submitted by Steve Staresina, Oliver Art Gallery

April is here and spring is in the air. The South Okanagan art community is showing signs of growth, just like buds in the trees.

The Oliver Art Gallery is proud to announce that during April it will be featuring the western wildlife art of Oliver artist Cameron Ogilvie.

Ogilvie was born in Scotland, where he graduated from the Glasgow School of Art. In 1963 he immigrated to Canada and resided in Calgary Alberta where he met and married his wife Margaret. Cameron supported himself with a painting and decorating business all the while continuing with his art and education. Between his art both he and his wife became ordained ministers and have taken great interest in community services. In 1980 the Ogilvie family settled in Oliver, where Cameron continues to paint with his artistic skills and does ministry work.

Cameron paints a variety of subjects, but is especially attracted to western themes and wildlife.

His work can be seen at

Meet the artist ! Come and join the festivities.

The Oliver Art Gallery presently has 20 artists, showing art in a variety of styles, mediums and a great price range. There are also Art Classes on going on the premises.

Dear Artists.

2013 has brought new beginnings already. My Sister Jane and I have sold our home, which means that the Robinson Place Bed and Breakfast will no longer be after May 15th of this year. As a result of this, I have had many requests from Artists to repeat a workshop that we put on in February of 2012…”Still Life Interiors with Kindrie Grove”. It was a very successful workshop for painters and photographers alike.

I realize this is short notice, and would love it if you could attend. Our home, as you know, is very eclectic, and always changing. It is our last chance to indulge in and use the atmosphere for our creative expression.

If you would like to attend this workshop, I have two suites available for accommodation at $100.00 per night. This can be shared between friends.

I will be staying in Naramata when I move, and will continue to organize other Art Weekend Workshops. In the near future, starting in June we will be offering Plein Air at Beichman Estate, Plein Air in Las Vegas painting the Wild horses and Burrows, a trip to Southern Italy, and many more exciting opportunities.

I am excited about this change, although it has been difficult to let go of our family home. The good news is that I will have much more time to dedicate to the artist in me. I look forward to hearing from you.

With Warm Regards,

Renee

At Medici’s Gelateria & Coffee House in Oliver, on Tuesday April 9th, here come The Spinney Brothers! All the way from the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia to the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, this is  four piece, pure kick, blue- grass band, showcasing a tight brother duet vocal-style, awesome family harmonies and outstanding musicianship.

The Spinney Brothers’ musical identity is the sound of traditional, southern-flavoured bluegrass music. First generation bluegrass legends have been an important musical influence on the band, yet their music is equally shaped by their personal lives and local heritage. By incorporating original material, which draws from various sources, The Spinney Brothers effortlessly intertwine the past with the present.

They are fresh! They are exciting! They are traditional bluegrass music. These boys can weave some truly amazing harmony sounds and then rev it up another couple of gears and kick it real good.

Tickets are $25 and will likely sell out in advance. Get ‘em’ at Medici’s at 522 Fairview Road in Oliver, Beyond Bliss on Main or at Dolci Deli in Osoyoos.

At Medici’s Gelateria & Coffee House in Oliver, on Tuesday April 9th, here come The Spinney Brothers! All the way from the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia to the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, this is  four piece, pure kick, blue- grass band, showcasing a tight brother duet vocal-style, awesome family harmonies and outstanding musicianship.

The Spinney Brothers’ musical identity is the sound of traditional, southern-flavoured bluegrass music. First generation bluegrass legends have been an important musical influence on the band, yet their music is equally shaped by their personal lives and local heritage. By incorporating original material, which draws from various sources, The Spinney Brothers effortlessly intertwine the past with the present.

They are fresh! They are exciting! They are traditional bluegrass music. These boys can weave some truly amazing harmony sounds and then rev it up another couple of gears and kick it real good.

Tickets are $25 and will likely sell out in advance. Get ‘em’ at Medici’s at 522 Fairview Road in Oliver, Beyond Bliss on Main or at Dolci Deli in Osoyoos.

Photo:  Tracey Granger, Penelope Johnson, Linda Lobb, Christine Rothwell and Robin Stille (front) portray twenty-eight characters in SOAP’s production Love Loss and What I Wore, a collection of vignettes about women’s life experiences as told through the clothes they wear.  

What woman, standing in front of her closet, has not said one of the following: “Who did I think I was when I bought this?” “I have nothing to wear.” “Why can’t I find anything in my closet?” “I look .like my mother in this.” Or in a department store dressing room muttered one of these: “This will fit if I lose five pounds.” “But I’ve always been a six!” “Is this mirror distorted?” “Is there something wrong with the lighting in here?”

The South Okanagan Amateur Players’ upcoming production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore taps into that mysterious relationship between women and their clothes: a dress made by mom, mourning the loss of a favourite shirt after breaking up with a boyfriend, high heeled boots that help you exude confidence, buying the first business attire (and then falling in love with the boss), choosing between high heels and comfortable flats. A collection of vignettes and monologues written by sisters Nora and Delia Ephron (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle), the script is full of quick-witted zingers and hilarious revelations.

The cast of five women portrays more than twenty-eight characters during the course of the play. With different speech patterns, postures, and mannerisms for each, the actors get a real workout. “It’s a little like being Sybil,” explains Christine Rothwell, who alternates between seven roles. “You not only portray a number of people, but the shift between characters often comes very quickly.” While admitting the variety of roles is challenging, actor Robin Stille adds “feeding off the energy of all the women on stage” enlivens the characters. Rothwell enjoys the diversity of experiences: “Any woman will identify with at least one of the characters or scenarios in this play. Love, Loss will be insightful for the men in the audience when they recognize the angst experienced by the women in their lives.”

Actor Tracey Granger delights in the play’s reminiscences, spanning a woman’s lifetime. Granger is enthusiastic about her youthful monologue called “The Gang Sweater” “We all remember what it was like to be young and to think we were so cool.”

Serving as a grandmotherly narrator is the character “Gingy”, portrayed by Linda Lobb. It is Gingy’s life story that knits together all the other vignettes. Lobb admires this feisty, funny character: “Despite some tragedies in her life, Gingy is not embittered or resentful but accepting. She chuckles at the follies of youth and shrugs off the negative physical aspects of getting old. I love how her life story comes full circle at the end.”

“Men are loving this show,” says Penelope Johnson, actor. “It’s like eavesdropping on women’s secrets. All the embarrassing, awkward moments of her teenage years, her fantasies and friendships, losses and loves, her dreams for her senior years – all are played out onstage in such an appealing, funny way. And the cast is having such a great time sharing those intimacies with the audience.”

Love, Loss and What I Wore opens March 1  & 2 at Summerland Centre Stage, continues March 8 & 9 at the Osoyoos Minitheatre, and winds up March 15 & 16 at the Oliver Seniors Centre .

Adults $18 and  Seniors(65+) /Students $15.

Tickets at Sundance Video (Oliver), Your Dollar Store with More (Osoyoos), Dragon’s Den (Penticton) or The Sweet Tooth (Summerland), and at the door. For more information, contact SOAP @ telus.net or the producer at 250-498-3597.

As part of the “Okanagan Reads” program sponsored by the Okanagan Regional Library, George Bowering
will be at the Oliver Branch of the Library on Wednesday February 27th at 2:00 pm  to discuss his book “Shoot” (about the McLean Gang from Kamloops in bygone days) and other relevant topics.

Please come for an entertaining hour or so with one of Oliver’s best known native sons. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

As part of the “Okanagan Reads” program sponsored by the Okanagan Regional Library, George Bowering
will be at the Oliver Branch of the Library on Wednesday February 27th at 2:00 pm  to discuss his book “Shoot” (about the McLean Gang from Kamloops in bygone days) and other relevant topics.

Please come for an entertaining hour or so with one of Oliver’s best known native sons. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

SOCS Concert series sponsored in part by the Oliver Community Arts Council. Your donations at work!

The Oliver Community Arts Council holds its

All officer and director positions have standing nominees, including several new candidates. Other nominees welcome. OliverCAC @ gmail.com

The AGM is followed by Arts Jam!, the monthly gathering of arts groups and businesses, individual artists, and Board reps to share local arts events, programmes and other arts information. It’s always fun and newsy!

The public is welcome at both the Annual General Meeting and Arts Jam!

Well, here it is, the New Year is rolling along and the Oliver Art Gallery is proud to announce new art and a new Feature Artist, Michael Arne Jorden. Mike will be displaying his finest Western Spirit Paintings, from February 12th and into March.

Born in the B. C. Kootenays, Michael spent most of his life living and working on the coast, and now resides on a small ranch near Osoyoos where he enjoys raising and training horses in the vast grasslands of the area.

Michael is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Biological Sciences and post graduate work in Planning, Agricultural Economics and Resource Science and a Masters degree in Business Administration.

A love of Art and a passion for the West have been a feature of his life since childhood.  The two have come together in his choice of painting subjects which all have a western flair. Mountain landscapes, horses, early transportation or figurative works, all have a depiction of the west.

Recent works include a series of Kettle Valley Railroad scenes from the age of steam, early stage coach scenes from the South Okanagan, and the depiction of packing and guiding through the Rockies, and Southern Interior landscapes.

Michael’s work has recently been hanging in the Federation of Canadian Artist show at the Osoyoos Art Gallery where he had the honour of winning “The Best of Show” award for In the Shutes (pictured above). Good for Mike.

Michael is one of the founders of the South Okanagan artists’ co-op known as our “Oliver Art Gallery”. Come and see Michael’s works at 6046 Main Street and see the splendor of the west for yourself.

Better yet, take some of that “splendour” home with you to grace your walls, and gaze at beautiful Southern Interior scenes year-round from the comfort of your easy chair. (Ed.)  

Well, here it is, the New Year is rolling along and the Oliver Art Gallery is proud to announce new art and a new Feature Artist, Michael Arne Jorden. Mike will be displaying his finest Western Spirit Paintings, from February 12th and into March.

Born in the B. C. Kootenays, Michael spent most of his life living and working on the coast, and now resides on a small ranch near Osoyoos where he enjoys raising and training horses in the vast grasslands of the area.

Michael is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Biological Sciences and post graduate work in Planning, Agricultural Economics and Resource Science and a Masters degree in Business Administration.

A love of Art and a passion for the West have been a feature of his life since childhood.  The two have come together in his choice of painting subjects which all have a western flair. Mountain landscapes, horses, early transportation or figurative works, all have a depiction of the west.

Recent works include a series of Kettle Valley Railroad scenes from the age of steam, early stage coach scenes from the South Okanagan, and the depiction of packing and guiding through the Rockies, and Southern Interior landscapes.

Michael’s work has recently been hanging in the Federation of Canadian Artist show at the Osoyoos Art Gallery where he had the honour of winning “The Best of Show” award for In the Shutes (pictured above). Good for Mike.

Michael is one of the founders of the South Okanagan artists’ co-op known as our “Oliver Art Gallery”. Come and see Michael’s works at 6046 Main Street and see the splendor of the west for yourself.

Better yet, take some of that “splendour” home with you to grace your walls, and gaze at beautiful Southern Interior scenes year-round from the comfort of your easy chair. (Ed.)  

by Marion Boyd, South Okanagan Concert Society

After an enormously successful series of concerts, the South Okanagan Concert Society is taking a firm step out on a limb to conclude this seasons’ series. Thursday (yes I said Thursday not Friday), March 7 th, Woody Holler and his Orchestra will hit the stage at our temporary venue of the Oliver Alliance Church at 7:30 pm.

When musician, Bob Park, and concert society President, Janet Marcotte, returned from an annual music showcase in Vancouver, they told the rest of us, “We just have to have this one!” Some of us wondered if they had strayed off course but their enthusiasm was catching and they know our audience very well. Quality is imperative and a little musical fun is in order.

Woody Holler and his Orchestra are purveyors of western swing. They love to explore the crossover between jazz and western and produce “gypsy jazz from the saddle”. Raised on the songs of the cowboy, Woody also has extensive voice training in classical and opera repertoire. His rich, well honed voice is a treat to hear. A sense of belonging and nostalgia held him close to the early Western genre as he experimented with other styles.

The orchestra consists of Winnipeg’s finest folk/jazz musicians and from these roots the ‘gypsy jazz from the saddle’ was born. Richard Moody on violin, Greg Lowe on guitar and Daniel Koulack on double bass add clever arrangements resplendant with virtuosity and style. The repertoire is eclectic, fun and fascinating, featuring finger-snapping swing beats, honey-slowed love croons and show stopping “extreme” yodeling. Did I say yodeling? Yup! I told you we were stepping out of the box on this one!

Come join the fun and give this a try! Four admission Flex pass tickets ($60) are on sale now at Beyond Bliss Esthetics in Oliver, at Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos, and at the door. For those of you who have an extra admission or two on your Flex Pass, now is the time to bring along a friend. If some of the Snow Birds are back, get 4 people together for one Flex Pass and get the most reasonable price. Single admission is $20. Young people 17 and under are welcome to attend the concert free. Those needing transportation by van can make reservations by calling Maureen at 250-495-7978

This is also the time to bring along your cheque book and get the Early Bird price for next season. The complete flexibility of a pass makes it easy to use and to share.

by Marion Boyd, South Okanagan Concert Society

After an enormously successful series of concerts, the South Okanagan Concert Society is taking a firm step out on a limb to conclude this seasons’ series. Thursday (yes I said Thursday not Friday), March 7 th, Woody Holler and his Orchestra will hit the stage at our temporary venue of the Oliver Alliance Church at 7:30 pm.

When musician, Bob Park, and concert society President, Janet Marcotte, returned from an annual music showcase in Vancouver, they told the rest of us, “We just have to have this one!” Some of us wondered if they had strayed off course but their enthusiasm was catching and they know our audience very well. Quality is imperative and a little musical fun is in order.

Woody Holler and his Orchestra are purveyors of western swing. They love to explore the crossover between jazz and western and produce “gypsy jazz from the saddle”. Raised on the songs of the cowboy, Woody also has extensive voice training in classical and opera repertoire. His rich, well honed voice is a treat to hear. A sense of belonging and nostalgia held him close to the early Western genre as he experimented with other styles.

The orchestra consists of Winnipeg’s finest folk/jazz musicians and from these roots the ‘gypsy jazz from the saddle’ was born. Richard Moody on violin, Greg Lowe on guitar and Daniel Koulack on double bass add clever arrangements resplendant with virtuosity and style. The repertoire is eclectic, fun and fascinating, featuring finger-snapping swing beats, honey-slowed love croons and show stopping “extreme” yodeling. Did I say yodeling? Yup! I told you we were stepping out of the box on this one!

Come join the fun and give this a try! Four admission Flex pass tickets ($60) are on sale now at Beyond Bliss Esthetics in Oliver, at Imperial Office Pro in Osoyoos, and at the door. For those of you who have an extra admission or two on your Flex Pass, now is the time to bring along a friend. If some of the Snow Birds are back, get 4 people together for one Flex Pass and get the most reasonable price. Single admission is $20. Young people 17 and under are welcome to attend the concert free. Those needing transportation by van can make reservations by calling Maureen at 250-495-7978

This is also the time to bring along your cheque book and get the Early Bird price for next season. The complete flexibility of a pass makes it easy to use and to share.