It’s not her first brush with charitable work — far from it.
But a Langley painter has found fresh inspiration in an 80-year-old forest threatened with destruction and has stepped in to help. The Watchers of Langley Forests’ (WOLF) efforts to save the piece of land they’ve dubbed McLellan Forest will benefit from the sale of an original acrylic painting donated by Susan Falk.
The artwork, which was unveiled in the Fort Gallery on Friday, Jan. 11, will be on silent auction until the end of February.
The painting is of the forest itself — 25 acres of lush woodland in Glen Valley —which Falk first visited at the end of October, after reading a story about WOLF’s fight to keep the land from being sold by the Township and subsequently developed.
“I just happened to read it in the paper, so I took a stroll with Scarlett (her Newfoundland dog),” said Falk.
What struck the artist was how popular the forest is, with its well-trod paths and park-like atmosphere.
Although the artist isn’t opposed to development altogether, it’s important, she said, to pay attention to what’s happening around the community.
“There’s nothing wrong with awareness . . . there’s so much land under development in Langley and once it’s gone, there’s no bringing back these creeks and trees,” said Falk.
Valued at $1,200, the painting, which is considerably smaller than the massive canvases Falk is well known for producing, has a reserve bid of $400. Bids will be taken in minimum $50 increments either at the gallery, or through Falk’s email account, susanjfalk@shaw.ca.
“The idea is just to help them finance their efforts, if I can,” she said.
After the painting is sold, if the future of the forest is still up in the air, Falk will continue to produce artwork for the group to sell at auction, she said, possibly moving toward her traditional larger canvases painted in oils in the process.
“It would be really great if we could hang on to a section (of the land),” she said.
“It’s especially important with Glen Valley being so close to Fort Langley, the Birthplace of B.C.”
Fort Gallery is located at 9048 Glover Rd. Call 604-888-7411 for more.
