Don't miss out on this fabulous coming together of two genuine free spirits & creatives! Show runs April 11 - May 6, 2023.

 

Artist Statement - Deborah Dallyn

Throughout the ages God has been a shape shifter and the idea of God has evolved. Our culture has moved away from the idea of one beatific being, the all-powerful one towards an individual choice of what we believe. Our organizations and massive corporations have slipped us into a comfortable mode of feeling taken care of. When in fact, the reverse is the case. 

It is time to reinstate the feeling of awe that was so well represented by the early church, which was, the idea of an extraordinary being who knows all and sees all.

The feeling that you get if you walk into an ancient cathedral, can be the same as walking on a grove of ancient woodland.

That feeling of awe should be reinstated, but redirected towards the extraordinary 

And marvellous world we live in. 

 I have become infatuated with swallows (actually hummingbirds - English blackbirds and many - if not all other species fall into this category)

Because they are an example of another life that occupies the same planet with us, but of course in a very different an but utterly extraordinary way.

Swallows are under threat as the habitat that they rely on is disappearing. They are the most beautiful birds to watch flying, providing arial acrobatics that are second to none.

They fly thousands of miles in their migration south for the winter, they endure flying over deserts, (which as we know are increasing in size every year,) flying over tall mountain ranges where they can’t stop.  They face decreasing water supplies, where they can recharge during their long flight, and threat of increasingly violent storms, which hamper their migration.

The arrive back to the same ledge on the same barn every year, after flights of 1200 miles.  

No wonder that they have fallen into folklore as the heralds of summer.

I am in awe of swallows.

I bear them reverence.

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Artist Statement - Carolyn Bel

Tree magic, and Children of Elder Cedar stem from my many walks in the forests of Gabriola and the peace and wonder that visits me when I do. South of It, Cozy Little Space Station, Embroidered, and Paris II were inspired by the medium of oil paint itself and the revisiting of an older medium than acrylics.  They are further inspired by music that often accompanies me when I am painting.

My icons shown, Julia Child and Virginia Woolf, are of women who have inspired me with their out of the box thinking and their willingness to embrace their authenticity.  I have always loved traditional icons.  It came to me back in the early 90s that because every human and animal emanates energy and light that I wanted to honour those beings who were not traditional saints connected with the church (and more than a few times I have been told that my choices are sacrilegious). So that’s where the icon series began, back in the 90s with Wayne Gretzky, Blossom Dearie, Fran Leibowitz, and many more over the years.  I enjoy the whimsey.