Art at Council 2021

January 12, 2021

Community Art Project led by Resident Artist, Sara Graham  | Starlit Train

We are kicking off Art at Council with a community art engagement project that was led by our Resident Artist, Sara Graham, titled Starlit Train.

Sara is joining us this evening to share some background on the project, as well as screening 2 short videos of behind-the-scenes and the final installation. Welcome Sara! Thank you for joining us this evening. 

A few of Sara's talking points included:

• Starlit Train was a holiday-themed shadow play community art project where community members were asked to contribute a train or star artwork to the final design.

• Two public engagement opportunities were held outside of the library (November 28 and December 5) to safely distribute 147 art kits.

• Each kit included a template for a train and star, instructions and coloured cellophane.

• A PDF was available online for community members that did not want to pick up a kit in person.

• Outreach to community also included Port Moody schools, and also distributed 101 kits to the Recreation department's preschool and youth programs.

• A grand total of 175 submissions were received.

• Unfortunately, due to COVID health regulations, we were unable to promote the unveiling of Starlit Train on December 17. Starlit Train ran nightly from sunset to 1:30am until January 3.

• Making a collaborative artwork in a pandemic is very challenging, but Sara was overwhelmed with pride with the number of submissions she received.

• Both engagement dates were sunny and there was so much interest from the public on the project. It was a bright spot on a rather unexpected rainy holiday season.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 7 minute 40 second mark.

January 26, 2021

Don Portelance | The Arrival of the First Transcontinental Train, July 4, 1886

The City’s private art collection includes 3 artworks by Don Portelance, a local professional artist and art teacher. Two of the artworks are watercolour paintings titled Harbour Fantasy and Lillian Packs a Fish. But the focus this evening is the third artwork, a hand-pulled lithograph titled The Arrival of the First Transcontinental Train, July 4, 1886.

Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties Don was unable to connect with the online meeting and provide background on the artwork.

February 9, 2021

Don Portelance | The Arrival of the First Transcontinental Train, July 4, 1886

Due to unforeseen technical difficulties we were unable to connect with Don Portelance for Art at Council at the last Council meeting. Fortunately those issues have been resolved, and I am pleased that he has agreed to join us this evening.

Don is a local professional artist, as well as an art teacher. We have three of his artworks in the City’s collection, and this evening we will be focusing on The Arrival of the First Transcontinental Train, July 4, 1886, a hand-pulled lithograph.

We are looking forward to hearing more about the creation of the lithograph.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 40 second mark.

February 23, 2021

Ulla Supelov | Golden Ears Park - Shoreline

This evening’s Art at Council is by Ulla Supelov. Ulla is a nature lover. This acrylic painting is a reflection of one of her many walks and is aptly titled Golden Ears Park – Shoreline.

Ulla grew up in Finland in an artistic family and was exposed to many aspects of art. She studied ceramic painting, along with watercolour and acrylic painting, with well-known artists.

Moving to Canada, especially to beautiful BC, provided Ulla with an opportunity to express her love of nature in her paintings. She is inspired and moved by the colourful patterns and shades of light, trees dancing in the wind, and water falling and splashing along the shoreline. She says “It’s a pleasure to capture changing seasons with her brush and paint”.

Ulla is a member of the Port Moody Art Association and this painting was acquired by the City at their annual Show and Sale in 2014.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 2 minute 27 second mark.

March 9, 2021

Adrienne Peacock | Mossum Creek

Tonight’s artwork has been part of the City’s private art collection since 2011. It is an acrylic painting by Adrienne Peacock titled Mossom Creek.

Many years ago, Adrienne and a friend of hers attended a plein air painting session organized by the Port Moody Art Association at the Mossom Creek Hatchery. Adrienne was struck by the beauty of the waterway. The creek was verdant with moss and vine maples. She tried to capture the energy of the water flow, the red rocks, and the magnificent moss covered rocks, all surrounded by dense forest. The shallow creek had great sparkle and colour, and many changes in depth. Adrienne loved the scenery and really enjoyed painting this piece.

Due to the public hearing we were unable to have Adrienne join us, but we are fortunate and pleased to be able to showcase her painting this evening.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 23 second mark.

March 23, 2021

Marian Hazelwood | Forest Garden

Marian Hazelwood is the artist behind tonight’s Art at Council. The oil painting is titled Forest Garden and was inspired by photographs she had taken, as well as from memories of her time sitting amongst giant trees in the forest.

Marian is mainly self-taught. She has tried other mediums but always came back to oil because she loves the texture, richness and translucency of this medium.

Early on Marian’s first attempts at painting huge trees was very basic but through the years she developed a style of using the light, sometimes backlit, and working in a trail, bridge, water or pathway to draw you into the painting and to take you through the forest. The big trees are made with a palette knife, almost like sculpting, and she used a brush for details like moss. She used very dark colours at first then gradually brought touches of the sun in a few spots and used deep blues and purples on the shaded side of the trees.

This particular painting is, and always has been, Marian’s favourite painting and we are so pleased that it is part of the City’s art collection and that we were able to share it with everyone this evening.

The Council video archive can be viewed here.  Art at Council begins at the 2 minute 35 second mark.

April 13, 2021

Taize Powell | Melancholy Cords

Joining us this evening for Art at Council is Taize Powell. Taize began painting at an early age. His childhood home was filled with African carvings and traditional paintings, which became a strong inspiration during his formative years and is reflected in much of his artwork.

Taize paints with the intention of capturing his subject’s state of mind; sometimes the work has a mood of melancholy or joy, sometimes pain, but always powerful. That power is visible in tonight's featured artwork, an oil painting titled Melancholy Cords.

Welcome Taize. Thank you for joining us this evening. We look forward to hearing more about yourself and tonight’s painting.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 1 minute 17 second mark. 

Note: Taize Powell has an exhibition titled Melancholy taking place at POMOArts April 15 - May 12, with a Virtual Artist Talk and Tour on April 22.

April 27, 2021

A.J. Devlin | Rolling Thunder

Tonight’s Art at Council is focusing on the literary arts. We are thrilled to have author A.J. Devlin joining us this evening where he will be reading an excerpt from one of his books.

A.J. grew up in the Tri-Cities before moving to Southern California where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from Chapman University and a Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting from The American Film Institute. After working as a screenwriter in Hollywood, he moved back home to Port Moody, where he now lives with his wife and two children.

COBRA CLUTCH, the first book in the "Hammerhead" Jed mystery series, was published in April 2018 and was nominated for the 2019 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery and won the 2019 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel. The follow-up, ROLLING THUNDER, was released to universal acclaim in Spring 2020 and featured in The Vancouver Sun, The Province, The Globe And Mail, and CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 2 minute 48 second mark.

May 11, 2021

Cezar Salaveria | Oceans Apart

Joining us this evening for Art at Council is local artist Cezar Salaveria.

Cezar began his creative journey as a filmmaker and then transitioned from telling stories on film to expressing stories through functional art which he creates with wood and metal.

Tonight’s presentation is a blend of both mediums. Cezar has prepared a short video that will highlight his past, present and future artwork.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 7 minute 53 second mark.

June 22, 2021

Gay Torlay | Pigeon Creek

Pigeon Creek is the title of tonight’s Art at Council. It is a watercolour by local artist Gay Torlay. Gay works in multiple mediums but is most comfortable in watercolour and feels it’s her best medium. She likes to paint quickly and loosely, and make the watercolour glow.

Gay has lived along the inlet in Port Moody for the past 45 years and has never grown tired of its views. She loves watching the patterns that the sea makes as the tide ebbs and flows, and the distinct shapes found in the water running alongside the sand bars.

The painting was acquired by the City in 2007 and even though it’s been on display for 14 years the scene remains timeless.

Gay is not with us this evening but we are so pleased to be able to highlight her painting.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 1 minute 3 second mark.

July 13, 2021

Marney-Rose Edge & Claire Sower | Garden Escapes

This evening we will be presenting artwork from 2 artists, Marney-Rose Edge and Claire Sower.

Marney-Rose is a Vancouver based artist whose true mastery makes her paintings come alive. She is well known for her watercolours and acrylics, but oils have become an important part of her creative process.

Claire is a contemporary artist also based in Vancouver, whose work is bold, colourful and whimsical. She is known for her expressionist, impasto florals and vivid landscapes.

Tonight’s paintings reflect their love of florals and the gardens they grow in. Public, private and hidden green spaces have become even more of a place of refuge, calm and diversion during the pandemic. The heightened importance of the social and mental benefits of nature inspired the artists to invite photographic submissions of gardens and then painted a selection of them to add to the body of work they were creating for Garden Escapes which is currently exhibiting at POMOArts.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 30 second mark.

July 27, 2021

40 Artists | BC Virtual Gallery Crawl

Tonight’s Art at Council is in celebration of BC Day. The City is presenting an online event titled BC Virtual Gallery Crawl.

On August 2nd the virtual crawl, made up of 40 artists that call BC home, will go live.

A digital collage was created using snippets from a piece of each artist’s artwork. Viewers can explore each artist’s work by clicking on the tiles in the collage, where they will be taken to an artist’s gallery of work.

We invite everyone to check out the amazing artwork created by the 40 BC artists by going online to portmoody.ca/POMOVGC starting August 2.

The gallery crawl will remain viewable for the month of August.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 26 second mark.

September 28, 2021

Community Art Project led by Resident Artist, Sara Graham  | FamiLEAF

Tonight’s Art at Council is a community engagement art piece titled FamiLEAF. The project was led by our Resident Staff Artist, Sara Graham, and this was her last project with the City.

The community was invited to design a wooden maple leaf. The shape of the leaf is special in that it can make a tessellation - a pattern of a repeated shape that fits perfectly together like a puzzle. The name of the piece was born from the idea that everyone in the community is part of one big family, and that we are all connected. The maple leaf shape is also a nod to Fall as well as a symbol of Canada.

The artwork, made up of 324 submissions, has been installed at the Recreation Complex and can be viewed from outside near the main entrance. FamiLEAF will be on display until October 24 in support of Culture Days, a national month-long celebration of arts and culture.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 3 minute 22 second mark.

October 12, 2021

Hope Forstenzer | From the Ashes - Phoenix

Joining us this evening is Hope Forstenzer. Hope is a glass artist whose artwork, whether practical or sculptural, strives to express the two things she loves most about glass - light and emotion.

Hope is a native New Yorker who worked extensively in film, theatre and ceramics before falling madly in love with glass in 2000. By 2003 she had moved to Seattle to study glass with as many glass artists as she could find. She slowly developed a feel and style of her own, finally becoming a teacher herself in 2008. She has been living in Vancouver since 2012 and is a proud member of Terminal City Glass Co-op, where she works and teaches. She has shown her work in juried shows in Seattle, North Vancouver, Vancouver, Burlington, and as part of a group commission for the Vancouver Opera.

Welcome Hope! We look forward to hearing more about you and your sculpture titled From the Ashes – Phoenix, which is part of your The Dream of Flight exhibition currently showing at POMOArts. 

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 50 second mark.

October 26, 2021

Paul Shannon | Red Canoe

Joining us this evening is photo artist Paul Shannon. Paul creates functional and decorative art using his fine art photography and a variety of media such as wood, marble, and textured surfaces.

Paul strives to capture a special moment and share it with others in his wall art panels, marble and wooden coasters, as well as textured wood blocks.

He has been working as an artist for over 15 years, and has photographed extensively in the local area, B.C. and around the world.

He is also a member of the Blackberry Artist's Society, and his work can be seen in the Blackberry Gift Shop located in POMOArts.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 45 second mark.

November 9, 2021

Resident Staff Artist, Sara Graham | Rocky Point Park vinyl wraps

The weather may have turned cold and grey but tonight’s Art at Council is anything but.

In collaboration with the Parks department, Resident Staff Artist Sara Graham designed three colourful and bright vinyl wraps. Beginning with the variety of flowers located at the base of the electrical boxes, Sara created designs that integrate with the existing plantings. Most of the shapes found in the designs come from the surrounding trees and plants but a few additional shapes were artistically introduced.

Two of the wraps were installed at the end of August. Wild as the Wind is located on Murray Street at the entrance to the Rocky Point Park parking lot. In this design, the red background represents sunrise.

The second vinyl wrap, with the purple background representing sunset, is titled The Quiet of Night. This wrap is located on Murray Street at the southwest corner of Rocky Point Park parking lot.

The third wrap titled In the Open Air is scheduled to be installed before the end of the year.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 45 second mark.

November 23, 2021

Kimberly Hodgens | Inclusion Matters

James Lash | Woodlands

In support and celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3rd, we are joined tonight by 2 artists, Kimberly Hodgens and James Lash.

Kim has no formal art training but developed a deep interest for art at a very early age. She finds happiness, sadness, and inspiration through sketching, drawing, and painting. Kim’s favourite medium is painting, but loves all forms of expression and colour, and you can see this in the jewelry she loves to wear. Seeing her art displayed in the museum has brought Kim extreme joy. She is very proud and tells everyone to go see her painting in the museum. Kim loves to create whether it is for her own wellness and creativity or to share with her family and friends. Her goal in doing this particular piece of art is to convey that there is hope for people when connected, supported, advocated and included.

James is a self a self-taught artist and began creating art as a child. He is an impressionist painter and likes the work of Monet, Georgia O’Keefe and Chagall. Along with art, James loves planes and trains, travelling and enjoys good food. His biggest supporters are Dee Blackmore and his family, who are at every show James participates in. James is a man of few words but multiple talents. He is a painter and potter with his own unique sense of form and colour. He is a man with the soul of an artist, and his accomplishments continue to delight many.

The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 1 minute and 29 second mark.