Thea Haubrich’s legacy is one that not only changed lives through art, but also brought an ancient art form to life in Western Canada.
Haubrich’s passion for encaustic art, painting using heated beeswax with the addition of coloured pigments, popularized the art form in Canada after she and her husband moved to the Okanagan in 2004.
A dedicated installation to be unveiled at the Leir House on May 6 will be the first permanent art installation in recent memory at the cultural centre.
It has been three years since Haubrich succumbed to cancer, but she left an undoubtable mark on many lives, whether that be through the students of her encaustic art classes or her legacy fund helping those with poor financial circumstances attend encaustic classes.
“I’m honoured that the arts community is so supportive of what my wife did,” husband Peter Haubrich said.
“She was extremely enthusiastic about encaustic which she learned in Germany just by coincidence. She came across this ancient technology and then did some formal training. When she came to the Okanagan she received such positive response, she started talking about it and showing it to people,” Peter said.
The Dutch couple moved to the Okanagan from Germany when they fell in love with the people and the aura of positivity in Canada.
It was that community spirit that embraced Thea’s work and propelled her to touch so many lives.
“It was not a money maker, it was a hobby and a business. But she was inspired by giving people the opportunity to be creative,” Peter said.
Carol Munro now a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, said she would not be where she is today without Thea’s help.
Munro was in Thea’s first group that attended encaustic art classes after she found out through a newspaper ad.
“It absolutely galvanized my life as an artist. As a result of meeting Thea and learning about encaustic and realizing it combined all the things I like to do in painting. I had found my medium,” Munro said.
Thea continued to host workshop after workshop and the circle of artists engaged in encaustic painting grew.
The thought of the Okanagan, and by extension Western Canada, being the hub for encaustic art in North America was just wishful thinking in the early days, Munro said.
Through international contacts, Thea was constantly making links and bringing people together.
After she died, the CanwaxWEST organization was formed, fulfilling a dream of Thea’s. The organization hosts conferences and shows including the Brilliant Moments show and silent auction at the Leir House.
“Thea always dreamed she could establish encaustic as a viable and real and respected part of the art world here,” Munro said.
The installation to be revealed at the Leir House is going to be made up of 6×6 encaustic paintings, contributed by those who were touched by her legacy.
There are 16 spaces with more than 16 pieces submitted, so it will be a surprise as to who was selected by the Penticton Arts Council to be included in the installation.
The submitted pieces were inspired by some of Thea’s favourite themes to explore. Working in black and white on small-scale paintings, with two subjects Thea particularly enjoyed, crows and the intricate shape patterns known as zentangles.
The pieces that were not selected for the installation are going to be auctioned off with the funds raised going towards Thea’s legacy fund.
For Munro, Thea’s impact on her life was monumental.
“I wouldn’t be where I am at in my life as an artist had Thea not done what she did when she put that little ad in the monthly newsletter,” Munro said. “The loss of Thea is a huge loss. It’s like one of the pillars has been taken out of your platform.”
Munro felt like the Brilliant Moments encausitc shows were no longer something she could tackle after Thea’s death, and she stepped back for a while.
“That was my mistake. It was far from over,” Munroe said.
“I recognized, thanks to Thea, that I needed to take a point in my life where I said ‘I am an artist,’ and I didn’t look back,” Munro said.
She has since grown her artistic endeavors, all of which she attributes to Thea.
“All of it is an expression of gratitude that Thea’s lifeline crossed my lifeline at a certain point,” Munro said.
Doors open for the Brilliant Moments show and sale at 6 p.m. with the installation reveal at 7 p.m. and coffee, tea and snacks will be available.
