Quesnel

My solo show at the Quesnel Art Gallery is now confirmed for next June.
I will also be doing a weekend long workshop at the gallery and teaching some of my more involved techniques.

Quesnel is a northern town committed enough to the arts to have a public gallery. My experience with Quesnel is that people from there enjoy art. Many of them traveled to Wells last summer and purchased art from my gallery. Quesnel is not a large city. The people work in jobs like ranching, forestry and mining. They are earthy. The land is wild and cold for most of the year. Men wear big beards, drive big trucks and work hard. Women are tough and solid. Not a likely place for art appreciation. But it is by far my favourite place to show.

I was thrilled last summer at the loggers, truck drivers and miners who came in the St. Georges Gallery in Wells. Sometimes they chopped my wood for the fire for a chance sit in the warmth and take in one of Corey Hardeman or Marie Nagel's paintings. They played with my sculpture and were thrilled by some of my techniques. I was also given rusty bits, help setting up and sled dog hair. And they bought work. The majority of my sales were from Quesnel patrons.

I can't help think that the constant and patient education Marie Nagel did exposed these people to a different way of seeing. That her common and gentle influence made a difference for all other artists in the area. She was followed by the efforts from people like the I.M.A., Bill Horne and Claire Kudjundzic, the Quesnel Art Gallery, Paul Crawford and his wife Julie, and the Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George.

No doubt the people in Quesnel honour art enough to have such a beautiful gallery that changes shows about once a month and offers locals the opportunity to learn from artists. I am thrilled to get to share some of my skills.