“Untangling” the Imagination

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Untangled”: encaustic paintings by Thea Haubrich and Bethany Handfield
Leir House, 220 Manor Park Ave., Penticton
September 8 – October 6, 2011
Opening event: Thursday, September 8, 2011, 7 – 9 PM

 On display at Leir House, Penticton from September 8 – October 6, 2011, is the work of Thea Haubrich and Bethany Handfield. Though a generation apart, the two artists share a love for colour and texture.

Featured is a selection of their works in encaustic, a medium that involves painting with melted beeswax to which coloured pigments have been added. The versatility of the medium untangles the imagination of artist and viewer alike, to freely enjoy the often unexpected changes during the painting process.

Thea Haubrich has been working in encaustic for almost 15 years. She is a sought-after instructor and a proud “RipOff artist” (www.ripoffartists.ca). Echoing the colour and light of the Okanagan, her paintings are vibrant, full of texture and sometimes hidden messages. One of her greatest passions is networking and connecting people, which she realizes through her Ning social network, blogging and writing monthly newsletters. Through her workshops Thea has another opportunity to share her love for encaustic and bring people together.

An Active Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, she has participated in numerous juried and non-juried art shows, winning several awards and honorable mentions. Her paintings are in collections around Canada, the USA and Europe.

Also on display is a selection of her Zentangle drawings, which she created as she was undergoing chemotherapy, and some portrait drawings. The drawings have been dipped in beeswax, giving them a wonderful translucent quality. Some drawings are for sale as postcards, with proceeds going towards the BC Cancer Foundation.

Bethany Handfield is an encaustic and mixed media collage artist who resides in Kaleden.

She is inspired by exterior and interior landscapes and views painting as a form of inquiry and meditation. She worked for many years in the Vancouver film industry as a television and film editor.

Her encaustic instruction is ongoing with the amazing artist, teacher, and friend Thea Haubrich. She has been fortunate to also study encaustic with the innovative Anna Maria Aigner of Austria and the talented Linda Womack of Portland, Oregon.

Bethany is the acting Secretary for the Federation of Canadian Artists, South Okanagan Similkameen Chapter and has been in numerous shows locally. She will be exhibiting at “Encaustic Masters: Inspirational Visual Voices” in Troutdale, Oregon in late September. Her paintings can be found in collections in Canada, Spain & Australia.

For more information about both artists, please visit their websites:

www.theahaubrich.com and www.bethanyhandfield.com

"Untangling" the Imagination

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Untangled”: encaustic paintings by Thea Haubrich and Bethany Handfield
Leir House, 220 Manor Park Ave., Penticton
September 8 – October 6, 2011
Opening event: Thursday, September 8, 2011, 7 – 9 PM

 On display at Leir House, Penticton from September 8 – October 6, 2011, is the work of Thea Haubrich and Bethany Handfield. Though a generation apart, the two artists share a love for colour and texture.

Featured is a selection of their works in encaustic, a medium that involves painting with melted beeswax to which coloured pigments have been added. The versatility of the medium untangles the imagination of artist and viewer alike, to freely enjoy the often unexpected changes during the painting process.

Thea Haubrich has been working in encaustic for almost 15 years. She is a sought-after instructor and a proud “RipOff artist” (www.ripoffartists.ca). Echoing the colour and light of the Okanagan, her paintings are vibrant, full of texture and sometimes hidden messages. One of her greatest passions is networking and connecting people, which she realizes through her Ning social network, blogging and writing monthly newsletters. Through her workshops Thea has another opportunity to share her love for encaustic and bring people together.

An Active Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, she has participated in numerous juried and non-juried art shows, winning several awards and honorable mentions. Her paintings are in collections around Canada, the USA and Europe.

Also on display is a selection of her Zentangle drawings, which she created as she was undergoing chemotherapy, and some portrait drawings. The drawings have been dipped in beeswax, giving them a wonderful translucent quality. Some drawings are for sale as postcards, with proceeds going towards the BC Cancer Foundation.

Bethany Handfield is an encaustic and mixed media collage artist who resides in Kaleden.

She is inspired by exterior and interior landscapes and views painting as a form of inquiry and meditation. She worked for many years in the Vancouver film industry as a television and film editor.

Her encaustic instruction is ongoing with the amazing artist, teacher, and friend Thea Haubrich. She has been fortunate to also study encaustic with the innovative Anna Maria Aigner of Austria and the talented Linda Womack of Portland, Oregon.

Bethany is the acting Secretary for the Federation of Canadian Artists, South Okanagan Similkameen Chapter and has been in numerous shows locally. She will be exhibiting at “Encaustic Masters: Inspirational Visual Voices” in Troutdale, Oregon in late September. Her paintings can be found in collections in Canada, Spain & Australia.

For more information about both artists, please visit their websites:

www.theahaubrich.com and www.bethanyhandfield.com

Spot the “Outside the Box” box!

It’s what creative artists do — think outside the box! And this year, it’s the theme of the Fall Art Show and Sale. This popular annual event is on Saturday October 1 – Sunday October 2 at the Oliver Community Centre, in conjunction with the Festival of the Grape. See poster for details.

View many interpretations of the “Outside the Box” theme in eight artistic categories: photography,  fibre arts, 3 -D, oils, acrylics, watercolours, other media, and a category for young “emerging artists”.

Saturday is a great day to see the show for free. View the juried art, vote for your favourites, purchase artwork, bid in the silent auction,  nibble at the reception, listen to live entertainment, tour fascinating non-competitive displays and be present for the announcement of winners.

The Sunday entrance is free with your paid entrance to the Festival of the Grape. The exhibits and sale continue, as does the silent auction. View the category winners and the  overall “Best in Show”.

The silent auction continues the “Outside the Box” theme. Bid on one of dozens of tempting painted boxes laden with various themed goods.  Each box is filled with items for “a night at the theatre”, “vacation”, “outdoor living”, “games night”, “school days”, “kitchenware”, “gardening”, “coffee bar” , “tea for two” or “bath and beauty”, just to name a few.   Each filled box makes an attractive gift or keep it for yourself and display it at home.

 Between now and the festival, watch for our travelling “Outside the Box” display! The 6-foot tall stack of boxes looks like the poster graphic.  Can you find it around town? Let us know where you spot it! Hint: The first location is at Beyond Bliss on Main Street this week.  Please patronize these community-minded  businesses!

Spot the "Outside the Box" box!

It’s what creative artists do — think outside the box! And this year, it’s the theme of the Fall Art Show and Sale. This popular annual event is on Saturday October 1 – Sunday October 2 at the Oliver Community Centre, in conjunction with the Festival of the Grape. See poster for details.

View many interpretations of the “Outside the Box” theme in eight artistic categories: photography,  fibre arts, 3 -D, oils, acrylics, watercolours, other media, and a category for young “emerging artists”.

Saturday is a great day to see the show for free. View the juried art, vote for your favourites, purchase artwork, bid in the silent auction,  nibble at the reception, listen to live entertainment, tour fascinating non-competitive displays and be present for the announcement of winners.

The Sunday entrance is free with your paid entrance to the Festival of the Grape. The exhibits and sale continue, as does the silent auction. View the category winners and the  overall “Best in Show”.

The silent auction continues the “Outside the Box” theme. Bid on one of dozens of tempting painted boxes laden with various themed goods.  Each box is filled with items for “a night at the theatre”, “vacation”, “outdoor living”, “games night”, “school days”, “kitchenware”, “gardening”, “coffee bar” , “tea for two” or “bath and beauty”, just to name a few.   Each filled box makes an attractive gift or keep it for yourself and display it at home.

 Between now and the festival, watch for our travelling “Outside the Box” display! The 6-foot tall stack of boxes looks like the poster graphic.  Can you find it around town? Let us know where you spot it! Hint: The first location is at Beyond Bliss on Main Street this week.  Please patronize these community-minded  businesses!

Arts Council funds four local arts groups

At their June Board meeting, the arts council awarded Contracted Service Agreements in varying amounts to four local arts groups. Financial aid is granted to successful applicants presenting a public seminar, workshop, performance, exhibit or other event with an arts focus that upholds the mandates of the arts council. As such, these events now become an extension of the work of the arts council.

The Desert  Sage Spinners and Weavers received funding for an eco-dyeing  workshop with Coby VanDerGaast at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre this summer. VanderGaast is an instuctor in the fibre program at Kootenay School of the Arts at Selkirk College in Nelson, B. C. She is also an organic farmer and is currently growing dye plants for Earthues, a natural colour company based in Seattle. Desert Sage regularly seeks arts council funding, enabling them to hire professional instructors in the fibre arts.

The Oliver Handbell Ringers were awarded financial aid to purchase sheet music for two public performances in the 2011 – 2012 season. This is the first year the Handbell Ringers have been members of the arts council and applied for funding. The arts council was especially pleased to see a new group apply — and apply successfully.  

Another first-time applicant, although long-time member of the arts council, was the Oliver Sagebrushers. The painting club received funding  for a public demonstration and exhibit entitled “En Plein Air Painting at Rustico Winery” on the weekend of September 10 – 11. The public can watch artists at their easels at scenic locations around the vineyard and winery. Arts council funding will cover publicity and live music at the event.  

The South Okanagan Concert Society, which has relied on  arts council support for many years, has been awarded $500 towards expenses for their 2011-2012 season. The season is a promising one, including  

Fri. October 28: Alexander Sevastian, solo accordion
Fri. Nov 25: Kallisto Trio, a capella female trio
Fri. Jan 27: Daniel Bolshoy, solo guitarist
Fri. Feb 24 : Penderecki String Quartet

$60 regular flex pass and $20 single ticket. Tickets at Beyond Bliss, Oliver and Imperial Office Pro, Osoyoos. All performances at Oliver Alliance Church.

Congratulations to the successful applicants! Please attend these fine artistic events over the next year of programming!

 Photo Credits: Gail Erickson, Val Freisen (file photos)

Sagebrushers Week at Studio

sagebrushers33

Drop by to watch the Oliver Sagebrushers Art Club as they demonstrate some of their painting techniques at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre this week. The Studio is open daily from now until Saturday July 16,  9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Tour the studio exhibit of their completed works, and chat to the artists!  

Photo Credit: Jack Bennest, Oliver Daily News

RipOff Artists "Stick It" to American Gothic

“All the really good ideas I’d ever had came to me while I was milking a cow,” declared Grant Wood whose American Gothic painting of the dour-faced pitchfork wielding farmer and his sister is famous worldwide.  Wood’s masterpiece became a national symbol; a vision of hope during the Depression that still resonates today. “Because American Gothic is so iconic, it was the perfect mark for this year’s RipOff challenge,” raves fiber artist, Terry Irvine.

This July the RipOff Artists stick it to American Gothic at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre in Oliver, BC. This multi-media collective includes artists working in fibre (quilting, felting, weaving), photography, mixed media collage, oils and acrylics, 3-D installations, and encaustic (hot beeswax).  For the fifth year in a row, this nefarious group has dared to take on the grand masters of art. To mark such an auspicious occasion, they added a twist to the proceedings. Each artist has chosen another artist through which to interpret American Gothic. It’s double the ripoff and double the fun!

The public is welcome to watch the RipOff Artists assume the styles of  Picasso, Klimt, and Degas, along with seven other famous artists, and reinterpret Wood.  

American Gothic Challenge
Monday July 4 – Saturday July 9
Opening Reception:
Monday July 4, 
6 – 8 pm
Daily Hours:
Tuesday July 5 – Saturday July 9
9 am to 3 pm 

You are encouraged to come frequently during the week to get a true sense of how their artwork progresses from rough idea to finished creation.  Be sure to see the completed project on the Saturday! It will be left to you to decide: Is Wood’s masterpiece a celebration of America’s stoic determination during the Depression? Or is the finished product a critique of those same American values? Come view the action and decide for yourself.

Incidentally, the treasures from the four previous “RipOff raids” are currently on display at Leir House Cultural Centre in Penticton until June 23. You can view their “stolen” interpretations of Gustav Klimt’s Emilie Floge, Goergia O’Keeffe’s Pink Tulip, Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cypresses, and Lawren Harris’ Mount Lefroy in a variety of artistic media.

For more information about the RipOff Artists, click on their link under “Member Groups” in the column at right.  Or use the search bar on our website (type in “RipOffs”) for photos and articles from their past shows.

RipOff Artists “Stick It” to American Gothic

“All the really good ideas I’d ever had came to me while I was milking a cow,” declared Grant Wood whose American Gothic painting of the dour-faced pitchfork wielding farmer and his sister is famous worldwide.  Wood’s masterpiece became a national symbol; a vision of hope during the Depression that still resonates today. “Because American Gothic is so iconic, it was the perfect mark for this year’s RipOff challenge,” raves fiber artist, Terry Irvine.

This July the RipOff Artists stick it to American Gothic at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre in Oliver, BC. This multi-media collective includes artists working in fibre (quilting, felting, weaving), photography, mixed media collage, oils and acrylics, 3-D installations, and encaustic (hot beeswax).  For the fifth year in a row, this nefarious group has dared to take on the grand masters of art. To mark such an auspicious occasion, they added a twist to the proceedings. Each artist has chosen another artist through which to interpret American Gothic. It’s double the ripoff and double the fun!

The public is welcome to watch the RipOff Artists assume the styles of  Picasso, Klimt, and Degas, along with seven other famous artists, and reinterpret Wood.  

American Gothic Challenge
Monday July 4 – Saturday July 9
Opening Reception:
Monday July 4, 
6 – 8 pm
Daily Hours:
Tuesday July 5 – Saturday July 9
9 am to 3 pm 

You are encouraged to come frequently during the week to get a true sense of how their artwork progresses from rough idea to finished creation.  Be sure to see the completed project on the Saturday! It will be left to you to decide: Is Wood’s masterpiece a celebration of America’s stoic determination during the Depression? Or is the finished product a critique of those same American values? Come view the action and decide for yourself.

Incidentally, the treasures from the four previous “RipOff raids” are currently on display at Leir House Cultural Centre in Penticton until June 23. You can view their “stolen” interpretations of Gustav Klimt’s Emilie Floge, Goergia O’Keeffe’s Pink Tulip, Van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Cypresses, and Lawren Harris’ Mount Lefroy in a variety of artistic media.

For more information about the RipOff Artists, click on their link under “Member Groups” in the column at right.  Or use the search bar on our website (type in “RipOffs”) for photos and articles from their past shows.

Calling All Artists! Fall Art Show and Sale

Pick up your Fall Art Show and Sale entry form and get busy creating!

The Fall Art Show and Sale is on Saturday October 1 and Sunday October 2 at the Oliver Community Centre.  The theme this year is “Outside the Box”.  Artists are invited to interpret that theme in any number of ways, both literally and figuratively, as suggested by some of the images here. 

Artists are invited to enter in eight categories: 

(1) Watercolour Paintings, (2) Oil Paintings, (3) Acrylic Paintings, (4) Fibre Arts, (5) Three Dimensional, (6) Photography, (7) Other Media (“altered” photographic processes, drawings, encaustic, mixed media, etc.), and (8) Emerging artists under 18 years

Awards will be presented in each category and one award will be given for “Best Interpretation of the Theme”.

Entry forms are available by clicking this link: 2011 FASS Entry Form or by going to “Forms” listed above. You can also pick one up at Lauralee’s Treasure Cellar on Main Street, the Oliver Visitor Information Centre (CPR building),  Oliver Art Gallery on Main Street, and  the Quail’s Roost Gallery (Rustico Cellars). Copies are also available at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre or by emailing the arts council at olivercac @gmail.com.

So… what’s outside YOUR box?

Oliver Art Gallery Grand Opening May 25

The Oliver Art Gallery, located on Oliver’s Main Street,  holds its Grand Opening on Wednesday May 25 from 1 to 7 p.m.

The gallery is run as an artists’ co-operative. Artists include  Sandra Albo, Shannon Ford, Barb Hillier, Brad Hillis, Michael Arne Jorden, Dale Matthews, Arlie Richards, Jane Scheffler, Denise Soule (left), Steve Staresina, George Traicheff, Roger Ulasovetz, Ivanna Zita,  pen and ink artist Sandy Boblin, and photographer Paul Eby. 

The art gallery provides exhibition space for local artists from Summerland to Osoyoos, and an inviting place for art lovers to visit and enjoy. The location takes advantage of highway exposure on Oliver’s busy main street. Artists hope the colourful venue will catch the eye of motorists and summer strollers, both tourists and locals.

Artist Steve Staresina, a driving force behind the establishment of the new gallery, rounded up a group of like-minded artists who put their time and energy into creating a beautiful space with new paint, tile, walls and lighting.

“This really is a group effort,” maintains Staresina. “It is all of the artists working together that is making this possible”.  Staresina (left) teaches regular art classes at the Quail’s Nest Art Centre, and together with Leza MacDonald, painted the mural at the Oliver Kiwanis Market.

“The arts make up over 30 percent of Canada’s GDP,” says Staresina, “and I am determined to bring that into the open in this community that I live in.”

 

The Grand Opening includes appetizers, beverages, and entertainment. The artists  invite you to experience the relaxation and pleasure of being surrounded by original artwork (such as that of Shannon Ford, left), which will delight and draw you in with the imagination, colour and the imagery of each piece.

Oliver Art Gallery 
34848 – 97th Street, Oliver, BC
Email: office @ oliverartgallery.ca
Telephone: 778 439 3320
http://oliverartgallery.ca

Shared History with Sister City Chelan, WA

Many people in Oliver are aware we are paired with a sister city in Japan: Bandai.

But did you know Oliver also has a sister city just south of the border:  Chelan, Washington? What makes Chelan and Oliver “sisters”? What similarities in our history, peoples, and culture bring us together?  

Visit the Oliver Museum until June 15th to view the display designed by the Chelan Museum. The exhibit includes this old camera, once owned by a Chelan photographer, compared to Ansel Adams for his nature photography.  The exhibit also includes an array of attractive apple crate labels, and native artefacts.

Darryl Mackenzie, curator of the Oliver Museum, will be putting together a similar display for the Chelan Museum, to reciprocate in this cross-border event. Check out the Chelan Museum website here: http://chelanmuseum.com/

Hey! Did you know the Oliver Museum used to be the police detachment? Downstairs was the public offices and jail, and upstairs were the living quarters for the senior officer.  Check out the history of the building as well as the history and culture of our sister city. Darryl is full of fascinating  information, and just waiting for you to pick his brain!

Oliver Museum
9728 – 356th Ave., just north of Oliver’s Town Hall
museumdirector @ persona.ca
Museum Hours: 9 – 12 noon and 1 – 4 p.m. Monday to Friday

Don’t forget the Oliver and District Heritage Society AGM on Wednesday May 18, 7 p.m.  at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.  Geologist and artist Dr. Murray Roed is the guest speaker on the topic of “Roadside Geology”.  The public is welcome. See below for the full article.

Photo credit: Penelope Johnson

Quail’s Roost at Rustico

The Quail’s Roost Gallery had a successful grand opening on Sunday May 1, the permanent exhibit space for the Oliver Sagebrushers. Pictured at left are Bruce Fuller and Dot Cranston enjoying the celebration.  The venue provides an appealing rustic counterpoint to the artwork, as pictured below.  The “Roost” has its own chairlift installed for visitors with decreased mobility. Founding member of the Sagebrushers Agnes Sutherland demonstrates, with Sally Franks and Bruce Fuller looking on.  All artwork is for sale. Turn west of Highway 97 onto Road 16, then left onto 123rd Street, and follow the signs to Rustico Farm and Cellars Winery to view the gallery!

Photo credit: Leza Macdonald

Quail's Roost at Rustico

The Quail’s Roost Gallery had a successful grand opening on Sunday May 1, the permanent exhibit space for the Oliver Sagebrushers. Pictured at left are Bruce Fuller and Dot Cranston enjoying the celebration.  The venue provides an appealing rustic counterpoint to the artwork, as pictured below.  The “Roost” has its own chairlift installed for visitors with decreased mobility. Founding member of the Sagebrushers Agnes Sutherland demonstrates, with Sally Franks and Bruce Fuller looking on.  All artwork is for sale. Turn west of Highway 97 onto Road 16, then left onto 123rd Street, and follow the signs to Rustico Farm and Cellars Winery to view the gallery!

Photo credit: Leza Macdonald

RipOff Artists go retro beginning Thursday May 12

Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keefe, Gustav Klimt, and Lawren Harris — see them all at this retrospective show featuring the talents of OCAC member group, the RipOff Artists, a multimedia collective featuring artists from Oliver and the surrounding area.

Opening reception
Thursday May 12
7 – 9 p.m.
Leir House, Penticton
 
May 12 – June 23
Monday to Friday
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Leir House, Penticton

RipOff Artists Retrospective Opening May 12

The RipOff Artists are a multimedia collective who set themselves a new challenge each year to “rip off” a famous work of art, reproducing it in their own medium. Photography, fibre art (weaving, felting, and quilting), painting, 3-D, found objects, encaustic (hot wax painting), and more!   2011 is their fifth anniversary, and in celebration they are mounting  a retrospective of their previous work.

Do you need to catch up on any of the four RipOff challenges over the years? Missed any of the following exhibits: Wheatfield with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh (2007), Emilie Floge by Gustav Klimt (2008), Pink Tulip by Georgia O’Keeffe (2009), or Mount Lefroy by Lawren Harris (2010)?

Here’s a taste of their work. At left is Klimt’s Emilie Floge interpreted in mixed-media collage by Marion Trimble. Below is Harris’ Mount Lefroy reimagined as a small painted cabinet by JoAnn Turner.

You can see them all at once at the

RipOff Retrospective
May 12 – June 23, 2011
Opening reception: May 12, 7 – 9 p.m.
Leir House, 220 Manor Park Avenue, Penticton BC, V2A 2R2
Phone: (250) 492-7997