Lori Lees-Stout July 23 - August 6

Lori’s interest in art first piqued as a child watching her godfather, Jack Naismith, sketch and paint in Medicine Hat, Alberta.  Later—during her education degree at the University of Alberta—she enrolled in several drawing and painting classes which persisted well into her teaching career.

When Lori and her family relocated to Calgary she began studying under artist Karen Swearengen and found her focus shifting in favour of her art. During this time she painted landscapes and still-life in oils eventually switching to watercolour and pen and ink. After branching out to explore fabric painting in clothing design and themed room murals, Lori returned to watercolour, the medium she enjoys most to this day.

Now, spending most of the year on the West Coast and summers in the Columbia Valley, Lori is able to explore her love of nature in two of the most beautiful areas of the province.

Lori’s work has been sold in art shows, galleries, and coffee shops in Calgary, White Rock, Invermere and Fairmont.

Artist Statement My art is inspired by the idea that the perception of what we see is strongly linked to personal experiences and emotions. Most of my memories come back to me in bits and pieces of vibrant colours, shapes and forms. Like my memories, my paintings, whether they are an entire event, place or thing, or the parts of it that are most visually interesting to me, are always made up of vibrant colours and strong contrasts. I begin a painting by planning it out structurally and visualizing it in detail, but before I put pencil to paper it has already taken on a life of its own. With each pencil line and brush stroke, my imagination comes to life. Whenever I paint wildlife, flowers, or buildings, I take what I see initially and transform it to a colour intensity and form that represents my perception of the object. It is for this reason that I am drawn to watercolour. My initial drawings provide structure and the paintings, often done wet on wet, provide freedom and flow.  I hope my paintings will summon pleasant memories or elicit a quiet sense of contentment in the viewer, or perhaps even cause the viewer to question what might be hidden between the lines of what we see and what we perceive.

Marilyn Hurst July 30 - August 6

    



  IN EARLY 1990 MY ART "CAREER"  BEGAN TO GERMINATE AFTER DISCOVERING A HIDDEN RESERVOIR OF CREATIVE ENERGY PRECIPITATED BY A SERIOUS IDENTITY CRISIS.  ALTHOUGH I HAD NEVER CONSIDERED PAINTING BEFORE THIS TIME,  FROM WITHIN I FELT I WAS BEING PUSHED TO BEGIN.   MY TENATIVE STEPS WERE WITH PORTRAITURE, BUT SINCE THAT TIME MY WORK HAS EXPANDED BEYOND ANYTHING I COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

             LIFE THRIVES ON CHANGE AND THE TRANSITION TO BECOMING AN ARTIST HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS LEARNING CURVE, DEVELOPING A NEW FOUND RESPECT FOR THE RESOLVE NECESSARY TO MAKE THE ART PROFESSION  WORK FOR ONESELF. 

THROWING CAUTION TO THE WIND IN 1997, I MOVED TO CABO SAN LUCAS AND WITH MY NEW HUSBAND, ARTIST CHRIS MacCLURE, WE OPENED A 2ND STOREY STUDIO. AS TESTIMONY TO THE CREATIVE SPIRIT, OVER THE NEXT 13 YEARS OUR HUMBLE STUDIO HAD MORPHED TO BECOME THE MOST RESPECTED ART GALLERY IN LOS CABOS.   THE GOLDEN CACTUS GALLERY'S AMAZING COLLECTION OF ARTISTS AND ART BECAME THE  BENCHMARK OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE ART COMMUNITY IN THE SOUTHERN BAJA.

            DURING THIS TIME I PAINTED AND LEARNED THE CRAFT FIRST HAND.   RUNNING A GALLERY IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY  WAS CHALLENGING, BUT THROUGH  WORKING AND PAINTING FULL TIME  I HONED  AND REFINED MY PAINTING SKILLS.   ALWAYS  IT WAS  THE EXCITEMENT OF THE MEXICAN CULTURE THAT PROVIDED ONGOING  INSPIRATION, BUT IT IS THE JOY THAT COMES FROM REACHING WITHIN AND LETTING THE EXPRESSION FLOW FROM THE SILENCE THAT GIVES LIFE TO MY WORK.

           MY PAINTINGS ARE A MENAGE OF LIFE, EXPERIENCE AND CREATIVE ENERGY. THE LANDSCAPES, FLORALS, PORTRAITURE AND EXPRESSIONIST ABSTRACTS ALL REFLECT THE VIBRANT COLORS OF MY LIFE AS A CONTEMPLATIVE ARTIST INSPIRED BY THE COLORS OF MEXICO AND THE BEAUTY OF MY HOME IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  AT THE PRESENT TIME I AM AN ARTIST IN WHITE ROCK  AT MY GOLDEN CACTUS STUDIO IN BC CANADA

Chris MacClure July 30 - August 6

     Chris MacClure is always looking for that authentic gesture or moment in everything. His paintings are an expression of his “Romantic Realist” view of life. Chris’s engaging style is evident in his perfected usage of the illusive color changes and natural compositions. Using landscapes as a language, Chris incorporates imagery and symbolism to his art to reflect his own unique expression.

       Born into an artistic family in Saint John, New Brunswick, Chris MacClure was surrounded by the arts from a young age. His father was a jazz musician, his mother a playwright, and his grandfather an illustrator, so it never occurred to him that he couldn’t be an artist. This sense of inner confidence has taken MacClure to places and studios around the world for more than 40 years, offering him a wide range of opportunities to hone his skills.

       Numerous paintings of his may be found in many corporate collections worldwide. Some notable collectors of his artwork include: John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, James Whitmore, mezzo soprano Frederica Von Stade, drag racing legend Don Prud’Homme, Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, Pepsi Co. and the Ford Motor Co. of Detroit.

Louise Swan July 6 - July 23

Louise has always loved to draw, decorate, and create with an eye to designing whatever she was making with a unique and personal touch. Louise was born in Ontario, Canada. In her early twenties, while working in Washington, DC and Virginia she began taking classes at the University of Virginia in acrylics and got hooked on painting. The canvas has become a way to extend her creativity and passion from the snow-bound winters and glorious autumn colours of her eastern roots to the greens, blues and mists of the mountains and shorelines of British Columbia. For her a few steps along a pathway have now become an odyssey as an artist. Many of her works are inspired by her early roots, spending much of her youth on, or, in the water. Her love of nature, water, animals and scenery has inspired her to capture this beauty with brush in hand. Whether sitting by a mountain stream hearing the water flow by or under the gaze of her beloved dog at the easel in the studio, Louise’s painting style is treasured for its captivating reality and acute attention to detail. Expressing the wonders of sunlight and shadow, hues and contrasts is what illuminates every day and every painting.

Louise’s work has been influenced over the years through study with internationally known artists including Roger Arndt, Brian Atyeo, Tony Couch, Tim Deibler, Robert Genn, David Goatley, Brent Laycock, Mark Hobson, Terry Isaacs, Murray Phillips, Diane Maxey, Gordon MacKenzie, Claudia-Jean McCabe, Stephen Quiller, Michael O’Toole, Janice Robertson, Brigitte Schreyer, Mike Svob, Liz Wiltzen, Alan Wylie and many others. Many thanks to all who have given of themselves to nurture and mentor me in my journey as an artist. Louise lives in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada where her acrylic, oil and watercolour paintings are sold, treasured in local private collections and internationally. As an Active status and juried artist member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, she continues to explore new ways of expressing her love of painting and bringing her joy of nature to the fine art enthusiast everywhere.

Andrew Briggs June 29 - July 20

       Andrew Briggs was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. The son of medical professionals, he is the first of his immediate family to choose an artistic career. Andrew has spent the majority of his life in Vancouver, but he has also lived in Victoria in the Comox Valley where he attended Emily Carr University to receive his BFA in General Fine Arts. 

His work is quote "Andy Warhol + Jackson Pollock + Briggs with a twist."

Architecture, travelling, adventure and outdoor recreation are amongst Andrew's interests.

Subject Matter

From an early age I have been interested in how subject matter can be distorted. I see images as layers of colour, as puzzle pieces that can be separated, lifted, shifted and removed entirely.

I select my subject matter, materials and mediums to expose the layers within - the physical, and subconscious emotional. I use my tools as a method to draw the viewer closer to the image both internally and externally. 

Through my art, I hope to invoke a past memory, desire or a feeling of connection. My love of painting famous individuals and infrastructure is tied to this and how we somehow feel close to people and places that exist in a world outside our own.

Tony Durke June 29 - July 30

Tony was born in Victoria, Canada in 1973 and raised in a small town, where it was normal to drive around, drunk, in pick-up trucks and shoot at road signs with hunting rifles.
He spent his youth listening to Michael Jackson, whilst drawing pictures of gore and violence. It was before the age of the internet or even much TV, so Tony and his gang of friends would draw it all on large sheets of paper with pencil crayons and felt pens.
When he was 14, Tony discovered Led Zeppelin, the Doors, Pink Floyd and a distaste for authority. This would persist for the rest of his life.
He started to spend a lot of time in art class and away from other classes. School was tedious when it came to science and math, he preferred reading, writing and making art.
He decided to hop a commercial fishing boat to Haida Gwaii when he was 17 and spent the next seven years at sea, learning how to be what he describes as "what I thought was a man" 
Working in isolation with "crazy rednecks" and risking life and limb on the high seas took it's toll on him and he left the nomadic life and settled into years of making art, writing stories, travelling and going to school. Some say avoiding reality.

Tony attended arts and creative classes at VIU, Canadian College and went to school for film in 1999. Upon completion of his studies, he began to work in the film and TV industry in Vancouver and has been there ever since.
Tony began painting full time in 2003 and it continues to be his greatest passion. He has undergone many transformations in his style and use of mediums.
He started working with wood about 7 years ago. Oil and pigments on carved wood is his chosen medium and he continues to refine the style.
Living in a place where the leading industry was logging, making art on lumber seemed the natural choice.
Most of his pieces are on recycled wood that he scavenges from the sets he works on. 

Tony has had a few showings in the last few years, in Vancouver, Toronto, Seattle and Melbourne. When asked why he waited so many years to start showing his work, he says that there was, "a lot of crud art out there and I didn't want to be part of that."
"I feel now that I have done my time and learned my craft well enough to show it to people and be proud of it."

Lauren Morris June 29 - July 9

For me ART is my imagination.

  It is always an expression of something; whether an idea, image or feeling.

I strive for a simplicity within my work while being unique. I enjoy working with colors, reflections, shadows and light. I paint predominantly in acrylics, wanting to fill my

canvas with movement and light, making the viewer see beyond the colors on the

canvas. I moved to Vancouver from South Africa and  was thrown into a world full of challenges: My art and my senses merged. Making art for me is like exploring a new country for the first time. The bold bright colors of tulips inspired me to do a series

of still lives in which I explored many different brush stokes striving to create my

own unique style.

  My recent works took on a new direction of abstraction, filled with the rich colors

of the earth and inspired by the shapes and drama of fall, done in mixed medium.

  As an artist I am hoping to inspire thought and to evoke the viewers’ emotions

through visual imagery. 

Nancy Hache June 29- July 23

Nancy Hache is a Sunshine Coast area artist who resides in Gibsons and works out of her studio in Gibsons Landing

       Nancy is a self-taught artist, who credits a great deal of her abilities to growing up in a family where painting, pottery and music were a shared passion. Nancy paints in acrylic medium and utilizes a broad spectrum of polymers and gels as well as acrylic inks.

        Nancy continued her exploration as an artist at St Lawrence College and The Ottawa School of Art. Nancy has been juried and shown in the Ottawa Fine Art Festival and at numerous gallery shows across the Ottawa Valley  

"Painting is my passion, it is what I am always thinking of and dreaming about" 

Nancy's studio, "Studio 201" is located at 201 Gower Point Rd, Gibsons Landing. By appointment only.

Sasha Moye June 29 - July 12

      

Sasha was born in Lincolnshire, England. She has always been passionate about the arts. During high school she spent many hours on stage but soon after found her true creative passion as a painter.  Sasha currently resides in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia with her husband and three children.

       Sasha began as an Acrylic painter and started taking watercolor courses with Master Instructor Linda Muttitt five years ago. Sasha has a beautiful barn loft studio on their property and is offering adult and children's art sessions. She is very passionate about painting and enjoys supporting other artists to explore their innate, intuitive creativity.

           With a constant stream of creative ideas Sasha now paints with Acrylic and Watercolor. She paints with an exuberant, energetic quality. Sasha's style is mainly impressionistic with an intuitive balance of soft hues and bold colorful expressions.

       Sasha draws her inspiration from the Land and Seascapes of England, the West Coast of Canada and her travels. Viewers of her artwork often comment that her paintings remind them of a special place or time in their lives. She strives to create pieces of artwork that have restorative, and uplifting qualities.

       Sasha has served  on The Board of directors for The Langley Art Council (LAC), she is on the committee for Art, Recreation and Culture for The City of Langley and also on the committee for The Langley Art Studio Tour.

Emilian Pop Kitz June 29 - July 9

        Emilian Pop Kitz was born and raised in Romania, where he started his professional education from a young age at the “Romulus Ladea” Fine Arts School for Gifted Children in Cluj-Napoca. The school consisted predominantly of a rigorous constructive- realistic style, considered a good base and reference for the future development of any artist.
              After high school he had the opportunity to apprentice and study with Church Painters masters in heritage restorations and new painting. For about 5 years he worked in different church sites around the country, where he learned various traditional techniques used at the time: oil, egg tempera and fresco.
In 1990 he continued his education at the “Ion Andreescu” Visual Arts Academy, from where he obtained in 1996 his Master Degree in Visual Arts with major in Sculpture.

   During the school he participated in several group exhibitions in Romania and across the border and in 1998 he had his solo exhibition named “Icons and Wood” containing wood sculptures and byzantine style inspired icons on wood panels, at the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania.
In 1999 he moved to Canada for a new beginning. He learned how to build furniture and worked in a small company, and part time at Rogers Arena and BC Place. In the meantime he has participated in several group exhibitions in the Lower Mainland - Maple Ridge, Burnaby, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Vancouver, and Surrey; in the same year he received an Honorable Mention at “Arts ’99”- Surrey.
Kitz works are an expression of feelings and thoughts connected to his surroundings which could be something simple or more complex, from an object to a person, a building or a town, a symbol or something descriptive.
           Beside the traditional materials - wood, stone or metal he is not afraid to use in his works some unconventional ones like- fabric, foam, rope, wire, nails or any other media which he believes are appropriate at the time of conception. 
             In 1999 he moved to Canada for a new beginning. He learned how to build furniture and worked in a small company, and part time at Rogers Arena and BC Place. In the meantime he has participated in several group exhibitions in the Lower Mainland - Maple Ridge, Burnaby, Port Moody, Coquitlam, Vancouver, and Surrey; in the same year he received an Honorable Mention at “Arts ’99”- Surrey.
Kitz works are an expression of feelings and thoughts connected to his surroundings which could be something simple or more complex, from an object to a person, a building or a town, a symbol or something descriptive. 
           Beside the traditional materials - wood, stone or metal he is not afraid to use in his works some unconventional ones like- fabric, foam, rope, wire, nails or any other media which he believes are appropriate at the time of conception. 

Noah NJ Bowman June 29 - July 14

Noah NJ Bowman is a Canadian based Contemporary painter, artist and arts advocate born in Vancouver, BC.  He grew up in Gibsons, BC (Sunshine Coast) and Campbell River, BC (on Vancouver Island) and currently resides and practices his artistic vision in Vancouver, BC.  

Noah graduated from Emily Carr University of Fine Art & Design (2010) with a BFA majoring in painting and sculpture.  His paintings are focused on the figure in motion and an imbalanced frame of mind.  By using a very gestural brushstroke, Noah constructs a very structural representation of life's tension.  He enjoys exploring the subconscious dialogues created by familiar real forms and re-creates these forms to the most subtle and layered degree to abstract the viewer's sense of real and familiar. 

Noah has had two solo exhibitions in British Columbia entitled Sports Un-conscious (2010) at Tidemark Art Gallery, Campbell River, BC and Coma-Imbalance (2012) at Lumen Gallery, Vancouver, BC.  He has exclusive worldwide collectors in Canada: British Columbia and Ontario; USA: California, Arkansas; South Africa and most recently China.

Susan Galick June 29- July 31

Born in New Westminster, Susan is the oldest of 3 children and was very creative as a child. This creativity inspired her to try nearly all arts and handcrafts at various points in her life: stained glass, complicated knitwear, needlepoint, clothing design, manufacturing and selling soap and skin care, wood burning, small wooden crafts and much more. She considers herself an artisan of bread making and pastries . Always enjoying a challenge, Susan started painting later in life after mentioning to her husband that she always wanted to own an easel. Her husband always supported her endeavours and bought her first easel. Susan jumped right in due to her spontaneous personality and was hooked from the start, experimenting with acrylic paints and bold, abstract paintings.

Susan has 5 grandchildren and was widowed at an early age after 39 wonderful years to her beloved husband. Her energy and passions are devoted to family, friends, her much loved "Beach Box” (cottage on the ocean in Sooke, BC), her new condo in Fort Langley overlooking the river, her artwork and new life. Susan's works are directly influenced by many years spent living in and visiting various places in British Columbia: beautiful Quesnel Lake in the Cariboo region, fishing the salt chuck with her father, touring the Gulf Islands with her parents, living in White Rock, Gavin Lake, Quesnel Lake.

She recently joined the Fort Langley Artist Group, displaying art in the quaint, historic town of Fort Langley. Never letting the difficult challenges in life get her down, her bubbly and happy disposition shows through in her use of passionate, bold, loose, free‐spirited brush strokes and bright happy colours.

Having had 2 successful businesses in the past creating her own clothing design, soaps and skin care Susan has always been an entrepreneur with a huge passion for creativity. She is a graduate of Fashion Design and Merchandising (though mostly self‐taught) and has recently been studying art under her mentor Carmel Clare. Some of her favourite artists are Ken Auster, Mike Svob, Group of Seven, Angela Morgan, Laura Harris, Michael O'Toole.