You might well be familiar with the exuberant wildlife paintings produced by Louise Nicholson, but were you aware that the North Vancouver-based artist has worked closely with the likes of the North Shore Black Bear Society, the Great Bear Lodge, and the Grizzly Bear Foundation to get better acquainted with her furry subject matter?
Often displayed in galleries across the North Shore, it’s likely that you will have pored over the ethereal landscapes crafted at the hands of painter Colette Tan, but did you know Tan had once been a banker, and that it was a battle with cancer that inspired the artist to pick up a paintbrush?
This weekend, more than 150 artists will open their spaces to the public for the annual North Shore Art Crawl. Art lovers can browse the wares of the talented painters, jewelry makers and ceramicists that call the North Shore home, in addition to meeting the artists themselves.
The event provides opportunity for connection and conversation, said Nicholson, with the open doors serving as an invitation for the local art community to get to know the person behind the paintbrush.
“People want to have a story behind what they’ve got hanging on their wall,” she said. “They want to know that they have met the person who made it, to have heard their story about the work. It excites them, it connects them with the art.”
Nicholson will likely have a painting on the go throughout the crawl, so guests can see the artist at work. She hopes those in attendance will ask about the grizzlies and black bears that appear when she puts paint to paper, whether they intend on buying or not.
“I want people to know that there’s no need to be shy, we’re wanting to say hello and to be visited,” she said. “I imagine some people feel intimidated at going to look at art, or feel like they’re going to be obliged to purchase, but it is not that way at all. It’s just a chance for them to come and visit and see, and engage.”
For artists like Colette Tan, who regards her own stark landscape paintings as visual diary entries, understanding the artist is the only way to truly understand the art. Without knowing her story, she said, observers are only getting part of the puzzle.
“At one glance, my art may look like one thing, but once they get to know who I am then the paintings might look like something else,” she said. “I really want people to see my life through my paintings, to see what I was going through at each stage.”
Tan said it had been a breast cancer diagnosis in 2018 that propelled her to “embrace the calling” of full-time artist, officially embarking on it as a career two years later in 2020 when her treatment came to an end. Each piece since has been moulded by her journey, she said, one she is more than willing to talk about with those who drop by her space at Welch Street Studios across the weekend.
The opportunity to ask questions “is invaluable” said Tan, whether that be on the artist’s personal journey, inspirations and creative process, or advice that they can give.
The crawl kicks off at 7 p.m. on Friday evening with a number of opening receptions, before carrying on across the weekend at its 69 locations – galleries, studios, art schools, community centres and businesses from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove.
For the full list of participating artists and venues, visit northvanarts.ca.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
