ECLECTIC ET CETERA
ECLECTIC ET CETERA - Creations from Remnants & Ruins
Mixed Media Paintings & Sculptures by Kathleen Ainscough & Stacy Beamer
Artist pARTy on Saturday, JULY 6, 6 to 8 pm.
Traces of the impact of humans on the planet occur in remnants and ruins, layered over with generations of existence - some a celebration and some a reckoning.
“Eclectic Et Cetera” is more than a theme; it is a manifesto of inclusion, resilience, and transformation. It is an invitation to see beyond the surface, to appreciate the eclectic mix of stories and histories that shape our environment. Through these works, we hope to inspire a deeper connection with the world around us, encouraging a mindful engagement with the materials and objects that populate our lives.
Stacy Beamer at his creative space in Snug Cove, Bowen Island.
Photo credit: Kathleen Ainscough
STACY BEAMER - ARTIST STATEMENT
Stacy believes in creating functional art and uses the hands-on trade skills he learned in the construction industry to showcase the natural beauty of his materials and bring his concepts to life. From free standing figures and wall sculptures, tables and benches, to garden installations and water features, Stacy’s creations are both whimsical and practical.
Stacy creates decorative and functional pieces that can be incorporated into the landscape or interior environment. Metal, glass, stone, wood and mud, materials created by nature, are re-imagined and repurposed into sculptures and functional art pieces and may be then reintroduced to a natural process of weathering and encrusting.
Artist Bio: Bowen Island artisan and builder STACY BEAMER was born in the 1960s in the British Columbia Interior. Stacy grew up on a small family farm in the Fraser Valley, and at fourteen, he began following the path his father and grandfather had taken into the civil construction industry.
For over 25 years Stacy has developed his distinctive whimsical style incorporating steel, rock, wrought iron, and wood, as well as found local materials, into an expansive portfolio of unique large and small-scale pieces; from gates and railings to garden fences, to 100 foot bridges of wood and iron, and a stunning 2600 square foot green home.
Kathleen Ainscough at work in her Bowen Island studio.
Photo credit: Deb Stringfellow
KATHLEEN AINSCOUGH - ARTIST STATEMENT
Impermanence and the cycles of nature depicted in architectural forms, weathered surfaces, trees formed by the elements and vessel forms are recurring motifs for Kathleen. Found materials and food packaging are often utilized in these pieces – a call back to ancient artifacts, unearthed after centuries, to be studied and displayed as precious collections. Meaning is incorporated into something we consider disposable today and throw away. There is no ‘away’.
These works are inspired by the relationship between industry and nature, and the juxtaposition between nature and the built environment. A focus on impermanence, memory, life cycles and the passage of time, with the use of natural and architectural forms, layered and abstracted, to interpret those concepts - covering, uncovering, containing, fracturing, reconstructing, sometimes obliterating. A palimpsest is created where traces of what is under the surface remain visible. What is concealed feels sacred.
Artist Bio: Kathleen has studied and created fine art, costumes, and textile arts for close to 40 years. She is a mixed media artist inspired by rich surfaces echoing time-worn layers scoured by the elements – metaphors for time, memory, truth and beauty. Fluent in a variety of media and techniques, she utilizes painting, photography, sculpture and textiles, incorporating found materials and ephemera.
Over the years, she has participated in many group and solo exhibitions and an artist residency. Her work has been collected internationally.
Active in the local arts community, she is co-owner of Catching Stars Cooperative Gallery on Bowen Island, where her work is represented, and she is also programmer and membership coordinator for the The Hearth - Arts on Bowen.