artwork © Theresa Heinrichs

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Joybilee Farm and the indigo days of summer Way down in the south east of the Okanagan is a place called Joybilee Farm, an organic fiber farm and artisan studio where you can find all kinds of natural products such as soaps, lotions, shampoos, and most of all natural dyed fibers. July is the month for indigo harvesting of the Isatis tinctoria or Woad plant. Sarah Dalziel explains the dyeing process and the earlier struggles of how it all came about.

“I've been growing the natural dye, woad, since 2000. In 2006 I had a nil indigo yield when I tried to dye directly with the leaves.

“In 2007, I determined that natural indigo was most colour fast when dyeing using repeated vattings and oxidizations to lay down a dark colour, rather than a single dip in a strong vat.

“I continued to grow woad altering the growing conditions in an attempt to enhance the indigo production in my harsh, zone 3, marginal growing conditions. I also changed my extraction method and found that this greatly increased the indigo yield. In fact, my woad indigo yields were essentially the same as the indigo yields obtained on prime agricultural

land in current scientific studies in Europe, but I am growing on land that is considered marginal range land and receives summer frost. I grow my natural dyes organically, unlike the scientific studies.

“I isolated two high producing strains of woad (pastel) and have begun hybridizing to enhance the indigo yield in my harsh growing conditions.

“In 2008 I found that the indigo yields of plants selected for vigour in my harsh climate, had doubled their indigo yield averaging 4 gm per kg. of leaves. Tropical indigo averages 5 gm of pigment per kg. of leaves. The result was encouraging, especially in light of the fact that my woad is growing on range land with a short growing season, and high elevation.

Below: Isatis tinctoria (Woad) 1st year rosette

“In the summer of 2009, I compared the indigo yield of my hybrid woad strain with both of the parent strains. These were the original seed and the seed I saved in my growing conditions. I also compared my hybrid woad with Isatis indigotica, and Isatis glaca, from Norway, and my original North American strain of Isatis tinctoria.

“It was the coldest growing season yet, but my hybrid woad strain demonstrated that indigo yields in Isatis tinctoria can be improved by genetic selection and hybridization.”

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THE INTERESTING HISTORY OF WOAD 1 The ancient Britons used woad as a body paint and to tattoo themselves, therefore the Romans called them, “painted people”, or Picts.

2 Woad is the indigo bearing plant that was grown in Europe throughout the centuries from Roman Times to the 1700’s, when it was replaced in importance by imported Indigofera tinctoria from India.

3 Woad is valued for its complex blue shades and for its fastness. Even after Indigofera gained importance, dyers still added woad to the indigo dye vats for its fastness.

4 Woad was used in England to dye police men’s uniforms until the last woad mill was closed in 1932 in the Lincolnshire Fens.

5 Woad was brought to North America by the early European settlers. Seeds were imported from Britain for household use.

6 In the 1830's, woad was listed in the seed catalogues in Ontario, as the plant was common in household gardens. Indian Indigo was also used but as it was more costly, it was not as common for household use.

7 Commercial dyers also used couched woad imported from Europe, and the working of the woad vat was considered the accomplishment of a Master Dyer.

8 Woad is being grown today for oil seed production, a wood preservative, artist pigments and artisan dyeing.

9 Very little commercial production of woad-indigo is being done today, however two enterprises are attempting a revival of woad production in UK and EU. 10 The European woad growers recognized 2 distinct types of Isatis tinctoria. One, which the French called "Pastel," has smooth leaves (microscopic hairs can be seen), high indigo content, and was valuable for cattle fodder, . A second type, which was referred to as "Bastard woad" was contientiously rogued out of the pastel patch. It had coarse, hairy leaves, a low dye content and was unpalatable to livestock.

11 It is the “Bastard woad” that came to the USA and threatens to overrun Western range land. It began in a 1900 contamination of Alfalfa seed in California, and became uncontrolled. This is the woad being used today by natural dyers in North America. Its indigo yield is low and the hairy leaves contaminate the dye bath with soil and other impurities which inhabit the extraction of indigo from the leaves

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The dyeing process is a straight forward step-by-step process.

The leaves are harvested by cutting off all the leaves from a plant, leaving the young centre leaves intact. The plant will grow new leaves from the crown and may be harvested again in 4 to 6 weeks.

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Add soda ash to raise vat pH to 10.

Oxidize vat. There will be a colour change in the foam at the top of the vat. It will begin as yellow and then change to green and then to blue.

In the south east Okanagan climate woad leaves can be harvested 2 or 3 times in a growing season. July, August and September are ideal. The most indigo is obtained in the first harvest, with subsequent harvests producing less pigment.

The leaves need to be washed and then boiled in a pot of water with vinegar added to it to reduce the pH level.

Boil the leaves for 1 minute and immediately plunge the pot into cold water to reduce extraction vat temperature as quickly as possible to room temperature. The leaves should remain in the extraction vat for 20 minutes.

Remove the leaves from the extraction vat and squeeze out excess moisture before setting aside. These leaves may be used for a boiling water dye bath and will give varying shades of pink and beige, depending on the genetics of the plant.

Continue oxidizing till the foam changes from blue, back to green and then to yellow again.

Allow indigo that is suspended in the vat to precipitate out -- 4 to 8 hours -- up to 72 hours. Filter or decant liquid. I use a turkey baster to remove the top liquid, without disturbing the indigo sediment. Indigo will be visible as a blue sludge in the bottom of the vat.

Allow solution to dry or use immediately to dye in a reduction vat.

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Natural Indigo Dye Demonstration at Joybilee Farm.

Sat. July 24, 2010 10am to 4pm Joybilee Farm will host a drop-in hands-on indigo dye demonstration on July 24th. You can also

see hand woven shibori textiles dip dyed in a natural indigo fermentation vat. At the end of the day you will have witnessed the magic transformation of the indigo dyed fabric as it oxidizes from green to dark blue. You will also have created a beautiful textile.

Woad from Joybilee Farm entered as a Science Fair Project 2007 2008

2009

Canada Wide Science Fair (Truro, Nova Scotia) in Junior Biotechnology and Pharmeceutical Sciences.

Canada Wide Science Fair (Ottawa).

Won a bronze in Intermediate Biotechnology and Pharmeceutical Sciences Won silver in Intermediate Environmental Innovation, at the national level.

Canada Wide Science Fair (Winnipeg).

Won silver in Intermediate Biotechnology and Pharmeceutical Sciences.

Won silver in Intermediate Environmental Innovation, at the national level

What is so amazing about all the woad activity on the Joybilee Farm is that Sarah Dalziel is a high school student and just finishing grade 11.

Joybilee Farm is located on Highway 3 between Greenwood and Grand Forks.

Tel.: 1-866-965-9665 (WOOL) Email: joybileefarm@telus.net Website: www.fiberarts.ca All images and content for this article copyright of and supplied by Joybilee Farm.

Below: Members of the Grand Forks Sunshine Quilters Guild attended an Indigo Dye Day at Joybilee Farm last year.

Above: Woad blues from an indigo reduction vat Roving is from romney xbred sheep. Yarn is 50/50 mohair/wool, raised organically at Joyilee Farm.

Right: Hand woven tapestry using woad dyed colours - woven of 100% wool yarn from Joybilee Farm Pink, peach, and yellow came from the spent leaves after the indigo was extracted.

All colours came from the woad plant.

Above: Woad Colours on wool, silk and mohair

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Tina Siddiqui and the joy of sharing what she knows When you have lived in various parts of the world, this international experience broadens your mind and helps you view life with an open interest and acceptance.

Tina Siddiqui has been living and painting in places as far afield as her home country Pakistan, various places in the Middle East and now here in Canada. She has seen much and has a great deal to share.

In 2003 Tina visited Canada briefly. She was accepted into an international portrait competition in Toronto and after the show decided to take a brief trip to see what the rest of Canada was like. Her trip brought her to Kelowna and what she saw, she liked immediately. The city was not too large, the weather was not too cold, and when she discovered the Rotary Center for the Arts, she thought it would be a wonderful place to teach her art programs from.

Within a year her immigration papers were approved and she arrived in Kelowna in the fall. She had not seen such beautiful fall colours since her stay in Turkey years before and this was a welcoming sight. Apart from getting to know the Canadian way of life, her transition was relatively easy.

“The people here in Kelowna seem to be different from other places,” Tina says. “I feel very fortunate here. I have been welcomed, respected and never discriminated against. I have been here for 5 ½ years now and I call this home.”

Tina has had art in her life for as long as she can remember. Coming from a large family of six children, her parents used to subdue their energy levels by getting them to paint. This lead to taking art at school, and eventually to graphic design as an initial career.

Left: Collage Figure Opposite Page: ‘Desert Dweller’, pastel.

All artwork © Tina Siddiqui

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Throughout her years of being an artist, Tina has also offered many art workshops and training programs. She did so very effectively in Dubai, and now she is doing the same here in the Okanagan.

Tina writes all her own classes and her own art agendas. Classes are mostly geared for adults, 16 – 99 years old, and can run over a period of 4 to 6 weeks. She teaches her programs in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Westbank, and Gallagher’s Canyon “I enjoy teaching immensely,” she says. “I learn as much from my students as they do from me.

Retired people like to paint. They can do remarkable things and it is a joy to watch them create. Some people have never done any art before and some come with experience. Sometimes they say ‘No, I can’t’, then I get them to use their non-dominant hand. This gives them a looser drawing and it stops them from over-analysing everything. At the end of the class I sometimes get the students to walk away from their paintings, then come back and look at their paintings anew. They get all teary eyed when they see what they have done when at first they could not believe they could do it. ‘Wow, is that mine?’, they would often say. To see them light up like a child in a toy store, that is my moment of joy. ”I teach many techniques, like painting upside down, especially when drawing someone’s eyes.

This way you don’t get distracted by the personality of the person. Or, with plain aire you can use a mirror to get an inverted image. It makes art fun, and enjoyable and the viewers pick up on it.”

Below: ‘Mi Gitana’, pastel

Opposite Page: ‘Knox Mountains Sunflowers’, pastel

All artworks © Tina Siddiqui

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Tina is also amazed at the creative synchronicity amongst artists. When one artist is inspired by a beautiful situation or creation, no doubt there will be another artist being inspired by the same thing. A case in point is her painting called ‘Sails’ (see image on opposite page).

“I had just finished teaching a class at RAC and went for a walk to the Kelowna down town area,” she remembers. “The time of day was just right for the ‘Sails’ sculpture on the waterfront to be reflected in the office windows of the building at the end of the road.

This looked so inspiring that I felt like painting it. I took a few photos and went home and immediately started sketches for two acrylic paintings of this image. The next morning, much to my surprise, the Daily Courier had a photo of the same image on their front page.

This obviously created a copyright issue, so I emailed the editor and explained my situation. We compared photos and with everything being digital, it was clear that we were there at the same time. I even had their photographer in my painting. It was quite an interesting thing, but I could go ahead and finish my paintings.”

Having firmly established herself as an art teacher, what other goals may be in Tina’s art career?

“I definitely want to write some instructional books on art, especially about the courses I have put together,” she says, “as I have accumulated so many photos describing the processes. I have also thought, what if I did an animated film of the geology of this place. Where, when, how, I don’t know but the desire is there. If it is strong enough and stays with me I will do it.”

We wait in anticipation.

Tina Siddiqui can be contacted at taeessuxmal@yahoo.com http://creativepassion-tina.blogspot.com/ All images in this article copyright of and supplied by Tina Siddiqui.

Previous page: ‘Poise’ Top: ‘Sails’, acrylic Bottom: ‘Myra Canyon, Limitless Temptations’, pastel All artwork © Tina Siddiqui

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Dianne Schnieders and her two passions Animals have always been in Dianne Schnieders’ life, especially horses. She raised them, trained them, and showed them. Equal to this passion is her deep love for art. It stands to reason that her passion for one would reflect her passion for the other.

Dianne can hardly remember a time when horses were not around. Even as a young girl she would draw horses in the margins of her schoolbooks. She liked drawing figures too, but horses were the main thing.

When she chose a professional career, it was teaching that won. Dianne majored in Art at the University of Calgary, Alberta and taught for 32 years. She found that teaching and raising a family at the same time demanded such a high level of creative and mental energy, that very little was left for practicing art as a career. At the same time there was her involvement with the elegant sport of dressage,

in itself a demanding sport.

It was only when she retired from teaching and after the sale of her horses, when her energy switched over to that of full time artist. Yet, her bond with horses seems eternal. You often see them in her paintings, galloping across a canvas, almost ephemeral in their delicate lines as if the luminescence of their appearance would dissipate with time, and then, so would the horses. This is her style and her artistic voice. Her work shows the light and sophisticated touch of a Chinese watercolor artist, but executed with the controlled discipline of the classic dressage riding master.

“My painting technique has some Chinese influence,” Dianne says. “I enjoy doing a simple design and sometimes am not too concerned about perspective. It is more about where the light comes from and about the feeling of the painting. It is also about using the three primaries and the art of pouring the background. Lian Quan Zhen started me on this path. I tried his techniques like trying on a coat. Did it fit or not? Eventually I found my own voice with it. I tilt the paper and let the paint run in different directions, or I would blow it, or use my fingers and push it across the paper to create an interesting background.”

Left: ‘Too Busy ….’, watercolor.

Opposite page: ‘Through the Mist’, 29” x 21”, watercolor.

All artwork © Dianne Schnieders

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Dianne’s artwork artwork isis known known for for its its soft soft luminescence, almost as if each painting has an inner glow.

Dianne’s luminescence, almost as if each has an This appealing appearance comespainting from using transparent watercolors. This is by no means an easy inner glow.

This appealing appearance comes medium to master. Even experienced watercolor artists admit that transparent watercolor is one of the from challenging using transparent watercolours.

This is by most mediums to use. To handle this medium masterfully, requires discipline, but the effort is no means one of theofmost worth every minute trial challenging and error inmediums the beginning as there are probably few other mediums that can to this use.visually Yet, there is probably no other medium be rewarding. that is this visually and easy medium to master.

The art of transparent the believability in the proper use of creative value. Value is Even experienced watercolourwatercolors artists admitisthat found in depth, and depth is found in the contrasting tones of light and dark, and the preservation of this is rewarding and white. It’s the art of creating these contrasting values that will make an image pop out and get the painting to dazzle.

“I enjoy using transparent watercolor as it tends to glow on the paper,” Dianne explains. “There are pigments in the paint that reflect the light and this adds to the sense of depth.

“I start by drawing my image onto tracing paper and then transferring this to my watercolor paper. I use misket to protect the pure white areas in the painting.

Then I wet the paper and start creating the background with my pouring technique. This could mean using a spray bottle, blowing the paint, tilting the paper and let it run, and so on.

“I like to hide images in the background of a painting. To a certain extend the flow of paint creating the background will influence what gets added to the background, more so than the main objects. I may add a heron, or frogs, or insects.

“Sometimes I pour background colour onto the wet paper and push crushed Seran wrap onto it to create a mottled effect. Then I add the main image. This has the mixed effect of an abstract background behind a realistic image.

“It is a lot of fun creating the background. There are even times I go back to old paintings and rework them by adding new images to their backgrounds.”

Right: ‘Airs Above the Ground’ Artwork © Dianne Schnieders

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The painting below is called ‘Airs above the ground’, a painting with as much going on in the background than in the foreground. In essence this painting depicts the dichotomy between mechanical movement of horses in a carousel and horses free to live a natural life. There is the desire for the horses to break free and become uninhibited, but first they have to break the chains holding them back. Hidden in the background is a dragonfly who can either stay and watch the struggle, or turn around and just fly away.

How apt for Dianne to have given this painting this name. ‘Airs above the ground’ is also a term used in dressage referring to ‘school jumps’, a series of maneuvers where the horse leaves the ground.

The purpose of dressage is to develop a horse’s athletic ability into a trained performance. It makes you wonder, do you want to live life as a trained performer, or break free and reach for your own dreams.

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Dianne is constantly trying out new techniques. Next on her list of experiments is to work with watercolor paint on raw canvas. This style is not suitable for her pouring background technique as the canvas would absorb most of the paint too rapidly. However, modifying her technique and painting with watercolor directly onto a canvas, would result in a watercolor painting that does not require glass protection, something galleries are shying away from at present.

She already has a unique way of mounting her paintings in a glassless way, and this would be an added advantage to her portfolio in her search for a representative gallery, either here in the Okanagan, or in Calgary.

Dianne draws on a lifetime of experience with dogs and horses but does not limit herself to just these subjects. Wherever her imagination takes her is what she explores.

“Art, it seems, has always been a part of me whether as a teacher or as an artist,” she says. “I am drawn to watercolor; I love how the colors pour and mingle. It is a happy and loose medium, always ready to throw a party. My subject matter is life, especially the beauty and excitement I feel observing living things; the power expressed in the movement of horses, the colorful patterns in schools of fish, the flight of birds. I try to express how I feel when observing nature with graceful curves and vivid, transparent colors.”

Below: ‘The Bully’, watercolor

Opposite: ‘Morning’, watercolor

All artwork © Dianne Schnieders

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Dianne Schnieders can be contacted by email at dschnieders15@gmail.com All images in this article supplied by Dianne Schnieders.

Her work is currently on show at The Gallery, Peachland – July 2 – 11, 2010 All images in this article copyright of and supplied by Dianne Schnieders Below: ‘Pairs’, watercolor.

Right: The artist, Dianne Schnieders.

Opposite top: ‘Spring Snow’, 21” x 29”, watercolor.

Opposite bottom: ’Puissance’, 19 x 28, watercolor All artwork © Dianne Schnieders

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Lee Carson stockpiling all her stories Many of us have at some time or another thought of writing a book. It seems so easy. You sit down in front of a computer, or take a pen and paper, jot down a story, maybe your own life story, send it off to a few publishers and that acceptance letter is surely to follow. Author Lee Carson from West Kelowna found out first-hand how much hard work, dedication and tenacity is really required to become published the first time.

When a person has survived the ravages and emotional and physical trauma of World War II, you certainly have a story to tell.

Add to this the aspect of romance subjected to the tug of war of being on two opposing sides, then your story should have the success of readers’ appeal.

Lee Carson grew up in England and experienced much of the story as is written in her book ‘Destiny, Love & War’.

This is her first published novel and is in her own words fiction based on family history.

Her character Sylvia is a teenager living in England during the period between the two World Wars. Sylvia’s parents sent her to live with the Kreuger family in Austria to experience their culture and learn their language. The Kreuger family has a son called Karl and the inevitable romance develops between the two.

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World War II breaks out and Karl is conscripted into the German army. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the two lovers are separated by the horrors of the war, become opposing enemies and loose contact with each other as Sylvia returns back home to England.

Does Karl survive the war? Will they meet again? If they do, will their romance be able to pick up where it has left off before the war?

Take the story many years into the future and Hans Kreuger, Karl’s grandson lives in Vancouver, Canada. His own heritage is in question based on the loss of his grandfather’s birth certificate. This is believed to have been destroyed in Sarajevo in 1918. By joining the Peace Corporation, Hans travels to Sarajevo in search of this document. He barely escapes death and torture while he learns about Karl’s past.

Lee Carson wrote a captivating tale.

She deftly interwove the story of Hans and his life changing experiences during World War II, with the story of Karl and his own story of survival being with the Peace Corporation in Sarajevo. Keeping the reader spellbound throughout all the events, she skillfully blended historical facts with fiction.

Many changes were made to the manuscript. The first one was finding out that as an author, you do not write a novel in the first person, especially when it is your first publication.

Lee and her husband Mervyn found an editor in California who took on the project of editing the manuscript into the third person.

This was the beginning of many changes still to come. Her editor also changed the flow of the story and cut the manuscript from 65,000 words to 55,000 words.

Her publisher wanted the manuscript in a specific format and this required further editing. Even though the final editing was mainly punctuation and a few other minor points, it still added to the time.

Overall, it was worth it. Lee Carson is now a published author and her first book can be found at Mosaic Books, a local bookstore in Kelowna, as well as on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble.

Lee is an avid writer. She already has four other manuscripts lining up for future publishing. We look forward to her next book.

It was a long and arduous road to get the book to where it is today and finally get this story published. Ten years since the manuscript was written, two and a half years of constant editing and submissions, and three hundred and fifty agents and publishers later, that is how long it took.

It was not easy to be rejected so often but Lee believed in her story and persevered in her search for a publisher.

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Lee Carson can be contacted at sheila.1@shaw.ca and/or va7mw@shaw.ca All images in this article supplied by Lee Carson

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Local Artists’ News

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UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS AND ART EVENTS The FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS, South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter proudly presents a juried art show, “For the Love of Art” at Handworks Gallery, 35648 - 97th Street in Oliver. This is a juried exhibition with new works from local artists in a variety of mediums. The show runs from July 2nd to July 31, 2010. Gallery hours are Monday to Friday 9:30 – 5, Saturday 10 – 4 p.m.

The FEDERATION OF CANADIAN ARTISTS, South Okanagan-Similkameen Chapter will also be exhibiting at New Moon Gallery, 2565 Main Street Westbank , on August 12-14, 2010.

The LIVESSENCE “Stick Figure” exhibition is coming up at the Rotary Center for the Arts, Cawston Street, Kelowna. This exhibition is part of the Potter’s & Artisans “For the Love of Art Almighty” sale at the RCA. The show runs from July 17, 10:00am to 6:30pm to July 18, 10:00am to 4:30pm.

Natural Indigo Dye Demonstration at Joybilee Farm, Highway 3 between Greenwood and Grand Forks. Tel.: 1-866-965-9665 (WOOL). Saturday July 24, 2010 10am to 4pm. This is a drop-in hands-on indigo dye demonstration. You can also see hand woven shibori textiles dip dyed in a natural indigo fermentation vat. At the end of the day you will have witnessed the magic transformation of the indigo dyed fabric as it oxidizes from green to dark blue.

VERANO GARDEN ART SHOW , 9106 – 74th Avenue, Osoyoos– a show of the most recent work by sculptor Charlotte Glattstein, painter Margie Haslett, and other artist friends. August 6, 7, 8, 2010.

Tel. 250.495 5104.

Little Straw Vineyards, 2815 Ourtoland Road, West Kelowna is continuing their series of 10 twoweek art shows featuring a host of local artists throughout the summer till the end of October. Each show will have an opening reception on a Saturday afternoon from 3:30 until 6:00 with the artists in attendance.

THE NARAMATA ARTS STUDIO: Lang Vineyards, Gammon Road, Naramata - from now till early August 2010. The Naramata Arts Studio is currently hanging their original artworks in the tasting room at Lang Vineyards. Call for open hours. 250 496-5987, or visit www.gobc.ca/okanaganart

NARAMATA BENCH ART STUDIO TOUR: Saturday Mar 20, 2010 - Friday Dec 31, 2010 - Nine Naramata artists have put together an exciting art studio tour. Pick up one of their colourful brochures at most wineries or the Penticton Visitor's Information Centre. Then choose which studios you would like to visit. For further information, call Dianne at 250 496-5188.

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DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY?

Here are comments received from readers about our June 2010 issue:

I LOVE IT! Thank you for doing such a great job.

Lee Claremont

Click here to visit WWW.OKANAGANARTWORKS.COM and complete the comments form.

It is as easy as that.

The June issue was great and I love your new name "Okanagan Art Works�.

Dianne Korsch

Wow Liz. It's terrific. Thank you. I feel honoured to be in your magazine alongside such other wonderful talents. You are doing an amazing job. Gracias.

Congratulations on such a great accomplishment. It is beautiful to look at and I am looking forward to reading the whole thing.

Lucho VeraFlores

Sharron Middler

The magazine looks fabulous! Great job, and thank you for choosing me to be in your edition.

Congratulations on a wonderful magazine!

Anita McComas

Thank you for the pages dedicated to my work.

You are very kind to everyone included in this issue.

Charlotte Glattstein

Your magazine looks wonderful. I’ve had lots of positive feedback. Thanks again for including me in your magazine.

Eileen Sawrecki

I look forward to more of your wonderful work.

Readers certainly appreciate the beauty of this vibrant collection!

Claire Huang

Linda Lovisa

Good job Liz!!! better!

I love it.....getting better and

Mahrie Zoe Taylor Thank you so much for sending me your first and second editions of the Okanagan Art Works magazine. As an artist it is always so enjoyable and interesting to see what other artists in the Okanagan are doing. The photos of the various art works are stunning and inspiring. Aren't we lucky to be surrounded by all of this incredible talent? Congratulations on a superb Emagazine.

Gail Werschler

Okanagan Art Works

where we are passionate about art