…..Keeping Watch
April 7, 2016
Our little Gallery in the small city of Kamloops, B. C.’s historic Courthouse (1911) has a Featured Artist offering every month and May will be my month to put on a display of recent miniatures. So now it is a matter of working towards having a good showing.
“Keeping Watch”
watercolour on Saunders Hot Press #140 lb paper, 4″ x 6″
I can’t quite explain why it is that depictions of Ravens sell so well, but they do. So it is a pleasure to be able to comply and feed the need, so to speak. They are indeed a very symbolic and ancient bird whose fame is heralded in many countries and cultural legends concerning them abound.
Out taking photographs of them this week, I came across a pair whose size was truly astonishing and whose throaty calls echoed off the nearby boulders and across the wide Thompson River. Once that is accomplished, it is a matter of trying to place them in a scene which has definite mood and emotional impact.
on display
June 22, 2015
THE OLD COURTHOUSE GALLERY CO-OP and Gift Shop got its start in 2007. The Courthouse itself is a Kamloops, B. C., landmark, built in 1909.
photo: Okanagan Art Review.com
A superb and intact example of the Edwardian Baroque style, its interior demonstrates an Arts and Crafts sensibility.
Mainly symmetrical, the building features an elaborate central entry, prominent parapet gables and a corner square-domed tower. It was constructed primarily of local brick, British Columbia stone such as granite, limestone and slate, and wood from local lumber mills. The choice of materials symbolized a commitment to the use of quality British Columbia products, a source of pride in this provincial building. An exceptional level of design and craftsmanship is evident throughout the building. It is one of the most accomplished designs of prominent architects Dalton & Eveleigh, and the stained glass came from the studio of Charles Bloomfield. (source: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=12791)
Our Artists’ Co-op now consists of sixteen local artists, whose work is on display within one of the rooms of the original Courthouse. We are a group made up of several potters, glassmakers, jewelry makers, painters, two photographers, one dollmaker, and one weaver. I am currently the President.
Every month we schedule one or two of us to be the Featured Artists who occupy a special area just inside the entrance.
We are open five days a week, all year round, and our biggest event is called Christmas At The Courthouse where we invite and jury in arts and fine crafts vendors to sell their wares throughout the entire building . . .