Art at Council 2020
January 14, 2020Arlene Connolly | View from the Edge |
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View From The Edge is the title of tonight’s Art at Council. It is an acrylic painting by Arlene Connolly. Arlene is a member of the Port Moody Art Association, and this piece will be part of an upcoming exhibition at the Arts Centre titled Sea to Sky opening January 23. Painting is Arlene’s way of connecting with others. When she creates something it lets others know exactly what she sees and how she feels about the world around her. The majority of Arlene’s work is inspired by nature and she is always humbled by the beauty and the power of the natural world. She has a passion for detail, shapes, lines and colour with most of her work being rather graphic and stylized. Arlene’s favorite medium is watercolour for smaller work and acrylic for larger pieces, but she also enjoys working with ink and combinations of all three. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 30 second mark. |
January 28, 2020StreetArts Community Banners | Trees |
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The City’s StreetArts Banner Program is comprised of three components: Community, Student and Artist-designed banners, and tonight’s Art at Council will be a selection of Community banners. On January 18 and 19, the City of Port Moody hosted the annual Community Banner Painting Sessions in the Galleria. Thirty designed banners and ten duplicate banners were painted over the weekend. The banners painted on Sunday are currently on view in the Galleria, and six of the Saturday banners are presented here tonight. Every year, the Arts and Culture Committee selects a banner design theme and this year’s theme was Trees. Thank you to all who participated and your enthusiasm for this fun event! The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 2 minute 50 second mark. |
February 11, 2020Ioco Imperials | Baseball Uniform |
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It feels like spring is just around the corner and for some that means it’s time for baseball and spring training! Tonight’s Artifact at Council is an Ioco Imperial baseball uniform. The uniform, consisting of a jersey and pants, was donated to the Port Moody Station Museum by Mrs. Pat Hanson, and was worn by her husband, Mr. Frederick (Fred) Hanson Jr. Ioco was home to one of the province's best baseball teams in the 1920’s. It is known that many men kept their jobs at the refinery based on the fact that they were excellent ball players. The photograph on display tonight is a picture of the 1923 team which were the winners of the BC Senior Baseball Championship. In fact, the Ioco Imperials won the championship twice in the 1920’s. The front of the jersey has “Imperials” stitched along the front, and “Ioco” down the right sleeve, and there are 3 stars stitched on the back. If you look closely at the jersey you will see the inside tag states “Made in Canada” and has a Spalding logo. Thank you to the Port Moody Station Museum for providing us with tonight’s Port Moody artifacts. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 6 minute 9 second mark. |
February 25, 2020Film Trail | Amal |
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The Port Moody Film Society was established in 2000 and their mission was to encourage an appreciation of film and film making, showcase films and filmmakers, and to provide opportunities for regular viewings, annual festivals and film screenings at special events. The film society publicly screens high quality independent films from around the world. They are a unique film society in that they select all the films they scree, unlike most film societies that work through an established film circuit. Their annual Port Moody Canadian Film Festival is celebrating a big milestone – it is now in its 20th year! They are presenting the Best of the Fest, the Board’s pick of the 6 best films presented over the past 20 years. The 4 day film festival runs March 12 – 15. We have Mick Andic of the Port Moody Film Society here with us this evening. I understand Mick is going to tell us a little more about next month’s film festival, and will even share a trailer of the film Amal. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 3 minute 2 second mark. You can view the Amal film trailer here. |
March 10, 2020Maria Palotas | Lattice Plate |
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Maria Palotas is the talented artist behind tonight’s Art at Council. The soda-fired stoneware is a large lattice plate. Maria, who is originally from Hungary, developed an interest in the arts as a young child. She immigrated to Canada in 1988 and made B.C. her home in 1999. She is a member of the Tri City Potters and is part of their Earth, Form, Fire exhibit at the Port Moody Arts Centre on until April 16. Maria’s works adorn homes and offices throughout Europe, the U.S., and Canada. For Maria, pottery is a multi-faceted art. Its 3 dimensional expression allows her to bridge functional form with sculpted creation. For the past 3 decades, pottery and arts and craft making have allowed Maria to integrate drawing, painting and sculpting with her artistic vision of form and colour. Making artistic and craft pieces is her life, and her passion is to practice as well as share it with others. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 3 minute 36 second mark. |
April 14, 2020Alison White | Port Moody Heritage |
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Tonight’s artwork is a mixed media painting by local artist Alison White, and has been part of the City’s private at collection since 2000. The painting, titled Port Moody Heritage, represents the heritage of Port Moody where Alison’s husband’s grandfather lived along St. Johns Street. The homes were painted colourfully to symbolize the expectancy of a good future during that era. On a side note: Alison’s husband’s grandfather was A.B. White and served as a Port Moody Alderman in 1913, and the house he lived in is still standing. Alison has always painted heritage homes, whether in Port Moody, Ioco or Belcarra, enjoying the architecture and imagining what it was like to live in those times. Alison is quite active in the local arts community. She has been a member of the Port Moody Art Association for thirty years, holding positions of Secretary, President and currently Treasurer. She is also a member of the Blackberry Artist’s Society and the Passionate Outdoor Painters. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 49 minute mark. |
April 28, 2020Gillian McMillan | St. George Street |
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Tonight we are featuring another work of art from the City’s private collection. The 3D piece is by local artist Gillian McMillan and is titled St. George Street. It is a ‘Pope’s Hat plate’, a wide-rimmed platter with a traditional Italian shape, in maiolica, a fine earthenware with coloured decoration on an opaque white tin glaze usually featuring istoriato, decorated with animals, flowers or other designs that have a narrative or symbolic purpose. Gillian’s earthenware version is painted with her coloured slips and clear-glazed. Three of the houses in this imaginary cul-de-sac are within a block of her home and the fourth is actually her own house (the ochre yellow one) on St. George Street. The Port Moody Arts Centre opened its doors in 1996 and Gillian was there for 3 years as one of two ceramic Artists-in-Residence, and she also helped establish the ceramics department. It was also during this time that the St. George Street plate was created, and then displayed at a solo exhibition. Former Councillor Ann Hulbert attended the opening and decided it should have a home in City Hall where is has been proudly on display since then. Gillian is still busy creating pieces in her home studio and an active and founding member of the Tri-City Potters. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 4 minute 35 second mark. |
May 12, 2020Christy Dunsmore | A River Runs Through It |
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Joining us this evening for Art at Council is Christy Dunsmore. She’s a local artist, and is also an instructor at the Port Moody Arts Centre. Christy grew up in a home with a mother that was an amazing artist and a father that was an accountant, and over the years, she’s tried to honour that left/right brain duality gifted to her via her gene pool. Christy loves science and her first studies at university were in microbiology. Then she returned to do a degree in Fine Arts, focusing on drawing and printmaking as well as Asian Art studies. Then Christy returned again to study creative writing. And in between her art studies, she worked in the worlds of advertising and architecture. Christy’s career has included extensive work as an illustrator, copywriter, editor and administrator. But no matter what she’s doing, her goal has always been to encourage others and help them find what’s important to them, to help them find the story within. Tonight, Christy is presenting one of her mixed media paintings titled A River Runs Through It. Welcome Christy! Thank you for joining us! We would love to hear the story behind this piece. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 2 minute 10 second mark. |
June 23, 2020Emilie Nunez | Nature's Daughter |
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Joining us for Art at Council this evening is Emilie Nunez. Emilie is a visual artist and illustrator and works in a variety of mediums including acrylic, gouache and watercolour paintings, as well as, handmade ceramic art. She is sharing one of her acrylic paintings with us tonight titled Nature’s Daughter. Emilie’s interest in representing women in her artwork began when her mom underwent treatment for breast cancer. She did paintings of her mom to remind her mother of how beautiful and strong she is. Emilie’s mom is now cancer free and Emilie continues painting women. She is inspired by the strength her mom showed, and women everywhere who go through the same experience. Emilie’s work is currently part of a virtual exhibition titled Igniting Hope and is available for viewing in the digital gallery on the PoMoArts website. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 24 minute 2 second mark. |
July 14, 2020Community Art Engagement Project | Maple Leaf Medley |
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The City recently held our virtual Canada Day celebration. Traditionally there is a community public art engagement component as part of the day’s activities, so it was important to come up with a project where the community could participate online. The final artwork, led by Resident Artist, Sara Graham, is a digital mosaic titled Maple Leaf Medley, and was officially unveiled by Mayor Vagramov on July 1. The outreach to the community was key to the success of the final piece. In early June the City asked the community to submit still-life images of red and white objects found in their homes. Sara also reached out to Port Moody school principals, and connected with community associates and organizations, and her personal contacts to spread the word and encourage individuals to share this project. A total of 56 submissions were received and Sara began compiling the images on June 22. Sara spent the next week working with the images to create the final cohesive artwork. One of the challenges Sara faced in the process is that without physical engagement it was harder to express the excitement of the project to the community. The one highlight is the support received by Adrian Walker, an art teacher from École Moody Middle School for the Arts, where 15 submissions were received from his class alone. A big thank you goes out to everyone that participated in Maple Leaf Medley. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 5 minute 56 second mark. |
July 28, 2020Sarka Dostal Kump | All Chained Up |
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Artists find inspiration from some of the simplest every day sightings, and tonight’s featured artist is a perfect example of that. Sarka Dostal Kump would often see a bicycle chained up to a cheery blossom tree while driving down Shaughnessy Street in Port Coquitlam. On one particular day the bicycle looked so beautiful leaning up against the tree which happened to be in full bloom. Sarka couldn’t resist painting it, and even went on to create a series of bicycle paintings in different settings. She still has a number of bicycle photos that she is planning to use for future paintings. This mixed media painting, titled All Chained Up, has been part of the City’s private art collection since 2004, and is currently proudly on display over in the Recreation Complex in the General Manager of Community Services office. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 1 minute 55 second mark. |
September 8, 2020Marjorie Turnbull | Tranquility |
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Tranquility is defined as the quality or state of calmness, peacefulness and serenity, and it’s also the title of tonight’s Art at Council - an oil painting by local artist Marjorie Turnbull. Marjorie paints in oils and acrylics, is a Fine Art printmaker, and teaches in all three of these mediums. Her works can be found in private and corporate collections around the world. Marjorie was on holidays in the UK with her husband when she was inspired to paint this scene. Friends had taken them on a river boat trip, and they came upon a quiet spot with a small row boat and building. The colour of the boat and its reflection caught Marjorie’s eye - reflections being one of her favourite things to paint. This painting, purchased in 2015, is part of the City’s private art collection. I am pleased to let everyone know that the City’s private art collection, as well as the public art inventory and StreetArts banners, are now are available for viewing online at portmoody.ca under City Art. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 5 second mark. |
October 13, 2020Lanni Sulje | The Dikes at Night |
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Tonight’s Art at Council is an oil painting by local artist Lanni Sulje and is titled The Dikes at Night. The painting has been part of the City’s private art collection since 2017. Over the past fifteen years Lanni has, for the most part, concentrated on realism to capture the beauty of the land, people and architecture of the places she has lived or visited, and feels strongly connected to. With a love for the effects of light, she attempts to capture quiet moments with simplicity and a slightly dreamlike quality. Tonight’s artwork was inspired by the many hours Lanni spent walking, sketching, painting and photographing along the various trails in Pitt Meadows. Some days while walking the dikes she wouldn't want to leave, so she would continue walking until after the sun set and it became dark. Watching the stars come out and the light reflecting on the quiet water was enchanting, and eventually Lanni knew she needed to do a painting of it. Lanni used photographs, sketches and images in her my mind to create the painting in her studio. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 4 minute 55 second mark. |
October 27, 2020Sue Cowan | Working Pair |
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Sue Cowan is the artist behind tonight’s Art at Council. The acrylic painting is titled Working Pair, and was acquired by the City in 1999. Sue is an award-winning artist who is passionate about painting the world around her. This particular piece was inspired by a small rodeo in Mount Currie, BC that she attended with her family. She recalls that it was a low key event which they all enjoyed very much. She loves to immerse herself in nature and regularly works in “plein air” (painting outside), trying to capture impressions before the ever-elusive light changes. Her collection of work includes landscapes, figures, portraits, still life and Celtic stones, and her work has been showcased throughout the Tri-Cities, Vancouver and China. Sue has also taught drawing and painting for over 25 years and inspires new and emerging artists to gain skill and confidence to develop their unique personal vision. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 6 minute 50 second mark. |
November 10, 2020Dumitru Barliga | Day Break on Inlet Port Moody |
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We are once again showcasing a painting from the City’s private art collection. The watercolour is titled Day Break on Inlet Port Moody and was painted by the late Dumitru Barliga. Dumitru was born in Transylvania where he studied graphic design and decorating, and went on to graduate from the National Art School. He spent 15 years working as a graphic designer while continuing to develop his artistic abilities in a variety of mediums. After moving to Canada in 1997 Dumitru spent most of this time creating new techniques, mixing the best of the European traditional lessons he learned with fresh new concepts and radiant colours he embraced after moving to Canada. His artwork reflects a strong feeling for nature and human life. Sadly, Dumitru passed away in 2014, but his artistic talent lives on for us to enjoy. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 7 minute 18 second mark. |
November 24, 2020
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Maple is the title of tonight’s Art at Council. An acrylic painting by Evelia Espinosa. This painting along with another titled Maple Leaf were acquired by the City in 2011 and are on display in City Hall. Evelia’s interest in art began when she was introduced to painting as part of her studies to become a teacher in her home country of Mexico. After receiving her Bachelor in Pedagogy (PR: peh-duh-gow-jee) she went on to develop educational material on oil, watercolour, soft pastel, mixed media and acrylic techniques for the Mexican Ministry of Education. Evelia also taught seminars to special education teachers, contributed to a program that focused on child development, and participated in exhibitions at Special Education Schools so children would be exposed to art. Since arriving in Canada, she has set up the Evelia Espinosa Art Studio located in Port Moody, where she offers art class for children. Evelia also hosts the annual Children’s Art Festival in the Galleria in mid-June. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 8 minute 35 second mark. |
December 8, 2020Elizabeth Irving | Grown Up Christmas List |
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This is the last Regular Council meeting of the year and we are celebrating the start of the holiday season with a video performance by Elizabeth Irving. Elizabeth is 17 years old and is already a triple threat in the entertainment world. Whether entertaining the crowds with a microphone in hand, assuming the role of a character in a theatrical production or dancing to a choreographed song, this is what brings Elizabeth to life, and shows her passion to perform. She is a past winner of Tri-Cities Got Talent, and on November 21 of this year Elizabeth was presented with the prestigious Young Artist Academy Award for Outstanding Music Single for her debut song Remember. In place of this year’s CP Holiday Train the City has prepared a family-friendly virtual event titled SHARE-ing the Holiday Spirit. One of the highlights is a 30 minute musical performance featuring Elizabeth, and fellow singers Tom MacDonald and Emily Black. Here is Elizabeth performing Grown Up Christmas List, one of the Christmas carols she sang for the musical performance. This song and many others can be seen online at portmoody.ca/share. The Council video archive can be viewed here. Art at Council begins at the 15 minute 57 second mark. |
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