“It’s a political thing, at its basis, to assert that making creative work is kind of an anarchistic act. It’s not driven by the market, but by an impulse toward freedom.”
For Fort Langley artist, Suzanne Northcott it was exactly this type of ‘anarchistic’ creative impulse that led, a decade ago, to the formation of what has become one of the historic village’s most established art galleries.
The Fort Gallery will celebrate its 10th anniversary this month with “Full Circle” an exhibit of work by nine of its alumni artists.
All of the artists participating in the show, which opens on Saturday, Jan. 31, are or have at some point been members of the collective, which was formed in 2005 by Northcott and fellow artist Betty Spackman as a place where creative energy could flow unobstructed.
At the time, said Northcott, there was nowhere to show the kind of work she wanted to make — work that was not necessarily commercially driven.
She was living upstairs in the 1911 “Coronation Block,” a small heritage building at Glover Road and Francis Avenue, from which she was running both a gallery style shop and yoga studio.
“I couldn’t wait to stop doing that,” she said, with a laugh.
One day, while chatting with Spackman, Northcott mentioned an idea she’d had to turn the space into a gallery.
“Betty said, ‘I have a very clear vision.’”
Spackman suggested the space could be run as an artists’ co-op, similar to one she was familiar with in Toronto.
“We were so on the same page, it was scary,” said Northcott.
“It was very synchronistic. I had the space and Betty had the idea and a model.”
Beginning with artists whose work was already for sale in Northcott’s shop and looking around the community, the women approached several other artists to share their vision of a collective.
Among those who came on board was South Langley painter Susan Falk.
Bringing with her a background running a business, Falk’s timing could not have been better.
“Neither Betty nor I had any practical inclination. We’re idealists, full of ideas and passion,” said Northcott.
Much of the business sense the gallery needed, which was initially provided by Falk, was later offered by accountant Susan Beachy.
“We could not have survived without her,” Falk said.
Over the years, the gallery has done well with sales and the public has been very supportive of the artists’ efforts, added Falk.
The collective has also hosted annual fundraising events including their Blue Plate Special gala at the Fort Langley Community Hall and Art Farm plein air painting lessons on Falk’s property.
Many of the basic costs of keeping the gallery open have been covered by artists’ fees, with the gallery boasting an average of 20 members ‘holding the fort’ at any given time, and more than 50 individuals having come and gone over the years.
However, their numbers have dropped in the past 18 months and the artists are hoping to boost them once again to ensure the gallery remains self-sustaining.
The Fort Langley gallery is ideal for artists who are just starting out, as a place to find their niche while deciding how they want to turn their passion into a viable living.
“They figure out what to do about the commercial part. What’s a natural direction to take?” said Northcott.
“Eventually, they find other avenues, but there has to be a beginning,” said Falk. “It can be very scary if you’ve never had a show.”
Along with Northcott and Falk, the other artists exhibiting in Full Circle will be Nancy Crawford, Richard Forbes, Terry Nurmi, Fiona Moes Pel, Myrna Pfeifer, Donna Usher and Spackman.
In the spirit of true creative expression, the artists participating in the exhibit have not been given a theme nor any guidelines within which they’re expected to work.
“There are no limits — it’s whatever they want, whether pieces they’ve displayed before or new work,” said Northcott.
Crawford, a teacher at Langley Fine Arts School, was among the Fort Gallery’s first member artists in its early days. As both an established artist and someone who is engaged with up-and-coming young painters and sculptors every day, Crawford said a gallery where artists enjoy complete freedom is “essential.”
“You’re basically creating a safe place for people to take risks and have dialogue around it. A huge part of creating is sharing.”
She is preparing 14 pieces for the exhibit, which together will make up “The Detritus Collection.” Ranging in size from 12” x12” to 12”x 36,” the set of encaustic — layered wax — paintings will be displayed together to form one large piece, she explained.
Encased in the first piece is a single coil of rusted barbed wire. In the second piece there is a pair of objects, three items in the third, and so on.
Crawford’s use of materials others have cast aside to create art is quite deliberate.
“I’m an avid collector of the minutia of everyday life. What appeals to me is how we attach meaning to objects.
“What looks like garbage or trash are actually powerful memory triggers,” she said.
Working with melted wax evokes wonderful memories, in turn, for Crawford.
“My nana, who I adored, was a candlemaker,” she said.
In encaustic work, the pigment is suspended in melted beeswax and applied one layer at a time. The medium gives the artist an extraordinary amount of control, Crawford said. “You can achieve every effect from transparency to translucency to opacity. It’s very exciting.”
Using a heat gun or a blow torch, Crawford fuses each new layer with the one beneath it.
“My palette is a grill,” she said with a chuckle.
Full Circle, an exhibition of contemporary art, runs Jan. 28 to Feb 15, with an official opening on Saturday, Jan. 31 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Fort Gallery, located at 9048 Glover Rd. is open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Visit fortgallery.ca for more information or call 604-888-7411.
