Highlighting ART from Beautiful B.C.
By Katherine Fawcett
Face The Music - Susie Cipolla
For an artist, inspiration can be found virtually anywhere. When you’re an artist living in British Columbia, where the landscape is both breathtaking and ever-changing with the seasons, such inspiration is not only everywhere; it can be impossible to forget.
It’s no wonder B.C. attracts so many artists to live and work here, and many people born and raised here find their lifelong passion in the visual arts. The air is crisp and clean, the water plentiful, the land extraordinary, and the pace of life in tune with the seasons.
Celebrating 30 years, Adele Campbell Fine Art (ACFA) prides itself on long-standing relationships with collectors and artists. With a focus on representing some of Canada’s best-known artists alongside emerging talent, the gallery features a variety of classic and contemporary original paintings, sculptures, and photography. Hosting frequent exhibitions with artists in attendance, ACFA strives to showcase a revolving collection from the finest Canadian artists, many of whom draw inspiration from nature and the wildlife of Whistler and throughout B.C.
The work of each of the artists below is featured at the gallery.
Winter In The Cariboo - Cameron Bird
Artists in the Sea to Sky can draw inspiration from the breathtaking meadows of the Pemberton Valley, framed by snow-capped mountains and dotted with old barns and farm life; to the peaks, valleys, rivers, lakes, and snowy slopes in the Whistler area; to the powerful ocean, rugged coastlines, and rainforests of Howe Sound and the coastal islands. This can be extended to artists throughout B.C., influenced by an array of landscapes, from cityscapes to the pastoral hills and peaceful lakes of the interior to the dramatic mountain ranges across our province.
Pemberton-based acrylic painter Susie Cipolla’s art studio sits adjacent to her horse corral overlooking the family’s old farmhouse, providing an inexhaustible source of inspiration. Her wildlife, marine scenes, and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest are sought after worldwide. Her stunning bear portraits, such as “Face the Music,” twinkle with vibrancy and offer viewers an emotional connection to these formidable yet enthralling creatures.
Once employed as a packhorse guide in the Chilcotin Mountains, Cameron Bird has an intimate knowledge of the land his work portrays. He finds creativity while fishing, camping, and hiking, producing much of his work en plein air. He was inspired by Canadian landscape painters, The Group of Seven, and Tom Thomson in particular, as well as artist, teacher, and mentor K.C. Smith. Bird’s captivating works, such as “Winter in the Cariboo,” suggest a playful elegance and bold intentionality in the brush stroke.
Vancouver Island’s Kathryn Amisson uses brush, palette knife, tissue paper, and acrylic mediums to provide extraordinary interpretations of constantly changing B.C. scenes. “The unceasing diversity of nature excites me, inspires me, and will forever be my interpretive challenge,” Amisson said. Her painting of Black Tusk, an unmissable, unique mountain peak in Garibaldi Provincial Park, is titled “The Star of the Show.” It is a prime example of Amisson’s passion for wide open spaces that she transfers beautifully onto the canvas.
Although Paul Paquette was born in Newfoundland, he moved west at a young age, and his work is admiringly infused with a B.C. vibe. Paquette has sailed the Gulf Islands, hiked the West Coast, climbed sheer rock faces, scuba-dived beneath icy waters, and skied many of the province’s best slopes. This intimacy with nature and outdoor activity permeates his works, including his piece “The Perfect Turn,” a dramatic depiction of the intensity of powder skiing.
John Ogilvy is a born-and-bred B.C. artist who often travels to gather ideas and then returns to paint in his studios on Gabriola Island and Lima, Peru. His pieces, such as the brilliant and exquisitely detailed “Clear and Cool,” explore a landscape and civilization’s impact on it. Unlike a raw wilderness painting, the images in his works include manufactured, familiar elements such as city lights, bridges, and traffic within a landscape context. He often depicts no specific place but a compilation of his memories and experiences.
Tinyan Chan’s painting style combines Asian aesthetics, bold splashes of colour, intricate details, and an energetic, impressionistic style. Born in China in 1942, Chan settled in Canada in 1968 and has been a resident of Vancouver for more than 50 years. Today, he is one of the country’s best-loved, most lauded artists. His work “Fresh Winter Breeze” could be a walk on a Whistler trail after the first snowfall, but with brilliant pops of colour that reflect the diverse cultural influences from his life.
The competition for artists to secure exhibition space in fine art galleries is intense. Liz Harris, ACFA owner and director, receives more than 200 artist submissions yearly, in addition to her research at art fairs and online. “I often shortlist in May, and then in the fall, and subject to a niche I may need to be filled, timing, or sometimes a gut feeling, I will bring on a new artist, but that might only be one, or two artists a year,” Harris says.
“You don’t have too look far to feel a connection to this remarkable place. While many artists gain inspiration from their local surroundings, the paintings still need to resonate with people from across the globe — this talent of portraying majestic mountains, lapping waves, or soulful wildlife is admirable. The ability of these artists to capture the pure power and intimate understanding of the wilderness, as well as the boldness and colour of a landscape, is ever-present in the art created,” says Harris.
“We always strive to promote a connection, whether an experience, a landscape, or a cherished memory. Paintings evoke a feeling, a memory, or may take you back to a place in time.”
Visit Adele Campbell Fine Art in the Westin Resort & Spa to see these pieces and the work of many other B.C. and western Canadian artists, as well as those from other regions of Canada.
adelecampbell.com | 604-938-0887