2022 Art Tour on Saturna

Artists invite you to their studios and locations, including the Community Hall. It's going to be a very interesting show with a diversity of media and styles. 

Not to be missed on a hot long weekend!

Art is LIVE on Saturna Island!

 A magical little island at the southern-most tip of the Gulf Islands, Saturna Island hosts
 a surprising variety of artists. Finally, after the many restrictions imposed by the Corona pandemic,   Saturna's artists are here to invite you to see art LIVE! 

 Art Saturna artists have opened their studios for visits, along with a number of
 art events that are happening this summer. These include the multi-island Tour des Îles 
 on June 24-26 and the local Saturna Art Tour on July 30-31. As well, the local art
 featured at the Art Show at the Saturna  Café beside the Saturna General Store 
 is always a treat that changes monthly. 

 Here's a peek from the Saturna Art Tour brochure, for a start. 

The Saturna Art Tour brochure provides just a sampling of the range of visual art on our island.   

Artwork on Saturna includes different styles and media of paintings, fiber and fabric art, drawings, photography, and yet-to be-discovered surprises.You're bound to see even more at the open studios and artist venues on this tour. Stay tuned to this blog for related updates.

The following list of Art Saturna members should help orient you. Be sure to check out artists' websites, Facebook, and Instagram for a preview. Feel free to contact them at the emails or phone numbers listed. Ask any questions you have about Saturna (especially about art on our island) from any of the folks listed. 

 

        Nettie Adams  nettie@telus.net
         -- Art photography 
         255 East Point Road, (By Appointment)
         website: nettieadams.ca
         778-918-7575

        Ellen Bourassa  embourassa@gmail.com
        -- Fibre art of layered, stitched and quilted fabric images inspired
        by the natural world, particularly that of British Columbia.

        www.instagram.com/ellen_bourassa

        Jack Campbell  artdream.jcampbell@gmail.com
        -- A well-loved, renowned painter and art teacher, Jack's work is represented 
        by his wife, Carole-Keele Campbell & daughter, Heather Roemer 

        Website: jackcampbell-artdream.com
        phone Carole at 1-250-539-5448 or Heather 1-604-417-6658

        Donna-Fay Digance  info@donnafaydigance.com
        -- Fine art textiles: framed mini art quilts, cards, wall hangings
        121 East Point Road
        website: donnafaydigance.com
        www.facebook.com/DreamscapesStudio
        www.instagram.com/donnafaydigance
        250-539-5577

        Denise Kuzyk   Dmkuzyk@gmail.com 

        -- Pencil, pen, water colour and alcohol inks on various papers and glass,
        with drawing influences from training making traditional Urkanian Easter 
        eggs (pysank) and small sizes to suit greeting card formats and affordability.  

        250-539-5778.

        Monica Morten
        -- Small abstract, mixed media pieces inspired by the natural beauty
        of Saturna Island and the Salish Sea.  

        166 Cliffside Road (by appointment only)
        www.instagram.com/monicamorten
        604-726-6463

        Karen Muntean  karenmuntean@gmail.com
        -- Abstract acrylic paintings, figurative linoprints and watercolours
        website: karenmuntean.com

        250-539-3585 

        Sylvia Olsen  yetsa@shaw.ca
        -- A knitting designer interested in functional art, her work includes
        carpets, rugs, wall hangings, blankets, pillows as well as things to wear.

        Saturna Lodge, 130 Payne Rd
        website: sylviaolsen.com

        Gaye Oreskovic  gaye1717@gmail.com
        --Works in acrylic, pastel, fabric, needle felting and water colour
        119 Eastpoint Road 
        250 539 3086

        Robyn Quaintance  quaint559@gmail.com
        -- A fibre artist who enjoys felting, weaving, spinning, and making paper, who 

        also paints on wood

        Saturna Lodge, 130 Payne Rd
        250-888-9444

        Colleen Sheridan  colleen@truecoloursarttherapy.com
        -- Inspired by the trees, ocean, and critters of Saturna, with works mainly
         in acrylic and always from the heart 
        Community Hall, 105 Eastpoint Rd.
        website: truecoloursarttherapy.com

        Janet Strayer  info@janetstrayerart.com
        --Fine art figurative and abstract paintings plus stylistically diverse mixed 

        media works that have won some awards, shown and collected cross-borders

        Prism Gallery at ferry dock (weekends), Studio (appointment) 114 Houghquie  Wynd
        website:janetstrayer.com/
        www.facebook.com/JanetStrayerArt
        www.instagram.com/janetstrayer
        250-539-2646

        Neysa Wiens  wiesa@shaw.ca
       -- A love of nature shown through watercolour paintings, line wash paintings
        and black & white drawings, inspired by travels and Saturna Island

        Community Hall, 105 Eastpoint Rd.
         604-612-2061

                    

             Imaginary Geographies

                Map based art by Karen Muntean 

                       at the Saturna Cafe

                         March 3-30, 2022

 

Art Goes LIVE on Saturna this December!

Come celebrate the creative life on Saturna this December. After too long a time apart, let's come together to enjoy the art and creativity in our community. ArtSaturna artists invite you to join us at the Saturna Café on Saturday, December 4, for the opening night of our group show. The reception (with cash bar) is from 5-6 pm, followed by a great dinner prepared by Hubertus. The cost for the dinner is $31.50 per person and should be reserved at the café. Please bring your vaccination passport to this event. Looking forward to enjoying each other's company at the reception and hoping you all enjoy our art exhibition.

Check out some art!

Saturna artists invite you to have a look at their work online or in person. Some studios are open this summer, usually by appointment. Come and see what we've been doing over the last year of isolation... Keep an eye out for our brochure, which is available at the store and at various studios. Below, an online version.

SATURNA CAFE ART SHOW - Interview with Donna-Fay Digance

 

 

Saturna Dreamscapes - March 10 - April 15, 2021
Interview with Donna-Fay Digance
by Monica Morten

Tell me about yourself and your art. 

I have a B.Ed. in Art Education from the University of Alberta and a M.Ed. in Art Education from the University of British Columbia. I have also taken summer courses at Emily Carr in viscosity etching and paper-making. Maiwa courses were a great resource for learning to dye fabric, silk painting and batik. I taught for three years and then moved to London, England to do an extra year’s study at Goldsmith’s College, University of London where I met my husband, Leonard We opened a pottery studio in an historic coach house across from Greenwich Park. Our son, Avrom was born two years later. When he was 11 months old, my mother had moved to Vancouver and persuaded us to return to Canada, because of all the ‘opportunities for artists.’ Hah!  So I began teaching again and had absolutely no time or energy for my art. Twelve years later I enrolled in an art class at UBC with a wonderful  artist, Dick Bond, and those early skills came back, better than ever.

Now I exhibit with professional fibre art organizations: Studio Art Quilts Association, Fibre Art Network, Surface Design Association and Vancouver Island Surface Design Association.

How did you come to Saturna?

When I took early retirement, we wanted to open a B&B on the Gulf Islands as Len had completed his chef’s training and hospitality courses. That way we could also have our art studios to use in the off-season. Saturna was the island that resonated most. We planned to find a fixer-upper but nothing was available, so instead of following sage advice to downsize, we built our six bedroom, five bathroom B&B home. Now really being retired, we wondered what on earth we were thinking.

What's the best thing about living here?

The best things about living here are of course the people, the incredible scenery, the peace and quiet, and now in the midst of a pandemic, the safety.

Where do you get your inspiration?  What inspires you?

My early work always featured the human figure as I had attended my first life drawing class when I was in high school. I did a series of etchings, “Masked Dancers”, which used a theme of transformation juxtaposing combinations of animal and human forms which I called “Dreamscapes.”

Since we moved to Saturna full time in 1996, the pristine environment has me now creating landscapes from my imagination, but the iconic Arbutus trees now move and sway like my early dancers.

How did you become an artist?

I was raised by a single mother, at least between two marriages, who always bought me quality art materials because she knew I’d keep myself busy for hours. We returned from San Francisco, after many moves, to Vegreville, Alberta so my step-father could manage my grandfather’s hotel. I enrolled in an adult art class, at age 11, where, Laura Reid, a well-known Alberta artist, encouraged my foray into art creating watercolour landscapes. 

Why did you choose fabric for your art?

My early training was in drawing and painting. I then explored etching, and intaglio printing using different grounds, zinc plates, solvent and nitric acid. I used to work towards a summer show each year, of my etchings, at Dundarave Print Co-op on Granville Island. I certainly didn’t want to use those toxic materials on Saturna, so when an opportunity to learn quilting with Lynne Piper arose, it seemed a perfect opportunity to explore fabric. I was terrible at trying to do precise piecing so it was more rewarding to transition to my own images. There are so many processes to use with fabric: appliqué, dyeing, piecing, batik, painting, hand embroidery and endless variations of machine stitching. I especially like the freedom from rules so one can keep experimenting and exploring possibilities. I still have my etching press though, so maybe someday I’ll use it with fabric.

What projects are you working on/looking forward to?

I look forward to working on larger original art quilts based on themes set by juried shows.

Tell me about a piece that you are really happy with and why. 

I’m pleased with my latest painted silk art quilt, 20” x 34,” that has three layers: a painted top, batting and a silk design backing. I used free motion machine stitching through the three layers which adds to the depth and texture of this Saturna inspired landscape.

Tell me about your show and one piece in particular. 

For my March Saturna Cafe Show, “Saturna Dreamscapes”,  textile pieces  are mounted on black stretched canvas. I’m really pleased with the small version of the Parks Canada Saturna Field Office Triptych. The original is three art quilts, each 27’’x 60”, but this new piece has all three images reduced in size to 20”x 16.”  I’ve been experimenting with having my original designs professionally printed on different types of fabric, and in different sizes, modifying with paint and stitch to create new pieces.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I miss the opportunities to sell my work directly at the summer and Christmas markets and directly in my studio but my Facebook page, Saturna Dreamscapes Studio and my new website: www.donnafaydigance.com, designed by web242.com , Avrom Digance, have provided some new opportunities.

Excerpts from ‘Art in Stitches’ by Cherie Thiessen,  Aqua, Gulf Islands Living, Volume 12

“When you take a classically and extensively trained artist with a sense of adventure and a zest for experimentation and put her on a small island where there are few distractions but copious natural beauty and serenity maybe this is what you get: riveting fabric multi-media collages that look remarkably like traditional canvases but are three dimensional and tactile.  To bring her canvases to life, the artist uses a variety of  fabrics combined with drawing, painting, batik and textile dyeing, … enhanced with machine and hand embroidery”