Mary and Haig Farris

ICONIC ISLAND IMAGES.

In working towards a 2025 exhibition Mary intends to pursue imagery from the forests,
beaches, skies and ocean with representation of wildlife to extend that theme.
Haig’s photos would include Bowen birds, insects, ocean wildlife, landscape, flowers
and old growth forest.

Mary Farris

I have been participating in art in many forms all my life. As a child of 7, I attended the VAG

Saturday morning art classes for 2 years and was awarded a year’s tuition at the Vancouver School of Art for the following year.

While earning my B.A. degree at UBC I chose several fine arts courses, the most significant being a history of art course given by B.C. Binnings, an inspiring professor and well known Canadian artist. His wonderful lectures prepared me well for my numerous trips to Europe to immerse myself in the incredible galleries, museums, chateaux and gardens.

During the years when my children were young, I was able to take many night courses in drawing, painting and sculpture. When they started high school I also went back to school, completing a 3 yr. Fine Arts diploma program at Langara College, studying drawing under Leslie Poole, painting under Diana Dean, sculpture under Barry Holmes, and design under Gerald Formosa. I was extremely lucky to have had excellent training from these accomplished artists/ teachers.

The most intense part of my art education was a unique 3 month drawing and painting course at a program sponsored by the Cleveland Institute of Art directed by Bernard Pfriem in the charming village of Lacoste in Provence, France. We drew and painted outside in villages, on hillsides, and in vineyards…..a most enlightening experience to be immersed in creating art 24/7 in such amazing settings and with like-minded artists. In the evenings under starlit skies on the school terrace we were treated to marvelous lectures from visiting scholars, artists, and from our charismatic and gifted school director Bernard Phriem.

Since then I have participated in numerous courses: in oils at VAG and the Academy of Art, two summers of week-long watercolour workshops on Saltspring Island and weekend classes in mixed media and pastel.

I have had 10 solo exhibitions and partaken in a great number of group shows. Lastly, I have completed many commissions including botanical watercolours, fanciful furniture and murals for children and donated many paintings to charity art auctions such as Science World, the VSO, and the BC Cancer Agency.

My studio on Bowen provides me with a tranquil setting in which to contemplate and practice my art. 

Haig Farris

O.C.  -B.A  UBC, JD University of Pennsylvania Law School, Honorary Doctorate of Laws  UBC.

Law practice at Farris & Co.- 5 years then co-founded the financial consulting firm of Brown, Farris & Jefferson that became Ventures West Management a venture capital firm funding high tech start-ups, and resource and resource service companies.  From 1990 to present has co-founded or invested in a variety of technology companies in biotech, quantum computing, fin-tech, mining exploration and software. 

Adjunct Professor Sauder Business School UBC for 10 years teaching an entrepreneurship for PhD Students in science and engineering and MBAs. Past Chair of the UBC Library Committee 

Active in community organizations: -co-founder of Science World BC, Past president of the UBC Alumni Association, past member of the Board of Directors of Triumf Innovations, past Chair of the Science Council of BC, past co-Chair of the Creative Destruction Lab at Rotman Business School @ U of Toronto. Currently President of Tech-X Resources, a mineral exploration company using Ai to find strategic metals in BC.

Named an Officer of the Order of Canada: Inducted into the B.C. Business Hall of Fame: Dean’s Medal of Distinction UBC Faculty of Applied Science: Named a Pioneer of Innovation by Vancouver Board of Trade: Awarded the Capital Award by the U of Toronto Rotman Business School: received the Bill Thompson Award for career achievement in technology and a member of the BC Technology Hall of Fame; Friend of Science World. 

Cultural Activities- past Director of the Vancouver Opera and The Arts Club Theatre, Associate Producer with Lewis Allen and Mike Nichols of the Broadway Play ”Billy Bishop”; Along with Lewis Allen initiated the filming of a Disney film “Never Cry Wolf”; along with Lewis Allen financed the show “Hank Williams the Show He Never Gave” for a US run. Co-founder of “ Team -the Electors Action Movement” to get control of Vancouver City Council.

I am an active amateur photographer. My photos often appear in the Bowen Undercurrent.  To satisfy the many requests I get from those with whom I share my photos, I produce an annual calendar which is very popular..