School students and working adults will appreciate a new set of fine art classes beginning this fall at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.
Instructor Steve Staresina hopes the Thursday evening lessons will appeal to those busy during the day. Each class includes a 45 minute lesson, followed by up to an hour and 45 minutes of creative time. Paint, draw, or sketch among other artists in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Beginners will benefit from supportive coaching from the instructor as well as the more experienced participants.
Instructor: Steve Staresina, Oliver Fine Artist
Media Taught: Oils, Acrylics, Pastels, Charcoal, and Pencils
Subjects: Landscapes, Portraits, and Still Life
Start Date: Thursday September 10, 2009
Start Time: 7:00 p.m.
Lessons: 7:00 – 7:45 p.m.
Creative Time: 7:45 – 9:30 p.m.
Place: Quail’s Nest Arts Centre
34274 – 95th Street, Oliver BC
Cost: $50 / year ($25 in September, $25 in January) OR $5 / class
Information and Registration: 250-498-8461 or olivercac@gmail.com
Or just drop in!
“Good artists copy, great artists steal” has become the tag line for The Rip-Offs, a collective of nine South Okanagan artists who shamelessly pilfer their creative ideas from great works of art. In a Summer Studio exhibit in July, this multimedia collective interpreted the work of American oil painter Georgia O’Keeffe, each artist in their own medium. They chose as their inspiration O’Keeffe’s dramatic Pink Tulip.
Barbara Levant has been weaving, spinning, and dying for 32 years. She recreated Pink Tulip using a transparency woven with fishing line and embroidery thread (at left). Barbara also dyed yarns in the colours of O’Keeffe’s work and wove an elegant scarf.
Originally a writer from Switzerland, Kurt Hutterli also works with mixed media objects to create entertaining and interactive 3D installations. In his whimsical creation, the tulip resembles an “exploded diagram” with pistil and stamens as a 3D structure standing in front of a painting of the tulip petals.
Digital photographer Russell Work focuses on landscapes and other panoramic subjects, so his interpretation of O’Keeffe’s Pink Tulip closeup view was an artistic departure for him. “When I first saw Pink Tulip, my first thought was ‘vegetables“.” He first photographed a bean, a slice of red onion, some red cabbage leaves, and a zucchini. Using photoshopping software, he shaped and twisted each photo and then pasted each into position on a master photo to represent the various parts of the flower: the petals, stamen, pistil, leaf, and so on. The results are displayed at left.
JoAnn Turner juxtaposed the delicacy of the spring flower with a symbol of mortality: she painted the tulip across the surface of a cow skull. (see left).
From his panoramic landscapes of Oliver, Osoyoos, and McIntyre Bluff to his delicate closeups of local flora and fauna, Russell Work’s photographs have reflected some of the most iconic images of the South Okanagan. The local photographer is the featured artist in residence at Summer Studio from August 10th – 15th at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.
Members of the Oliver Community Arts Council are invited to attend a Special General Meeting of the OCAC on
In September 2002, the new owners took possession of Old Fire Hall, converting it into a restaurant, wine cellar and boutique wine store (see left). The OCAC and its member groups were once again without a home. The OCAC, Weavers, and Quilters rented space in the Oliver Community Centre. The Oliver Art Club relocated to space at the Oliver Word of Life church.
performance. The property is on 0.9 acres of land on 95th Street across from the Oliver Airport. Two buildings are on site: a smaller office building (see left) with two truck bays and a shower , and a larger post-and-beam maintenance shed. After many discussions between SOAP and the OCAC throughout the winter, it was agreed that the arts council was the proper body to negotiate a purchase and fundraise the maintenance costs for the property. 
