James Bay Art Walk

By Anne Hansen 

The new and returning James Bay Art Walk artists look forward to seeing you the weekend of September 17th (11-5 both days).

The talented and passionate artists on this year's studio tour include:

Aurafidélité Arindam will show and sell her original botanical drawings, fine art prints, and cards. She is a member of the Botanical Artists of Canada, and her orchid drawings received numerous prizes at the 2010 Victoria Orchid Society's Annual show. Aura's artwork can be seen at Butchart Gardens, Sooke Harbour House, UVic's Legacy Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria's Moss Street Paint-In, and Summer Small Works Exhibit. She did her Master's studies at McGill University and studied art with a student of Salvador Dali.

Janice Beiles is an avid traveller. Through the lens of her camera, she sees the exceptional in the everyday.

Ken Crassweller holds several academic degrees, and taught and worked with Inuit arts and crafts. His colourful, animated images invite study, with depictions of interplay of people with other creatures. His paintings include people interacting in Victoria's familiar landscapes and seascapes.

Donna Eichel captures images of the objective world through sketches and photos and then reclaims them in her studio as a "starter" for her paintings.

Martine Gow-Cooper is new to the Art Walk. She recently returned to Victoria from Merrickville, Ontario, where she was a member of the local artists' guild. Working with glass (stained and kiln-formed), she is inspired by the way light transforms colour, and thinks of her multimedia work as "painting with light."

Anne Hansen continues her obsession with oystercatchers, those comic shorebirds with a black, crow-like body, a long red-orange bill, and striking big eyes of red, yellow and black. Her art often hangs in James Bay Coffee and Books, and in the Oak Bay Library. She's working on some smaller pieces, having just completed "Oystercatchers #278" and counting.

David Ladmore was born and raised in England. He is an award-winning artist who works in the classical tradition. He is represented by galleries in New York, Washington, Long Beach and Chicago. In Victoria, his work hangs in The Gallery in the Oak Bay Village. He works in oil, watercolour and etching, in the spirit of the old masters.

Laurie Ladmore attended the Victoria College of Art from 1994 to 1996. She is drawn to things in the natural world as painting subjects. Her recent work is a series of oils inspired by local landscapes but mixed with the fairy-tale forests and gardens of her imagination.

Bonnie Laird, a BFA graduate from the University of Alberta majoring in painting and printmaking, has exhibited across BC, Alberta and Ontario. Her work is mainly figurative, focusing on the essence, character and mood of subjects.

Nancy Murphy was new to the Art Walk last year. Her expressive gestural reflections complement her playful poetic energy.

Avril Nolan's work comes from her vibrant spirit. Her art reflects the power of women and the beauty in nature. Many of her paintings speak about overcoming adversity as well as celebrating the gifts of the Creator.

Roberta Pyx Sutherland's inspiration comes from the grandeur of landform and its perpetual evolution. Her current work was created following a visit to Haida Gwaii. She does brush drawings, oils, sketches, and encaustic works. Recycled materials are used in her art.

Daniel Sali's work reflects the philosophy of balance in his life. He has an eye for macro and microscopic patterns and shapes, as well as the spaces between objects. Visitors will see work that has been exhibited in a solo show in Japan.

Elaine White studied ceramics at the School of Craft and Design at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. Since moving to Victoria in 2002, she has been active in the local arts community. Most of Elaine's work is thrown using terracotta (brown) clay and fired in an electric kiln. She intends her pottery to be enjoyable, useful and a source of beauty in everyday life.