You can lose yourself in painting, and you can find yourself, too.
That’s what Jill Waterfall of the Arbutus Ridge Art Club has discovered.
“My membership in the club is an important part of my life. I have enjoyed being part of a supportive group, attending their workshops, and working with and learning from other members.
The group, which consists of a range of creative spirits, from professionals to beginners, is holding a show and sale at the Arbutus Ridge Golf Club Satellite Bar & Grill on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3-4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
“These are all made from Styrofoam. It’s really fascinating: the different materials you can use to take your print from.”
She’s used pieces of Styrofoam meat trays, the aluminum lining from juice boxes, and many other materials in her exploration of this art form.
“When I joined the art club here, Daphne Jackson introduced our art group to a lot of different print making techniques. That sort of got me going. Then I started going to a lot of various print making workshops in Victoria. I always think it’s fascinating, the different materials that will make a plate. Each material makes different demands of you. For instance, if you’re using plexiglas, you have to think in fine lines. Then there’s that foam insulating board that you get from building supply places. With that, you have to think in shapes.”
Waterfall really enjoys the contrasts that she sees in nature when she is looking for subjects to paint.
In one of her paintings, light streaming through a forest, she says, “the light was pouring in here, but it was actually very dark overall. The other thing I try to be aware of is that if I’ve got some busy areas I try to have some calm parts, too. That’s why I don’t add much to the sky; the sky can be a nice quiet, empty relief.”
She also works from sketches rather than from photographs because she prefers to simplify her subjects.
Waterfall said she has found many places around the Cowichan Valley that offer just the kind of natural subject she delights in. Two examples are Stoney Hill in Maple Bay, and, nearer her Arbutus Ridge home, Bright Angel Park.
