“The image is the medium that speaks of the journey”

Life was a fuzzy world of planes of colour until I received a pair of glasses at the age of four. The experience of seeing detail for the first time and making the connection between colour and form has had a profound impact on my work.

As a student, science and mathematics were like jewels of sweet candy to be savoured. Pursuit of a formal degree in the sciences taught me how to ask questions and explore more than one option, no matter the subject. I learned to listen to the music of pure thought.

Wandering for nearly a decade, I travelled thousands of miles of wilderness trails. This had a significant impact on the way I live life as well as exposing me to the realities of living and dying, and thus, my place in the world. My work reflects this in the use of landscape imagery as a way to speak of these profound insights.

Language is not just verbal. My years of working as a counsellor taught me much about the many different ways we communicate, including a common visual language. I use my unique sense of this visual language in my own art as well as when teaching others to ‘see’.

Aging is perhaps the greatest gift we are given, for with it comes the profound awareness of death. This undeniable sense of the finite is so much a part of successful aging and has rendered a deeper awareness of self with in me.  That wisdom and the drive to speak of it is a significant part of what it means to me to be an artist today.

Mentors/persons of influence

Toby McClennan, artist; Toni DeLap, artist; Rebecca Fairbairn, art historian; Garry A. Flint, author, psychologist. 

Education and General History

Born in Creston, 1953. At the age of 4 I discovered the link between paint and colour and knew I would be an artist.

BSc, UBC, 1975. I took a degree in the sciences to discover why ‘up was up’ and why the ‘sky was blue’. Once these answers were known, I moved on to study the fine arts and completed a year of undergraduate work at UVic.

MFA, UC Irvine, 1978, primary focus was conceptual sculpture. My master’s thesis was a study of using my body as a sculptural material by putting it into a completely novel environment and observing the changes. Thesis title: “How I rode my bicycle from Santa Ana, California to Victoria, British Columbia, an art piece.”

Pacific Crest Trail 1979-80, continuing the theme of my master’s thesis, I spent many months walking this wilderness trail while building a deeply personal connection to nature. Continental Divide Expedition 1983, nine months traversing 5000 km of the Great Divide on foot. I painted small watercolour studies on most days. This was followed by a multitude of performances throughout BC in support of the Kinsman Rehabilitation Foundation. This phase of my life (‘78-88) was spent mostly ‘on the trail’, however, during this time I had various exhibitions and held many public talks

Published work

A Healing Legend, Wisdom From the Four Directions, co authored with Dr Garry A Flint, Neosolteric Press, 2006.

And Finally...

My entire life has been dedicated to my art. It has taken me a long time to learn what I needed to learn to gain a clear visual statement. Drawing, painting and teaching others ‘how to see’ is fulfilment of that long journey of personal learning. I am at a stage in life of looking back as well as onward. My work is focused on the insights gleaned from this place where I am now. I currently work in gouache, oil based polychrome pencil and graphite.

Serendipitously, the Fierce Art Project began simply as a drawing class, the members coming together to expand their skills as artists. But what has held them together is more complex; a bond based on a deep respect for, and interest in, the uniqueness of each other’s artistic voice. Over the years at their regular weekly meetings, they urged each other to stretch their boundaries, provided positive critique, and helped each other find solutions to creative problems.

The Fierce Art Project was showing past and present work at the Revelstoke Library. Much of the work comes from their exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, entitled "Roots, Stumped, Growth", which was a visual story of the group’s formation and their growth as artists. The group continued working together having several more exhibits.

Intensified, unbroken, and determined are good descriptors of the Fierce Art Project. The group was intensified by the creative energy of each member. Because members are openly encouraged to seek out new methods of creative expression, they are unbroken by the weight of cultural expectation. And they are determined to find perfection in creative expression no matter what form it takes. 

The cornerstone of the Fierce Art Project was the diversity of its members. Our individual statements reflect our varied approaches to artistic expression and our unofficial motto, “Many voices, like minds”.

Artist Statements

CATHERINE CRAIG Acrylic/graphite. My work has a strong sense of colour and movement and I blend organic flowing lines with more concrete geometric designs. This reflects both my background as an abstract painter and my knowledge of the natural world.

DEBBIE LOEWEN Graphite/watercolours. Art is an experience like life itself. 
Growth comes as I keep working on my painting. The more I push myself, even challenge myself to see, the outcome is amazing! I personally like to know more of what I am capable of doing, so challenge is growth as an artist. 

KAREN MILLARD Watercolours/various media. My inspiration comes from what is around me. I love flowers because they dance. Eclectic would be the best way to describe my art. Always trying to learn something new.

ELAINE BAIRD Watercolour and ink.  My previous main medium of expression, photography, requires physically adjusting the position of the camera to obtain optimal image arrangement. My new medium of painting requires mentally using ‘Artistic Licence’ to arrange the image before committing it to paper. This is my big challenge. My favourite subject matter is the charm and humour of living in small town Revelstoke. 

JO C WILLEMS Gouache/graphite/watercolour and ink. My entire life has been dedicated to my art. It has taken me a long time to learn what I needed to learn to gain a clear visual statement. Painting and teaching others ‘how to see’ is fulfilment of that long journey of personal learning. I am now at a stage in life of looking back as well as onward. My work is focused on the insights gleaned from this place. I currently work in gouache.

LEAH ALLISON Glass/mixed media. Molten glass is in a constant state of change and requires complete attention and focus while you work. Glass is so fluid and magical to work with that it indulges my constant desire for perfection, and at the same time, allows me the flexibility to sometimes go with the flow to see what happens.

MARI OZERO Acrylic/graphite/watercolours. I retired two years ago and found that I finally had time to try and develop my interest in expressing myself through art. My search for instruction luckily led me to Jo Willems and her wonderful drawing classes.  These evolved naturally into the wonderful group of supportive, like minded artists who make up the Fierce Art Project.  Like a work of art... it all started with a line, the first line I drew in class.

SUSAN LIND Acrylic on canvas. I am in awe of the mountains which surround us. I love the mountains, they just intrigue me. In my work, brushstroke is more significant than line, it is about the movement of my arm as the brush travels the canvas. I have had lots of practice painting but I feel like I am always learning.

TRISH HARTWICK Printmaking/acrylic/graphics. I am an illustrator working in print media, mainly screen printing and lino cuts.  My ideas often come from studying relationships found in nature and my work is whimsical and playful.  Many of my prints eventually make their way on to my clothing line, loveMaking Designs. 

CHARISE FULNOVIC Sculpture/photography/mixed media. I am inspired by deconstructing the everyday object and repurposing it into something unique and beautiful. I adore colour and juxtaposition, and swoon over beautiful lighting. I hold a Bachelor of Design.