30 Years of Dedication to Canadian Art

Story by Alice Engelmore

Adele Campbell Fine Art has inspired people to fall in love with Canadian art for 30 years. Elizabeth Harris, the gallery’s owner and director, smiles when describing a common experience of visitors to the gallery: “A lot of people don’t know Canadian art,” she says. “When they come into the gallery, they often have this reaction like, ‘Wow! It’s really powerful, it’s colourful, it’s really moving!’” She believes this can be attributed to the exceptional talent of Canadian artists and the beauty of the Canadian landscape. “It’s this vastness and boldness, and the artists’ use of different brush strokes, of different palettes, and this post-impressionistic style that allows the landscape and the wildlife to speak for itself.”

Harris credits the gallery’s deep and enduring relationships with artists and clients for its three decades of success. Many of the more than 50 artists represented by the gallery have been with them for 20 or more years. One example is Cameron Bird, a landscape painter inspired by the great Canadian artist Tom Thomson. Bird started with the gallery in 1993, in his early 20s. A protégé of an earlier Adele Campbell artist, the late Keith C. Smith, Bird creates oil sketches en plein air (outdoors, in nature) and then uses them to inform his finished paintings. He is now internationally recognized and is still represented and shown by Adele Campbell.

CAMERON BIRD

CAMERON BIRD
Whistler Mountain

LAURA HARRIS

Another long-time Adele Campbell artist, Victoria-based Laura Harris, creates textured, evocative paintings, many of them large scale. According to gallerist and former gallery co-owner Michelle Kirkegaard, “Her work rocks people’s souls a little — it reaches out and pulls them in.” Elizabeth Harris tells the story of the gallery’s first encounter with the artist in 2002. “Harris came in with paintings slung under her arm, which you’re never meant to do,” she says. “She asked if Michelle (Kirkegaard) would take a chance on her, and by the time the artist got home to Victoria, we’d sold six of her paintings. Harris has had an extraordinary run ever since.” Laura Harris’s paintings are collected privately and corporately worldwide.

There are many ways to enjoy the gallery. Exhibition openings are free and open to the public. These are festive events, often with the artist present to answer questions. Live painting events see artists come in and work, demonstrating their techniques. If, during your visit, you find a piece you love, Harris and her staff will guide you through the purchasing process. Understanding who the artists are is an important part of experiencing art, says Harris. “We encourage people to come into the gallery and browse. We’re here to teach people. We explain who the artist is, why the price tag is what it is, [and] all the expertise, time and years that these artists have put into their craft. That’s what builds the value in the artwork.”

Harris is excited about the future of art in Whistler. “I feel like Whistler has exceeded all expectations as far as the mountain environment, the mountain biking, the skiing, all the natural surroundings. Visitors are just starting to dip their toes into the arts and cultural realm in Whistler.” She lauds the Audain Art Museum’s significance in promoting Whistler as an international centre and destination for art lovers. “There is an opportunity for real international visibility,” she says.

LAURA HARRIS
Sighing But In a Really Good Way

LAURA HARRIS
She Danced on Clouds

CAMERON BIRD
Rocky Islet-Port Hardy

One avenue to increasing that visibility is online. Adele Campbell has a strong digital presence and presents all its exhibitions both online and in person. All the artwork is professionally photographed and available for sale on the gallery’s website. They also offer “virtual installations” in which a potential client can send a photograph of the setting where the client hopes to present the artwork, along with measurements, and the gallery can place an image of the artwork, to scale, in the photo. “We find that is a tool we use more often with clients that have purchased before, that know the gallery, know certain artists’ work, know their styles, their nuances, their medium, and are collecting that artist, and they have a specific space [in mind] in their home,” Harris says. “Then we can fine-tune a specific piece of artwork for that space.” The gallery has done virtual installations for people as far away as China and the U.K.
Harris emphasizes that she is not an artist. “I’ve always deeply loved art, and I always hoped that I could find myself in this business somehow.” She encourages children to nurture their creativity. “There are so many opportunities that I’d like to see opened up to children and young adults. [Being involved with art] enhances our culture and our world.”

Harris credits her staff for the gallery’s continued success. “We’ve always been able to retain extraordinary people because it is such a joyful place,” she says.
After more than 20 years at Adele Campbell Fine Art, Harris still finds deep satisfaction in working with artists and clients. “What I love most about the gallery is connecting with people, talking and helping them find a little piece that brings them joy. There’s that feeling [when you see artwork]: your own reaction, your own emotion. That’s the beauty of art. It’s your personal connection. That’s why we love art, that’s why we hang art, that’s why we buy art.”
adelecampbell.com