The Castlegar Art Walk Opening Celebration was held this week held at the Castlegar & District Community Complex, featuring a mini-show, reception and entertainment.
Castlegar Art Walk 2014 is now underway, running to September 14 and featuring more than 30 local and regional artists and artisans, displaying work at 26 venues around Castlegar. Maps for this self-guided art tour are available at the Castlegar Visitor Centre.
For more information, please visit www.castlegarculture.com/culture-guide/castlegar-art-walk.
Each week, The Castlegar News is featuring biographies from different artists in the show.
Bill Lovely’s unique creations
Name: Bill & Adrienne Lovely
Company: Kootenay Rocks
Venue: Glacier Honda (#11)
Medium: Whimsical Pebble Art
Current residence: Pass Creek, BC
Contact:
www.facebook.com/KootenayRocks
Artist statement and Bio:
Creating art is when we feel most alive. Being involved in markets and cultural events throughout the Kootenays allows us to meet amazing, generous, interesting people. We never planned on becoming “artisans”: our way of life is to do what we can by figuring out how to make or fix it, for ourselves. The best part of being an artisan is sharing what we had such fun creating, with others.
Our inspirations come from where we live in Pass Creek. The valley has such beauty, nature and peace that living among it allows us to reflect and appreciate the simpler things, which we then incorporate into our art.
Bill creates his birdhouses from discarded license plates and pallet wood he finds on the curb, and Adrienne creates her pebble art with natural elements found along the Kootenay’s beautiful beaches. Up-cycling these items and making them into quirky and functional objects is, to us—art. Creating whimsical art is a way for us to share a piece of ourselves, and the Kootenays, with others.
We appreciate your interest in our work and can be reached at our Facebook page. We are also happy to discuss custom pieces.
Artist Name: Kate Bridger
Venue: Fireside Inn (#13)
Medium: Fabric Art
Current residence: Nelson, BC
Contact:
www.katebridger.wix.com/kbgof
Bio:
My foray into fabric art began in the early 1980s, when I lived with my husband and two small children in a remote “pulp and paper town” in Northern Ontario. The winters were long and nasty, and the summers were short and buggy—there was plenty of time to pursue new interests. Having always enjoyed working with fabrics I began making wall hangings for my children’s rooms. When their walls were amply covered, I fine-tuned my techniques, tested the marketplace and developed the art form that I have remained committed to ever since.
In 1994, my family and I moved to Nelson. Two years later, I opened an art and furnishing gallery business downtown, which I operated for almost a decade. Since then—in addition to exploring a variety of vocations, including retail, ad sales and real estate; travelling and successfully launching my two sons into the world—I have continued to work in fabric art, selling my work locally and through my website.
My work has appeared in magazines, won awards, and can be seen in businesses and homes around the world. I have created well over 200 original pieces, featuring landscapes, wildlife, house portraits, vintage cars, household and abstract objects.
In 2013, I published an art book “The Fabric of Nelson,” featuring some of my favourite fabric art pieces depicting life in, and around, Nelson, BC.
Artist Statement:
My sources of inspiration include Northern Ontario, the Kootenays, English countryside, Tuscan villages, Greek Islands, Nelson, New Zealand, and my own backyard. I am as excited about classical architecture and pastoral vistas, as I am about unkempt alleys, rusty trucks and crumbling barns.
My palette is comprised of minute pieces of fabric carefully selected for their colour and texture. Meticulous stitching provides the finer details that add dimension and credibility to my finished work.
