North Shore Art Crawl: An opportunity to explore local galleries and artists' studios from Deep Cove to Lions Bay, Saturday, March 5, and Sunday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Download map and brochure at nvartscouncil.ca/nsac. Free.
For North Vancouver artist Maureen Coles, there's nothing better than when she puts herself out of a job.
An avid art instructor on the North Shore, the accomplished painter and events director with the North Shore Artists' Guild regularly offers classes for children, adults and seniors through North Vancouver Recreation Culture and North Vancouver Community Arts Council out of Parkgate and John Braithwaite Community Centres.
"I like seeing other people grow and evolve.. .. When I get students who have gotten to a skill level where they're off on their own and they're selling their own artwork, to me it's like, 'Yes! I did a great job.' I got them excited and they're now expressing themselves," she says.
Celebrating expression will be the name of the game this weekend as Coles and her students will be among the more than 250 artists featured at 72 locations from Deep Cove to Lions Bay as part of the 2016 edition of the North Shore Art Crawl, Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The North Vancouver Community Arts Council is presenting the free, family friendly event for the third year, having taken over from original organizers, Norman Vipond and Sandrine Pelissier. Community members of all ages are encouraged to spend some time over the course of the weekend visiting local galleries and artists' studios.
"It's a wonderful opportunity for artists, whether they're up and coming, brand new at it or extremely professional, that huge range, to be able to exhibit their art and share with the community," says Coles, adding that at the same time it offers a tremendous opportunity for community members to be exposed to different kinds of art and gain insight into those featured's creative processes.
"A lot of people... they'll do the Edgemont area one day and then they'll do the Mount Seymour area the next day, or West Vancouver one afternoon. People really do crawl," she laughs.
As part of the event, Coles will be exhibiting one of her paintings at Lonsdale Quay Market's Brushstrokes Gallery, which is operated by the North Shore Artists' Guild. The space, open Wednesday to Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., is currently exhibiting the works of more than 25 local artists.
Having worked in a number of different mediums over the years, these days Coles paints mainly in acrylics, and dabbles in watercolour. Despite a recent series focused on different types of rocks, Coles' current work centres on grisailles, or greyscale paintings. Typically she doesn't use any colour, with the exception of a little hint here or there, perhaps a red apple sitting on a hubcap.
"The contrast and the values is what speaks to me in paintings and what I see really well," she says, explaining that she was born with a visual impairment and is considered legally blind.
"Basically it takes me longer to see things. I can't drive, but that's the only thing that I can't do. Neurosurgery probably isn't up there either, but I'm too old for that anyway," she laughs. "Basically, with my vision, the contrast is what draws me into things. That's how I'm able to identify things is the depth and edges.. .. and memory of how to identify things," she says.
Creative for as long as she can remember, Coles studied art at Capilano Univesity and Emily Carr University of Art + Design, as well as receiving a diploma in therapeutic recreation from Douglas College. Because she has had to adapt things in her own life, including her approach to art, to the way that she can see, she has likewise remained dedicated to helping others figure out how to make things work for them.
In addition to teaching adult acrylic painting classes, and afterschool art programs and art camps for children at Parkgate, Coles also offers art therapy through the centre's My Parkgate Break program, which offers fitness, social and leisure activities for local residents with dementia.
"We do everything from oil pastels, we just finished a collage today, acrylic painting, watercolour, printmaking, and work to that person's ability and their interest. We try to keep everybody stimulated, everybody activated and bring back a sense of accomplishment and respect," says Coles.
She loves to hear when program participants' works have been well-received by family members.
"When they come in and say, 'My wife put this up on the wall,' - yay! This person who, because of their illness, has been told, 'No you're doing that wrong, no, you forgot this again,' they're getting, 'Hey, this is lovely, really like what you've done.' They're getting their selfrespect, their self-esteem and some confidence back that's been taken away from them," she says.
Artists in the My Parkgate Break program, as well as participants from other Parkgate art programs under the tutelage of Coles and fellow art instructors Andrea Bruhns, Shohre Shirazi and Liz DeBeer will be exhibited as part of the North Shore Art Crawl at the centre. As part of the showcase, Coles will present some of her own works as well as pieces by her students from John Braithwaite, where she primarily teaches adults and seniors.
"When I'm teaching my classes I'm learning from them at the same time as I'm imparting some of the information that I have. As an artist, when I learn something new (I go to a workshop), I'm so excited about using this new skill but also I can hardly wait to show it to my students so that they can get fired up," she says.
"I keep thinking, 'Oh, I'll retire in a few years,' but I never really could give up teaching completely because I like being able to share and it nurtures me too."
