Karen Muntean: "Home & Away" Show

Here are a couple photos from the opening of "Home & Away", my show of new linocuts at Saturna Café that runs until February 27, 2014. 

Hubertus served up a fabulous meal for nineteen after the opening, which made it a really nice evening for me.  Thank you to everyone who came to look, talk and share a glass of wine.

Janet Strayer: Eastside (Vancouver) Culture Crawl Report

photo of Janet Strayer by JK

Thanks to all who came to visit at this year's lively and festive Eastside Culture Crawl in Vancouver. Three days of art, art, art!

Very different from the pace and setting I love at Saturna, but also a welcome experience each year. This is my third year as an artist participant.

Our studio at 1000  Parker Street (#202) contains five painters and has become a lovely showplace. Three other  studio-mates and painters participated in this year's Crawl: Meredith Aitken, Debbie Bakos, and Katerine Gordon.

This year, over 400 artists were part of the Crawl in Vancouver. We and the community meet, greet, and enjoy the too-muchness of it all! An interview I gave to a camera man covering the event for City TV was the last coherent event I recall. The rest, except for some striking conversations and people, is a bit of a blur right now. But I'm still standing in his photo, propped against a studio wall showing my newest paintings.

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Inter-Island Culture Shock: It's a Good Thing

View from inside boat

Galiano  and Saturna are two small islands in the Salish Sea. They are part of a beautiful archipelago called the Gulf Islands (in Canada) and the San Juans (in the US).  Sitting nicely across from Vancouver, BC, regularly scheduled daily ferries take you to these wonder spots. Day trips from island to island, though, are not so easy -- unless you have a hardy boat: some of the water passages are tricky. 

around Galiano dock

I live on Saturna and I'm a painter, as you may know from earlier posts. Each island here is different from the others. But I guess they all share something of an "island culture". One way I glimpse this culture-shift in myself  (I spend half the week on-island and half in Vancouver) is as easy as looking in the mirror. I look different once my feet hit island ground. My face broadens, my eyes deepen, my feet tread differently. 

Janet Strayer & Jack Campbell

Not surprisingly, these islands call to creative artists of all sorts. They're magical in nature, filled with sea and sky and trees and creatures, with breathing room for inspiration, and isolated enough to let one listen to, and do, what creatively is called for.

Although each island has a "culture", planned inter-island cultural events aren't common.  So I want to celebrate one on Galiano that features several Saturna painters and fabric artists.

Insight Gallery entryway

With the help of a small grant, a group of us were picked up by boat at the Saturna dock on a gorgeous day and sped off royally to Galiano (half hour away). Similar arrangements had been made to transport a group of visitors from other nearby islands.  

Saturna artists were escorted from the dock via a cute little bus that took  us to the Insight Gallery, built for showing art in this lovely setting and run by Tish Saunders. We were made so welcome, with food and wine and great company.

It was amazing to see how beautifully the show of paintings and fabric art had been displayed. The setting was just right. And the poetry reading  added another art form to the visual. You can follow more about this show, running all September, on the ArtSaturna website.

The opening party was yesterday, and what a treat it was. People flocked in all afternoon. They were interested and interesting, including a large contingent of fellow artists of all persuasions. 

It was terrific to hear all the laudatory comments and insights. I think all the participating artists shared my enthusiasm. Why curb it?  I want personally to thank several people, all new to me, in whose glowing remarks I still bask. How generous of you.

Lest you think only the big city artists do it, several island-dwelling artists I met told me their works sell out yearly on island! So, maybe "making it" as an artist doesn't  have to go the big city route. I'm no expert on this, but I know there are many out there who may be. What do you think?

Today's Thought

How can you not have an adventure when you live on an island?

-- Janet

Saturday November 30 from 4-6 at Saturna Cafe:  opening for "Home & Away", a show of 2013 linocuts.

by Karen Muntean.  Hope to see you there!

Opening Reception at Insight Gallery, Galiano

On a beautiful day, seven Saturna artists and a poet went on a boat ride and visited another island for a party... How much fun was it? Lots of fun!  Insight Gallery, on Galiano Island, warmly hosted the opening reception for the Saturna Artists Show, which continues until September 28. If you can get to Galiano, don't miss it.

It was exciting to see the array of styles and media on display in the gallery. 

We would like to thank Tish Saunders, artist and gallery owner, who organized this whole escapade for us, down to boat and bus transport. Tish invited an interested crowd to the opening and everyone was treated to a reading of select poems by Ellen McGinn.

Ellen McGinn, reading poems at Insight Gallery, Galiano Island, BC

It was a lively crowd, with loud conversations going on, a lot of networking, and we noticed some early  sales! Great vibe in the room...

Tish Saunders, above, introduced everyone and described the goal of this initiative, which is to build cultural links across the water, with the generous support of the Trincomali Community Arts Council. During the reception, we were able to meet many artists from Galiano and from Mayne islands, including several directors of the Trincomali Arts Council, which was an additional treat!

And after the party, while regretting that we had to go home... we certainly enjoyed the beauty of the sunset. A beautiful end to a visually-rich day.

Art Saturna: Insight Gallery Show on Galiano Island

Art Saturna: Insight Gallery Show on Galiano Island
For more information, please go to: www.insightartgallery.ca

Insight Gallery Show on Galiano Island

In a special invitation from across the water, Insight Art Gallery, located on Galiano Island, will host a special show this September, featuring Saturna artists.

Opening Reception:  Saturday, August 31st  4 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Insight Gallery

157 Georgeson Bay Road
Galiano Island, B.C.
(250) 539 5080

Saturna artists will attend the opening, along with author Ellen McGinn, who will do a reading.

We look forward to travelling to Galiano for this special occasion, and thank Tish Saunders, artist and owner of Insight Art Gallery, for initiating this inter-island "art escapade"! We hope that the experience will lead to similar exchanges in the future.

The Saturna artists would also like to thank the Trincomali Community Arts Council for its financial support of this inter-island initiative.