The Comox Valley Art Gallery hosts a variety of family friendly and free art activities this weekend as part of the ongoing Discover Art Saturday.
For those who would like to stay indoors and create Christmas cards, the gallery will provide art making supplies, the use of scissors, stamps, blank cards and collage materials. At this time of the year, our theme will be Christmas and Winter Wonderland.
Come in from the weather and enjoy a casual social, meet other CVAG members and guests — bring the whole family down, as all ages are welcome. We will also have light snacks and hot apple cider. These activities take place in the main gallery space, which is drop-in between 2 and 4 p.m.
If you’d like to go on an indoor/outdoor adventure, join us for an interactive afternoon of discovering the art of Laurence Playford-Beaudet. Meet at the CVAG George Sawchuk Gallery at 2, where you will view her artwork; an installation and mixed media project about her time spent treeplanting.
Laurence will give a brief introduction and invite discussion. Following the art talk will be a walk to a nearby location on the river, where Laurence will demonstrate some facets of the work of treeplanting.
There will be an opportunity for everyone to try the gear and the tools of a treeplanter. Good boots and warm clothes are required for the walk, which will have duration of about 45 minutes.
After the expedition, you will return to the CVAG for coffee, tea and light snacks, as well as discuss the experience and relate with the artwork. To facilitate our planning, please RSVP for the walk activity by Thursday at 5 p.m. by contacting Anh at 250-338-6211
Laurence was born in Timmins, Ont., and grew up mainly in the backwoods of northern Ontario. She started studying visual art at the University of Ottawa, but in 2009 was lured out to B.C.’s coast by work, love, and adventure. She transferred to the Emily Carr program at NIC campus in 2011.
As an interdisciplinary artist, Laurence works primarily with installation and drawing to investigate ideas of physicality, tangibility, and temporality. She takes a close look at the physical evidence of accumulation of time, while attempting to catch up to the most recent moment of her existence.
She prefers to use real-world objects, or as analog a capture medium as possible, to illustrate these themes — as opposed to exploring within two-dimensional space. In the past Laurence has experienced unusual living situations — such as living in a teepee on the west coast in 2010, and on a sailboat in the winter of 2011, and in a bush camp when she’s away treeplanting.
Different notions of space, comfort, and necessity tend to influence her work. She is currently sharing space in a house in Cumberland with a kitten, a puppy, and her partner.
The Comox Valley Art Gallery is located at 580 Duncan Avenue in downtown Courtenay.
— Comox Valley Art Gallery
