Countdown to ArtWalk Squamish Valley

by Cinci Csere | September 7, 2008 at 09:47 am

186 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

ArtWalk is VISUALS' showcase weekend event, held every September 20 and 21. Enjoy meeting the artists in their studios and be inspired by their talents. Delight in discovering the rich and diverse displays by local artists showcased throughout our galleries, shops and artist studios. Come out, pick up a Guide at the many locations around town and participate in our self-guided tour. To tickle your interest, featuring artists who will be participating in this exciting annual event:

Toby Jaxon - as a talented interior designer, Toby extends her flair and design philosophy into her artwork by taking into consideration focus, colour and arrangement. “Applying thick acrylic in deliberate strokes requires drying time. When I’m in my creative zone, this technique forces me to always have several paintings in progress which, as a result, allows me to always have a fresh canvas on my easel. It’s exciting to me, working through the composition - design of shapes, colours and complementary adjacencies. Sometimes I think that I spend most of my time mixing paint to get the exact saturation, tone and hue. The whole creative process pulls me into a vortex and I get obsessed and all I want to do is paint.”

Toby is an accomplished artist and the new Curator of the Foyer Gallery, in addition to her successful design career. She was President of VISUALS for the past two years and is currently Vice-President of the artist group as well as an active Mom and wife. Toby looks forward to meeting visitors at Gelato Carina where she will display her latest portraits and paintings.

Jan Phelan, a recent transplant to Squamish, is a ceramic artist from Georgian Bay Ontario . Her intricate multi-fired works with cutouts and gold luster can be found in the residence of the Governor General of Canada , Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as well as many corporate and private collections in Canada and the United States , including renowned musician Oscar Peterson. "I find my inspiration in the dance of sunlight over a meadow of summer wildflowers, or in the memory of my mother's rose garden. I know of nothing more beautiful". Jan is in the process of setting up her studio in Squamish and her work can be found at Mountain Galleries in Whistler, Jasper and Banff, and of course ArtWalk. Meet Jan at the Squamish Arts Council Building on Cleveland Ave during ArtWalk and give her a warm Squamish welcome!

Fran Solar, Woven Metal Sculpturist, is a contemporary Canadian artist who combines textile techniques with unconventional materials to create unique woven sculpture, both free-standing and wall-mounted. Fran studied at the University of Manitoba , graduating in 1960 with a degree in Interior Design. In the mid-1990's, Fran began to experiment with basketry as another textile art form, initially using traditional materials such as wood and reed. She later developed an interest in using metals in combination with textile techniques such as loom weaving, basketry, and quilting. Her materials today include 'masculine' materials and hardware pieces, such as copper, brass, stainless steel sheet and wire, bike parts and gears - and turning them into quilts and basket vessels with more of a domestic/feminine dynamic. These materials are further altered through the use of heat and chemical patinas.

Fran Solar's work is held in numerous public and private collections internationally, and she is represented by galleries in British Columbia including Mountain Galleries at the Fairmont , Whistler and Numen Gallery, Yaletown. Fran looks forward to greeting visitors to her studio in the Garibaldi Highlands.

Linda Wagner, AFCA, donor of this year's annual fundraiser prize to be drawn at the conclusion of ArtWalk, is an accomplished oil painter. She moved to the Garibaldi Highlands 4 years ago and has been active in the arts community as both a volunteer and showing artist, through VISUALS, Wild at Art and the Foyer Gallery. She describes her work..."I prefer to push one idea through a number of paintings to form a series, maintaining a bold approach with strong lines and bright colour." Although Linda paints mostly abstract designs, she will have some landscapes on display at ArtWalk. After her recent sail around Vancouver Island, it was impossible to ignore the inspiration that she felt on the beautiful West Coast.
Tickets for the fundraiser draw are available at the Adventure Centre now, until Sept 21. $5 per ticket, 3 for $10. All proceeds are shared equally between VISUALS and the Sea to Sky Community Services.

Support our local artists by coming out to ArtWalk, Sept 20 and 21.