A new series of paintings by Jaymie Johnson will be on display at The Dominion Cafe on Baker St for all of May and June.  Blank art cards will be for sale along with The Dominion’s usual tasty treats.

Bio:

Jaymie Johnson is a visual artist, foodie, and nature lover living in Nelson.  Jaymie studied visual arts for a year at university and has since continued to develop her style and technique with influence and support from local and distant artists.  Jaymie is proud to have her very first solo show in her hometown before returning to art school this fall.

My images aim to invoke a sense of wonder and gratitude for the human experience.  The relationship between body, mind, and spirit is my main source of inspiration.  This particular series, Seizing the Light, was born from a desire for balance within seriousness and light-heartedness.  A combination of acrylic ink and coloured pencil on wood create a dynamic between controlled line and free form.  Symbolic of finding beauty within chaos, this dynamic continues to fascinate me as I delightfully combine personal and spiritual growth with artistic development.  Thank you for sharing in my exploration.

To further explore Jaymie’s images, please visit:  www.jaymiejohnson.ca

Or contact her at:  jaymsmj@hotmail.com

Blues dancing interprets the mood of the music, and is therefore open to creativity and to naturally integrating techniques from any dance tradition.

1. Wed. May 23. 7pm-9pm  Blues Basics+            First contact with the Blues-  For beginners and refreshers.
2. Sat. May 26.  1pm-3pm   Dips/Leans/Stretches/Moves      Having fun, groovin’ to the Blues.
3. Mon. May 28. 7pm-9pm  The Close Embrace         The third frame of connection - Dancing it correctly and well.

A rare opportunity for Nelson and area dancers !

Niko Bell -  world-traveling hometown-favourite dance instructor,  will be back in Nelson for 1 week only and will be teaching 3
dance classes !
Niko has been studying, teaching and dancing Swing/Lindy/Blues for the
past 8 yrs and is an exceptionally skilled dance teacher.
No matter your skill level, from beginner to advanced, you will benefit from and love his classes !
$45 for all three classes, $35 for two,  or $20 for one.

Class 1
Wed. May 23/2012   7pm-9pm - Blues Basics+

Location: Nelson Legion/Self-Design High, 2nd floor, 402 Victoria St.
Please arrive 10-15 minutes early to complete your registration

Class will begin at 7pm sharp - until 8:30 pm, with time afterward for practice and coaching.
Flat shoes or socks are best. Comfortable clothing.

Class 2   Sat. May 26  1pm- 3pm  Location: TBA .      Class 3   Mon. May 28 7pm- 9pm    Location: TBA

Register in advance:

By email: carlamwilson@gmail
By phone:  250-825-4314

Artist’s Statement 

A flutter in my belly pulls me into my studio. I sense how quickly time passes and how precious life is, and I begin to paint. Soon the painting unfurls itself in layers of color and contrast – form, light and space become a landscape carved from the passage of time.

Ideas come to me from our common well of human needs and experiences: how we relate to time, to change, and to mortality. As I paint, I strive to convey a sense of life’s beauty and meaning through the messages I see within nature. I also create artwork as a way to connect with people who, like myself, thrive on stories that lie beyond the surface of things.

Walking with my husband and dogs in the West Kootenay outdoors, I see stories in the surrounding landscape. I see lightning strike a tree and I think about how a forest needs fire
to flourish, just as we need hardship to become our best beings. In my imagination I see a tree, struck by lightning, transforming into birds. With this image in my heart and mind’s eye,
I feel that flutter in my belly. I return to my studio and begin again to paint.

Biography

My family is a maker of things, so creating art as a young child felt very natural. From the time I saw a babysitter’s sketchbook and was inspired to draw, to my degree in graphic design and visual arts from Kwantlen College, artwork has marked the peaks and valleys of my life.

After graduation, I worked for a publication company before establishing, then selling after
15 years, my own design company. It was with joy, and some angst, that I began the journey of being a full-time fine artist and instructor.

In 2007 my husband and I moved from the Lower Mainland of BC to the West Kootenays to establish Windborne B&B, which houses Inspiring Minds Fine Art Studio. The visuals of the wild and rugged Kootenays are a definite influence on how my artwork is evolving — as is the open friendliness of the local residents.

There are several artists who have been integral in helping me to improve my methods. I’ve taken art courses from well-known Canadian artists via the Federation of Canadian Artists and other venues. For years, my mentor has been Bonny Roberts. Other influences include Mike Svob, Gaye Adams and my fellow artists.

Mirja Vahala

http://www.mirjavahala.com

In a record shattering 17 days, online ticket sales for the 15th annual Shambhala Music Festival, August 8th-13th 2012, have completely sold out. Tickets for the 2012 event went on sale on Friday October 21st and orders steadily continued after the first two tiers of tickets sold out on the first day.

“This is completely unprecedented,” said Social Media Director, Britz Robins. “But event tickets selling out well in advance is a trend we’ve observed gaining momentum, especially where electronic music is concerned. Many electronic-focused events across the continent are experiencing quick sell-outs, at a rate that has accelerated considerably over the past couple years. Over the past year especially, electronic music has been gaining popularity in North America, and we’re seeing that reflected in ticket sales in a big way.”

If you find yourself among those who missed out on online sales, fear not. Tickets will be available in stores on Saturday, December 3rd at Big Cranium Design in Nelson and Skyway Hardware in Salmo. For information on more BC & AB ticket store locations, visit www.shambhalamusicfestival.com.

Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis and are limited to 3 tickets per customer. Based on strong ticket sales thus far, a same-day sell out is expected in the larger cities. Shambhala 2012 is 19+, ID will be required to purchase tickets.

A Shambhala representative will be available at all retail locations on the first day of sales.

There will be a food hamper at each ticket store location on December 3rd. Bring non-perishable food items to be entered into a draw for a Shambhala 2012 ticket. Food donations will be given to a local food bank in each city for the December holiday season. Donations collected locally will be going to the Nelson Food Cupboard, and the Salmo Food bank.

Our youth are in sore need of adults who model wellness. The arts and in particular the expressive arts are one way to make that bridge. This is done through careful and sensitive mentoring utilizing low skill, high sensitivity ways of art-making that tells a story and brings creative potential to life.

This workshop is for members of the community from all backgrounds who are interested in how to help youth channel their energy into something positive and nurturing. Simple and effective writing, movement, drawing, music and theatre techniques will be taught as well as some simple and effective counseling skills that accompany the work.

Markus Alexander has conducted hundreds of workshops in this area of difficulty and challenge for the past 25 plus years most recently in Kingston, Jamaica where their at-risk youths, particularly young men ,  are in great need of timely, effective help.

Kutenai Art Therapy Institute
191 Baker Street
Nelson, BC V1L 4H1
250-352-2264
kutenai.art.therapy@gmail.com

For more information see our website at www.kutenaiarttherapy.com or call the Institute at 250.352.2264. Registration is required. Register early to ensure your place by emailing kutenai_art_therapy@shaw.ca or call 250.352.2264.

Inner and Outer:  Bridging the Gap with Deep Play
October 1^st & 2^nd 9:00 – 4:30pm
$200.00

The arts give us a context for exploring the space between:  between our inner lives and our conscious awareness and between ourselves and society. This workshop will explore how what is most meaningful can have its rightful place in our lives both within and without. The arts expose our values and ideals in a creative and playful way. This work is intended as both personal exploration as well as professional development. All that is required is an interest in the healing effects of the creative force within us and its impact on the world around us. Several art forms will be utilized including drawing, writing, music and dance/theatre.  This is a low skill, high sensitivity training. Bring your willingness to discover where humor and seriousness meet in the realm of Deep Play.

Bio:
Markus Alexander is a leader in the field of contemplatively oriented expressive arts. After founding and directing a school in New York for twenty years, he immigrated to Canada where he runs the World Arts Organization (worldartsorg.net). He is currently senior faculty at the European Graduate School in Switzerland and has recently taught in Jamaica and Portugal. He will be in Malta at the next International Expressive Arts Symposium drawing upon his experience as a performance artist and musician co-facilitating community art with expressive arts pioneer, Paolo Knill.

Kutenai Art Therapy Institute
191 Baker Street
Nelson, BC V1L 4H1
250-352-2264
kutenai.art.therapy@gmail.com

The illustrious Bessie Wapp will be teaching her ever popular “Blues Singing I”.  Life is the only experience required to growl, groan, wail and moan! Each week students will learn a blues song, and explore the rich swamp of the human voice in a supportive environment.  Plus brand new by request, “Blues Singing II”!  Picking up where StB1 left off, students will stretch further into improvisation, spontaneous composition and jazz.

October brings courses in Writing and Visual Arts beginning with Brad Carr’s “Fiction Fundamentals”.  This course will combine intensive writing exercises with reading and critiquing the work of others. Along the way, students will look at the work of several luminary fiction writers - searching  for that image, phrase or style that will inform our own writing.

Murray Kimber will be teaching “The Essential Figure: Drawing”.  The human form has long been a standard in art. This course offers a simple, logical approach to figure drawing based on 3 areas of emphasis: understanding human anatomy, seeing rather than looking, and moving beyond line to incorporate, mass, tone and form as essential elements of drawing.

Natasha Smith will be sharing her extensive knowledge of collage in her “Collage Painting” course.  Learn how to create interesting surfaces using a diverse range of materials and then combine painterly techniques to create colourful textural paintings. Students will investigate colour and composition and discover how to collage, paint and photo transfer on panels, boards and alternative surfaces.  This is a process-based course with experimentation at its heart.

Deb Thompson will be offering “Inside Out: Figure Painting”.  In this course students will study the human figure from the inside out  - exploring how the human skeleton informs the body’s outlying structure and movement. Working with the skeleton and the live models, we will explore how the human figure occupies space, contains volume and expresses itself in movement.

Cassie Beecham will be teaching “Playwriting”. This course will help students develop a half hour stage play while coming to understand plot, dialogue and characterization. Students will receive comprehensive feedback after each draft. We will also cover pitching the script to Fringe festivals across Canada.

Registration is through Kootenay School of Art ph 250-352-2821 or drop by 606 Victoria St. in Nelson.  More info: www.OxygenArtCentre.org/classes.html

Building the Building - Building Community, a photographic exhibition in the West Gallery reflects and documents 40 years of building, maintaining, and initiating community activities by the volunteers of the Vallican Whole Community Centre and the Rural Alternatives Research and Training Society. The Vallican Whole is an architecturally interesting and beautiful building created by the women, men and children of the Slocan Valley and beyond. The Vallican Whole was a long time home for the Whole School (1976-2008), and has become a centre for the education and celebration of ideas and practices for producing, buying and eating local goods. This exhibition, curated by Helen Sebelius, documents through iconic and everyday photographs, taken and collected by Marcia Braundy, the construction, maintenance, community initiatives and celebratory gatherings. It also includes the recent development of the ecological sculpture park on the site. These shows will run until September 10^th.

The Kootenay Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10- 5pm and is located across from the Castlegar Airport on Heritage Way. www.kootenaygallery.com

The installation can be viewed Monday through Saturday from 7:30am – 6:00 pm, and will feature 8-12 pieces of organic/figurative abstract sculpture.

John may be viewed on his deck (5831 Cedar Creek Drive, Winlaw, BC) between the hours of 7 and 9p.m.

with the Theme: “The Forest, The Water, The Animals and US”.

Your young voice needs to be heard. Deadline is December 21.2010.

Drop off locations are at the Youth Centre in Slocan, Sleep is for Sissies, Winlaw and Otter Books in Nelson.

Great Prices. Submissions will be published online and in a book.

Teachers and schools can receive a free copy of the film “Drop by Drop – A Journey to Slhu7kin’ Perry Ridge” by Elisabeth von Ah”.

More information  at youryoungvoice@gmail.com and Elisabeth at 250 - 255 - 2536.

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