Winter is proving to be a very creative time in Wells.
Artists have been painting and printmaking this month, as Island Mountain Arts (IMA) has hosted two winter residencies.
This week, eight artists are learning about printmaking in a Winter Printmaking Residency with Hans-Christian Behm from Bowen Island, which began March 23 and continues until March 28.
Over the six days, Behm is teaching participants about mono printing, potato stamping, linoleum “Lino” plate, woodcut plate, Sinatra plate and embossing.
Behm was born and raised in Germany. In 1961, he immigrated to Canada and began studying architectural design at UBC, going on to work in that field for 45 years. Later in life, Behm developed a keen interest in printmaking and began mentoring under Wayne Eastcott at Capilano University’s Art Institute.
“He did a workshop in the summer time, which was really successful,” said Julie Fowler IMA’s executive and artistic director. “We hadn’t really done printmaking in a long time. And it was actually his first time teaching even though he has a lot of life experience, and he’s been making art for a long time. He was thrilled to see the response, and people loved his teaching, and so we brought him back up in the winter.”
Eight people are taking part in the residency, including three from Wells, as well as participants from Quesnel, Prince George and Fort St. John.
“We’re really excited to see folks coming from around the region,” said Fowler.
The printmaking residency began just days after IMA’s Winter Guided Residency with Peter Corbett ended.
During the residency, which took place March 16-21, each artist had 24-hour access to large, bright art studios, as well as scheduled critiques, demonstrations, and ongoing hands-on work with Corbett, who is considered by many to be one of Western Canada’s leading plein air oil painters.
“Basically the style of that is it’s a guided residency, so not as much instructional based, even though Peter Corbett did some demonstrations and things, and he’s very passionate about painting plein air,” said Fowler. “He loves painting in the winter, so painting in snow. He had people painting outside, and he’s good at getting people passionate about painting snow. You [might] think what’s exciting about snow? But it really adds a different dynamic to the painting. A lot of people haven’t had an experience of painting outside in the winter, and we were just so lucky this year that the weather was just phenomenal. People were getting sunburns, not frostbite.”
Corbett lives in Wells and has opened the St. George Gallery, but he is often away during the summer, as he is a fish biologist.
Corbett has been shown extensively in both public and commercial galleries, has won numerous awards and has been a mentor and teacher in various capacities. He is also a professional biologist and former outdoor adventure guide, and he loves to share his enthusiasm for nature while painting out-of-doors.
Six artists participated in the residency, and most of them were from this area, including Wells, Cottonwood and Prince Rupert, according to Fowler.
“It’s great to see folks kind of coming out of the woodwork from the region,” she said.
This was the fourth year for the IMA Winter Guided Residency with Peter Corbett.
Looking ahead, IMA is hosting its AGM and ArtsWells 2019 Information Session Monday, April 1 from 6-8 p.m at the Island Mountain Arts Gallery at 2323 Pooley St.
IMA will be sharing the plan for this year’s ArtsWells Festival of All Things Art with the community as well as the improvements that are being implemented since the ArtsWells Festival Community Meeting was held in November.
Lindsay Chung
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