Meet your local artists: most beautiful art tour in Alberta
Eight art galleries and private studios throughout the south-west foothills participated in The Most Beautiful Art Tour in Alberta in September. The different venues link up twice a year, once in September and again in November, to spread the word about the fantastic art scene in the area. The advantage of the tour is that anyone can visit the participating venues for free without an appointment and they are often demonstrating how they make their art or have special displays. Another tour will kick off on Nov. 27 and 28.
Starting with the private artist studios, visitors to the Firebrand Glass Studio in Black Diamond got to see artists Julia Reimer and Tyler Rock create bowls, pumpkins, and other glass art pieces. Visitors crowded around the glass blowing demonstration and watched in awe as they slowly spun and shaped the molten glass. Their work is collected internationally including the private collection of the Prime Minister in Ottawa as well as the Emperor of Japan. To book a private studio visit, contact Julia@firebrandglass.ca or check out firebrandglass.ca.
Another private studio is located on the hill west of Turner Valley, called Kristoferson Studio, where Susan Kristoferson demonstrated collage-making using advanced paper weaving techniques. She said the tour brought a slow but steady stream of visitors to her small studio.
“They were very interested, they found the collages unique. It was an artform they don’t see very often. And some people were just interested in the technique, or how I apply the glue, or what glue I use, or how I make decisions, and why I hand paint and hand dye papers as opposed to buying them,” she said.
Kristoferson decorates paper using certain techniques before she uses them to create other pieces of art, like collages, book covers, origami, and much more. She moves pieces of paper around until they fit together to represent what she wants to depict. Her surroundings inspire her work; the prairies to the east, with the foothills and Rockies to the west, and even the colourful sky above. Find her at kristoferson-studio.ca.
Down the hill from Kristoferson in Turner Valley, Mady Thiel-Kopstein also welcomed visitors into her home studio during the art tour. She hung her work outside in her backyard, but due to the weather she had to move inside later in the weekend. She noted that the sun lit up her colourful artwork beautifully, and she tried to mimic the effect indoors. All the art on display was painted by her, and even as visitors walked in she was busy painting away in the corner.
“I paint what I love, I love ravens, I love nature. I do a lot of hiking, so I’m inspired by what I see and I usually paint what I see,” she said.
Thiel-Kopstein is mostly self-taught but has taken many courses over the years. Her art is colourful, natural, and original. To visit her studio, phone ahead at 403-933-5647 or visit her website at www.mady.ca
The last private studio belonged to potter and sculptor, David Barnes, south of Black Diamond. Barnes and one of his students were busy creating ceramic works and demonstrating their techniques during the tour at the Eversfield Studio. Barnes said the tour is not all about the stunning work, but more about educating the general public as to what they do, the process involved, how complex it is, and how much time it takes.
“So that when they go into another gallery and see a piece of work, they’re not shocked by the price. We’re talking about how many hours go into it and how many different techniques there are available for people,” he said.
There’s multiple firing techniques, multiple types of clay, multiple decorating techniques and all that comes across when a few interested visitors start asking questions, he added. Barnes teaches classes throughout the week and also works on a cross section of functional ware and sculptural pieces. Interested individuals can go to eversfieldceramics.com to sign up for classes, if available.
Amongst the venues were also four public galleries, including the Leighton Art Centre who was one of the Tour’s founders. To celebrate Alberta Culture Days, the Leighton Art Centre hosted a series of events during the tour that featured en plein air art, which means art created outdoors and in the moment. Their new exhibit In The Open Air features Plein Air art, and an event tent on the property sold Plein Air art. They also hosted a Plein Air competition called Paint the Foothills.
Twenty artists braved the elements and painted in different locations on the property before two judges chose a winner on the Sunday.
“It can be a very challenging way to paint because you’re time limited and especially for a competition,” said Amanda MacKay, director of marketing and communications at the Leighton Centre.
In addition to the pieces being judged and awarded by official judges, the centre also had the first Rose Baxter People’s Choice Award, which was created in the honour of an anonymous donor’s mother. Two individuals won that award, due to a tie. The Leighton Art Centre is open to the public on Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm, for more information go to leightoncentre.org.
Another one of the tour’s founders beside the Leighton Art Centre and Firebrand Glass Studio is the Bluerock Gallery in Black Diamond. Owner, curator, and director of the gallery, Tarek Nemr, noted that the tour this year was one of their busiest. Visitors were able to view the artwork in the gallery from around 200 regional artists and craftspeople.
“We try to stick to local, so most of our artists are from Alberta and the surrounding areas. We have many mediums; paintings, glass arts, ceramics, sculptures, woodwork, books by local authors, cards, a variety of art work,” said Nemr.
Visitors could enter to win one of two hand-made rocking chairs from an artist in Calgary, worth $4400.
Two galleries in Okotoks also participated in the tour. Lineham House Galleries, a destination urban art gallery featuring Southern Alberta artists of all kinds in a beautiful heritage home built by the founding family of Okotoks in 1906. The street was lined with visual artists and a musician stood on the veranda of Lineham House performing songs for people that visited the 4th Annual Elma Street ARTSwalk.
Okotoks Art Gallery featured a display called ‘Hope Blooms’. This exhibit featured artwork by local OAG members. During the weekend, art demonstrations were performed on the gallery’s front lawn by members of the Phoenix Art Club.
For more information and how to visit each studio or gallery, go to themostbeautifularttourinalberta.com
Masha Scheele, HCN Staff
media@highcountrynews.ca
