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TC ARTS/ENT.
TRI-CITY NEWS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017, A29
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email: jcleugh@tricitynews.com phone: 604-472-3034 www.tricitynews.com/entertainment
PLACE DES ARTS
Sanctuary (Hornby Island) by Coquitlam artist Ginger Lovell.
VISUAL ARTS
DIANE STRANDBERG/TRI-CITY NEWS
Coquitlam’s Sue Cowan with a Mundy Park painting and her pochade box that artists use when they paint out in the open. Her forest paintings will be on display until Oct. 25 at Silk Art Gallery (2419 Clarke St., Port Moody). The opening reception is Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
VISUAL ARTS
Tall trees & Mundy paths Cowan goes big in latest exhibition DIANE STRANDBERG Tri-CiTy News
For anyone who loves Mundy Park, a visit to Silk Gallery in Port Moody in the coming weeks will be like a walk in the Coquitlam park thanks to a new exhibit by artist Sue Cowan. The Coquitlam artist will be revealing several new large oil canvasses depicting the cedars and firs of Mundy Park — and anyone taking in Cowan’s perspective on the city’s natural treasure will no doubt come away restored and refreshed. Called A Walk in the Forest, the exhibit should really be
called The Secret Lives of Trees, as Cowan has imbued the trees with personality and a sense of community that she admits to being anthropomorphic. “I like to think well, how do they relate to each other? The branches and roots are intertwined. What relationship do they have with each other?” The exhibit started with a conversation with Zoe Royer, the gallery manager and owner during a visit to Cowan’s home. Cowan has had a long artistic career, teaches at Place des Arts and was awarded senior signature status by the Federation of Canadian Artists. She loves to immerse herself in nature and is a fixture at Mundy Park, but she had only a few small paintings of the forest in her home.
“Zoe challenged me to paint larger,” Cowan said, and so began a winter and spring of capturing the life of Mundy Park on five foot canvasses stretched on wooden frames. There were the usual challenges of dealing with a cold spring to sketch or paint smaller studies but finding space in her home to paint large canvasses was an unexpected challenge: Cowan had to move from small studio to front hallway, then the garage. Her husband’s response? “He was probably relieved to see me get out of the hallway.” It was a pleasure to visit with Cowan for an early preview of the exhibit. Not only does Cowan have an obvious love for Mundy Park but her efforts to capture the essence of the
400-acre nature preserve are a wonder to see. She has a small book where she sketches out her vision in pencil and another where sketches are done in watercolour. Her pochade box, used to carry supplies and doubles as an easel for outdoor painting, is stained with oils. A Walk in the Forest offers a unique way to view Mundy Park, explore nature while keeping one’s feet dry and reminding us about the interconnectedness of living things. • The opening reception for A Walk in the Forest is Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Silk Art Gallery (2419 Clarke St., Port Moody). Cowan will do a live painting demo on Sept. 30 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the gallery. Visit silkgallery.ca. dstrandberg@tricitynews.com
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45 years on Place des Arts has been a part of Ginger Lovell’s life since the Coquitlam arts centre opened. The Burnaby elementary school teacher took up classes there after her first son was born in 1972, joining a women’s art group under the direction of Leonore Peyton. It was composed mainly of stay-at-home moms who wanted to learn such techniques as fabric arts, copper enamelling and painting. Lovell had always admired the latter form but had put it aside to pursue her career. At Place des Arts, though, “I found time to reconnect with my interest in art and it was a wonderful place to explore creative ideas and express them.” Now, 45 years later, the Coquitlam resident continues to enjoy her passion and regularly teaches the skills she learned at Place des Arts to her grandsons. This month, Lovell will display her talents in a new exhibition titled Inspiration 45 — a visual arts show that kicks off the Maillardville venue’s milestone year. Lovell, who will have a watercolour painting called Sanctuary (from Hornby Island) and an acrylic piece of the Pitt River, will
showcase her work in the Mezzanine Gallery alongside 15 other longtime artists such as Jane Appleby, who’s currently on the PdA faculty; Barb Krell, a student of faculty member Laurie Thompson; and Krista Mullally, a past PdA student and graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Lovell said she wanted to be part of Inspiration 45 to give back to the institution. The high-quality instruction she received over the years “shaped my work as an artist…. It’s very inspiring to be able to look back over those 45 years and see all the connections with the arts community and how fellow artists and children have benefitted.” Meanwhile, also opening on Friday is an industrial design and metalwork collection, titled Illuminated Comp, by Ross Hayduk in the Atrium Gallery. And in the Leonore Peyton Salon is Infoe-Diction, a mixed media series by Barbara Pearson. • The opening reception on Sept. 8 starts at 7 p.m. at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam). Admission is free and the artists will attend. The shows run until Oct. 7. Visit placedesarts.ca.
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jcleugh@tricitynews.com