Flights & Reflections
Windows on memories of home, the substance of air, and the lift of wings
Bob Miller • carver of wood
Cherie Westmoreland • photographer
Lisa Arthur • painter
Show dates: Dec 29th to Jan 10th
The Artists will be in attendance at the gallery on Saturday, January 1 from 2 - 4 pm. Stop in and meet the artists and learn about the inspiration behind these exquisite works.
Please Note: The Artist pARTy scheduled for Saturday Jan 1st from 5 to 7 pm is cancelled due to new COVID Health protocols. The Gallery will remain open for visitors during regular hours 11 - 5 pm daily (closed Tuesdays)
Take a virtual tour of Flights & Reflections
Bob Miller • carver of wood
BOB MILLER - Artist Statement
Wood is fascinating in terms of grain, texture and colour. Wood lends itself to being formed and shaped in endless ways. Working is wood, and particularly carving, has been a passion for me from my earliest years. When I first saw a duck decoy I knew I had to carve some. From carving ducks I moved into doing other birds and notably song birds, then owls, hawks and eagles. I try to make these carvings as life-like as possible so that people will know this is really what that bird looks like. At the same time, some poses are far more pleasing than others. I look for a post that is typical for that particular bird. I carve for my own satisfaction. I also find satisfaction when others show enjoyment of the birds. I find that many people have a particular bird that has special meaning for them. I find violins appealing for their shape and for the patterns in the wood. The violins are from BC wood. I also particularly enjoy listening to violin music. I may not play an instrument but I can make music!
Cherie Westmoreland • photographer
CHERIE WESTMORELAND - Artist Statement
Photography is a way of experiencing my life and the world…a doorway, an invitation, a seduction, a gateway to attention and presence. I’ve come to understand, over the years, that the gifts of photography are not so much about what I produce, but about invitation. I continue to learn to trust the mystery of what is asking for my attention. And in those moments of grace, I touch into the profound interconnection of all livings things, into which I am woven. Photography was and is my first and primary form of meditation practice.
There is always the opportunity to step out of those familiar, perhaps automatic and unconscious frames of reference and ask, "What is being revealed to me? “Where is the invitation to engage with subject matter in a fresh and new way?" If we can view photography as responding to an invitation and receiving, rather than shooting and taking, then so much more is available to us, and we can be surprised by what is revealed.
This selection of window images is from a large body of work created over a period of 25 years, many images a product of hundreds of miles of grid road adventuring on the prairies, and a particular fascination with windows, where the exploration reflects a more liminal, less literal quality, evoking questions of identity, impermanence, what is seen and unseen; presence and absence.
And within the context of this show, I imagine myself being drawn to the window, drawn by
the music of wind, the invitation of birdsong, the call of migrating geese…..looking inside and out, all at the same moment, feeling and knowing the precious brevity of my time on this planet inhabiting this most amazing mystery.
Lisa Arthur • painter
LISA ARTHUR - Artists Statement
I started painting birds during the COVID shutdown in 2020, after spending lots of time watching them in the garden and at my feeder. The birds became a source of entertainment and amusement. The closer I watched the more I saw behaviours and qualities that were extraordinary and endearing. I hope to portray something of those characteristics in my paintings.
All but one of the sixteen birds I have painted are birds that are all found on Bowen Island. Some of these birds are year-round residents and others are here only for spring and summer when they nest, then migrate south for the winter. There are still many more varieties of birds around our garden and in the forest which I hope to paint soon.