

We are looking forward to our spring show at the gallery – Susan Benson – new pastels of Salt Spring Island. Please join us for the opening reception – Sunday June 9th, 5 – 7. Exhibition continues to June 26.
Excellent article on Susan Benson in Galleries West – http://www.gallerieswest.ca
The Duthie Gallery has a new naturally-leavened wood-fired addition – Francis Bread & Cafe – located in the gallery and offering the MOST delicious sour dough breads and baguettes and other baked treats and coffees & teas – during the summer from Friday to Monday. Paintings and prints continue to be shown in the gallery, currently a selection of woodblock and linocut prints by Celia Duthie. Paintings by Susan Benson in June and Josephine Fletcher in July.
The sculpture park continues to exhibit works by David Robinson, Michael Dennis, Bev Petow, Michael Robb and other artists from on and off island. New works will be installed in the spring for the annual gala opening – Saturday June 29.
Please join us for the opening for ‘Paintings of Salt Spring’ by Josephine Fletcher.
Saturday September 1, 2018 – 5 – 7pm
Josephine Fletcher grew up on Hornby Island, amidst a dedicated enclave of artists. Encouraged by her family and Jack Shadbolt and other painters of the Hornby set, she attended the Banff School of Fine Art, continued on to 4 years at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver and has been painting seriously and full time for more then 40 years. Josephine has had numerous solo shows and participated in group shows in Vancouver, Hornby and Vancouver Island and is in many private collections.
Distinctive, strong and ’painterly‘ Josephine’s work particularly shows her enthusiasm for and mastery of colour. Her landscapes are in the tradition of the transcendentalists (ie Lauren Harris), reflecting her abiding love of nature. Her travels have inspired her and artists from the Fauves to Pierre Soulages have been influences.
Josephine lives on Salt Spring Island with her son, Nicholas.
REDBEARDS
June 30 – August 29
Duthie Gallery
OPENING RECEPTION SATURDAY JUNE 30TH, 6 -9PM
Two major Vancouver sculptors – both working on a monumental scale in bronze and steel, both with numerous distinctive public works of art to their considerable credit. Both working at 1000 Parker Street and both, coincidentally, tall with red hair and beards.
An exhibition of their new works featuring a weathervane and a water work.
Doug Taylor was born in Chilliwack, BC in 1947. Kinetic in nature, his public installation sculpture has focused largely on wind, water and solar powered features. Whimsical, folk art inspired elements are often signature to his work. (e.g. Khenko and Wind Swimmer). ” The challenge is to integrate ecological, historical, social and aesthetic considerations, contextualizing them into the site specific values of place.” Doug lives in Vancouver, Canada.
David Robinson was born in Toronto and studied sculpture at OCAD. His striking sculptures incorporate a variety of materials ranging from bronze, steel and silver to concrete, mirror and paper. While his oeuvre is the figure, he often adds psychological and mythological twists to his subjects by situating them in environments which speak to the inherent tensions of human life. Robinson has a deep reverence for imagery and symbolism, and this, combined with his remarkable skill, allows the viewer to surmise and discover the allegorical through contemporary form. David lives in Vancouver.
Please join us Saturday, June 9th for the opening reception for ‘It Will Never Rain Roses’
new oil paintings by Florence Roberge.
5 – 7 at the Duthie Gallery
Show continues through June 25
The title of the show comes from George Elliott:
“It will never rain roses. When we want to have more roses, we must plant more trees.”
Artist Statement
“My latest show began with my amazing Ted bringing me several buckets of red roses hoping that some portable inspiration would entice me to accompany him on a work trip to a boring place. I became obsessed with these large, very long-stemmed, blood-red roses and I remain so. I have made over 100 small watercolour paintings of them. Now immersed in painting these roses in oil (my favourite medium), I am even more in love with them. I find them most alluring when they are dead and desiccated. They mature from scarlet to ruby to violet with gilt and finally to lacy edges of velvet black. Sometimes all of these and many more colours in one wrinkly petal.
I think that all art made with truth and passion is a self-portrait, however obscure the references may be to the viewer. Blood-red roses have signified passion and abiding love, courage, power, respect and many many other emotions from recorded time. They seem a perfect vessel to contain what I am thinking and feeling at this time of my life.
To my eye, there is infinitely more life in these roses when they are dead than when they are fresh.