The Gibsons Public Art Gallery opened a new show this month, Gibsons Now, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the town. It's an important show, not only for the quality of the work but for its intent. The show is juried, but is nonetheless inclusive - it incorporates many different media and levels of talent in an eclectic exposé of the coastal village we call Gibsons.
Thus we have professionals such as potter Pat Forst with her clay cormorant rubbing shoulders with novice painters who have made Gibsons the subject of their canvases. Chainsaw carver Jim Harding can exhibit his Blue Herons sculpture next to Heiltsuk artist J. Bradley Hunt's red cedar and acrylic frog carving. Architect Teryl Mullock can find a venue to display his design work on such public structures as the refurbished town hall and the new Eric Cardinall Hall on Chamberlin Road.
The scenes are familiar even when the location is unknown: for example, Eve Smart's oil painting, Low Tide, and Pat Ridgway's characteristic dark green forests. We know these settings, even if we can't find them on the map. Rising star artist Greta Guzek's painting Gordie's Barge conveys something about the light, the images, that we see in Gibsons even if we don't know the story behind the painting.
This type of show lends itself to photography in its documentation of contemporary history, so it's no surprise that several good photographers are exhibiting here. Dean van't Schip shows his photos of Port Mellon and Howe Sound Pulp and Paper. One stunning picture of a pyramid of wood chips, when viewed through a forgiving lens, turns from an industrial scene into a beautiful thing.
A newcomer to the Coast, photographer Majiec Tomczak also depicts various views of Howe Sound. One gorgeous photo glances across the water past a sailboat, to the dusting of snow and movement of clouds on the mountains.
In my opinion, the artist who most typifies Gibsons is Ed Hill. He has two paintings on display: Gibsons Harbour and Now That's Iron!, both of them familiar. The latter was used for the 2002 Outrigger Canoe Races poster and has since been adapted for label use by a local coffee roaster, Just-a-Cuppa.
But there is something lacking in the Gibsons Now show. There are too few views of people - the residents, the characters, the children and the elderly, who make up the personality of a town. With the exception of a few outrigger paddlers and Harding's carved man, Seen it All, the area would appear devoid of human beings, with only stunning sunsets and awe-inspiring scenery to be enjoyed by the birds and bears.
The gallery is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. at 271 Gower Point Road. The show runs until Nov. 7.
