See Lake to Lake Tour at Dogtown Cafe

by Carol Munro, FCA

FCA Lake to Lake Studio Tour

Artists from the ‘Lake-to-Lake Studio Tour’ invite you to visit their Summer Showcase Exhibition at Dogtown Coffee Company in Okanagan Falls, August 1-31 Art studio tours are a popular summer pastime—especially the self-guided tours which encourage visitors to drop in to meet the artists and see how the work is done.
From August 1-31, the “Lake-to-Lake Studio Tour” artists are presenting a group show of their work at the popular Dogtown Coffee Company’s gallery in Okanagan Falls. The exhibition provides an opportunity to see a showcase of work from these artists all in one place, with the opportunity to follow up those which interest you most as you map out your route along the Corkscrew Drive on the Vaseux Lake-to-Penticton corridor.
The self-guided studio tours are in their third year of operation, and there are similar tour routes in Summerland and on the Naramata Bench. The “Lake-to-Lake” tour includes studios which lie between Vaseux Lake and Okanagan Lake. The route takes you to 12 studios, and includes sculptors, painters and mixed media artists. It’s a great opportunity to look, listen and watch; to ask questions and to see how the art is created. You may find yourself making new friends with art and the artist.
Visitors are welcome to drop in or call ahead to arrange a time. For more information, look for a tour brochure at the Visitors’ Centre, the Library, Dogtown Coffee Company—-  or you can find “Lake-to-Lake Studio Tours” online at http://laketolakestudios.weebly.com

Take an Art Trip on May long weekend

submitted by Thea Haubrich of Twin Lakes Encaustic Art

This year for the first time ever Artists’ Studios in Naramata, Summerland, Penticton and south to Vaseux Lake, will all hold special open houses on May 19 and 20 from 11 am – 5 pm.

The ART TRIP is a free self guided driving tour that will create a memorable day or two. The adventure begins with you, just circle the studios you think will be most interesting, invite a friend and go for your tour. Take a break for lunch at one of the valley’s amazing wineries or cafes and then carry on to more art studios, see as many as you like. You can start again the next day and go to a different area. Bring the kids, it’s a nice way to expose them to the arts.

The ART TRIP is a unique opportunity to see up close and personal how artists work, ask them questions and learn about the stories behind the art. You’ll see places you never knew existed and you might discover a new favorite artist. Learn how jewellery is made, see a sculptor at work, a blacksmith’s fire, or a piece of wood turned into a bowl. Watch the printing process of t-shirts, see a potter throwing clay or a photographer’s cameras and techniques. You can go into a clothing designer’s studio or see how glass is fused into beautiful objects and watch an artist make magic happen with wax, pastels or paint on canvas, paper or fabric.

“I have toured many of the studios and am very impressed with the quality and diversity of the work. We are fortunate to have a strong arts community in Summerland and the South Okanagan” said Lisa Jaager, Manager of the Summerland Chamber and Visitor Centre. “We are pleased to support the local arts and specifically our studios, there are always maps and information at the Visitor Centre as well as examples of local artists work at the Made in Summerland shop attached to the Visitor Centre”.

So, jump in your car or on your bike and take the ART TRIP. ”If you can’t take the Art Trip on the May long weekend, there are plenty of opportunities to visit the studios throughout the summer. May 19/20 is the opening of the season, and most of the studios will be welcoming visitors through until the fall. Many are open every day. Brochures and websites have all the information you’ll need to check days and times with the studios you want to visit. “

Art on the Naramata Bench:  www.naramatartstudios.com   Fourteen studios feature interesting artwork of many kinds, come and meet the artists who have chosen to live and work in the unique setting that is the Naramata Bench, including arts council member Renee Matheson at Robinson Point Studio (Robinson Bed and Beach).

Summerland and Trout Creek www.studiotour.wordpress.com    Not only is Summerland known for its rural beauty but who would have guessed you’d find more than 16 different artists studios. Come and explore the world of art in Summerland.

Lake to Lake www.tinyurl.com/lakestudio   On the Lake-to-Lake tour you will visit 8 artists’ studios in Penticton and 4 studios located between Penticton and Vaseux Lake, including arts council member Twin Lakes Encaustic Art . The self-guided route lies along the Corkscrew Drive on the east side of Skaha Lake, where big horn sheep are often seen. Enjoy the scenery, the wildlife, and expand your art collection through a personal connection with the artist.

Our Lake-to-Lake Studio Tour members are once again exhibiting work at Tangled Vines Estate Winery. I helped hang the show and the tasting room now looks like a real gallery!

TwinLakes Encaustic Art Ltd.
Thea Haubrich
128 Eastside Road
Okanagan Falls, B.C.
250 497 5163
info @ encaustic.ca
www.encaustic.ca
www.theahaubrich.com

Arts Jam! on tour to quilters Monday March 12

Oliver Community Arts Council members are invited to a special edition of the monthly Arts Jam! gathering of the membership. This month Arts Jam! goes on tour to visit one of the arts council’s member groups on their own “turf”. The event is hosted by the Double O Quilters on Monday 12th at 9:30 a.m. at the Oliver Community Centre hall.

Members will be treated to a special presentation of Double O talent, listen to some news from the quilters, and have a chance to share news from the various local arts groups. Goodies and beverages are graciously provided by the quilters guild.

The arts council will announce many of its own spring activities, including the Spring Arts Faire,  Arts and Culture Week events, and Showcase of Talent, in addition to a short summary of their recent AGM, and information on funding to arts groups.

A similar “tour” in the spring of 2011 (to the spinners and weavers) proved so popular that the council thought the venture worth repeating. Watch for more “Arts Jams on Tour” in the future, and find out about our members’s talents!

Arts Jam! usually occurs on the fourth Monday of every month at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre. This special tour replaces the usual fourth Monday gathering for March. The following Arts Jam will be Monday April 23 at 9:30 a.m. at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.

Photo: A file photo from the 2011 “Quilts and Beyond” exhibit by the Double O Quilters Featuring the work of prize winner, Enid Baker.

Credit: Penelope Johnson 

 

Lake-to-Lake Studio Tour this Summer

Wondering what to do to please yourself—-or your guests—in the sunny summer days ahead? A visit to an artist’s studio can make a great outing, paired with a day of wine touring or just savouring the spectacular landscape we enjoy here in the South Okanagan.

A group of 12 local artists, including encaustic artist Thea Haubrich, a member of the Oliver Community Arts Council,  have teamed up to offer a Studio Tour. They will open their studios to the public from May till October. Taking their cue from the successful self-guided studio tour offered last year by artists on the Naramata Bench, the South Okanagan “Lake-to-Lake” artists are extending the possibilities for everyone to explore art in the place where it is created. (And, by the way, the “Art on the Naramata Bench” Studio Tour is up and running again this year, so with the addition of this new Tour Route, there are studios lined up all the way from Naramata to Vaseux Lake, just waiting for you to come in and say hello!)

In the new “Lake-to-Lake” Studio Tour Route, the twelve artists offer a journey along the ‘Corkscrew Drive Wine Trail’, which takes you from Penticton along hauntingly lovely Skaha Lake via Eastside Road and the Oliver Ranch Road, to Vaseux Lake.

Studio visits are an unusual and colourful way to meet the artists and their work ‘on home ground’. You can meet the artists, see how they use their tools and work-space — and witness for yourself the work behind the works!

You’ll encounter artists working in a wide variety of media. Besides Thea’s work in hot beeswax, there are painters, a potter, a sculptor, a photographer, one working with gourds and another encaustic artist! They are all keen to welcome you and happy to share with you how they do what they do.

To get you started: you’ll find brochures at your nearest visitors’ centre, wineries, hotels/motels, bookstores, local libraries and galleries. You can also download the brochure and tour map from http://bit.ly/jC39sp The tour map (part of Google maps) lists all participating artists, their locations, contact information, and links to websites.

It’s simple to plan your tour. Decide which studios you’d like to see, check the hours of opening, and set out. As you travel the route, watch for the Studio Tour signs telling you that the artist is “In” (or call ahead). Visiting an artist in the special atmosphere of a working studio is a wonderful way to explore the Valley’s treasures. Enjoy your valley touring, and expand your art collection through personal connections with the artists.

In other news, Haubrich has recently won the competition for the cover art in Okanagan Art Work magazine’s fifth anniversary issue (May 2011).  Go to this link for more information and to see her winning submission: http://www.s2sartworks.com/MayCoverArt.html

To top it off, she won second place as well! Congratulations Thea!

More about Thea Haubrich’s encaustic art can be found at these sites:

Web: http://www.encaustic.ca
Online store: http://www.encaustic.ca/shop/html/
Fine Art: http://www.theahaubrich.com
Blog: http://encausticcanada.wordpress.com/

BC Book Prizes Tour Tonight!

After a successful event last year, the B.C. Book Prizes tour is once again stopping at the Oliver Library on Wednesday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m. The BC Book Prizes Tour and Awards, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers, illustrators and publishers. The Oliver Library presentation will be the only public event south of Kelowna for the southern leg of this much acclaimed tour. This year the tour will bring George Bowering, Julie Flett and Derek Lundy to our library for an informal presentation, a question period and a chance to chat over coffee and goodies.

George Bowering, who was brought up in Oliver and was Canada’s first Poet Laureate is nominated in the poetry category for his work titled “My Darling Nellie Grey” which includes poems for each month of the year 2006. George was also just awarded the 8th Annual Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literacy Excellence. Julie Flett is nominated for the Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize for her illustrations in the picture book “Owls See Clearly at Night: A Michif Alphabet”. Derek Lundy is nominated in the non-fiction category for his book “Borderlands: Riding the Edge of America”, in which he recounts his experiences riding his motorcycle along the US borders with Mexico and Canada.

The event in Oliver is the last public presentation before the nominees head to the award gala at Government House.

This special and prestigious evening at the library is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Oliver Library and is free of charge. Book Lovers of all ages are encouraged to join us for this unique opportunity to meet and mingle with some of BC’s finest writers and illustrators.

BC Book Prize Tour Stops in Oliver

The Friends of the Oliver Library hosted Silvia Olsen, children’s author  (pictured at left) and poet Fred Wah during the Lieutenenat Governor’s  BC Book Prize Tour on April 21.  Both authors shared their experiences writing their nominated works, read excerpts , and answered questions.

Here’s a little more about Olsen’s book, Counting on Hope :

“Set against the backdrop of the confusing events surrounding the English colonization of British Columbia, and an 1863 naval assault on Kuper Island, Counting on Hope tells the story of two girls whose lives are profoundly changed when their two cultures collide. Alternating between free verse and prose, Sylvia Olsen follows the girl’s individual storylines before, during and after their meeting. She captures the wonder and joy with which Hope and Letia develop their friendship and describes the tragic events, suspicion, fear and confusion that characterize so many early encounters between Europeans and the First Peoples. This sensitively drawn depiction of innocence lost and wisdom hard won follows Hope and Letia out of childhood, off their island paradise and into the complex realities of an adult world. Married into the Tsartlip First Nation at seventeen, Sylvia Olsen is a historian specializing in Native/White relations in Canada, and the author of twelve books. She lives in Victoria.”

Fred Wah won in the poetry category, for his collection is a door :

“Including poetry projects, a chapbook and incidental poems, is a door makes use of the poem’s ability for “suddenness” to subvert closure: the sudden question, the sudden turn, the sudden opening — writing that is generated from linguistic mindfulness, improvisation, compositional problem-solving, collaborative events, travel, investigation and documentary — in short, poetry as practice. Much of this poetry is framed by Fred Wah’s acute sense of the marginalized non-urban local “place” and coloured by his attempt to articulate senses of otherness and resistance. Fred Wah was one of the founding editors of the poetry newsletter TISH and a pioneer of on-line publishing. He is the author of seventeen books of poetry including Waiting For Saskatchewan which received the Governor General’s Award in 1985. Diamond Grill, a biofiction about hybridity and growing up in a small-town Chinese-Canadian café won the Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Fiction in 1996. He lives in Vancouver.”

Congratulations, Fred!

Visit http://www.bcbookprizes.ca/tour/category/southern-tour-2010/  for more information about the southern BC potion of the tour, or http://www.bcbookprizes.ca/winners/2010 for a list of the finalists’ books and the various winners. A great source for your summer reading picks!