The latest volume in a series of books featuring B.C. artists is the first to be wholly dedicated to a specific geographic region. Artists of British Columbia: Volume 5, published last month, features 26 painters and sculptors, all from the Sunshine Coast.
Publisher Jane Richardson began releasing the series of art books while running Vancouver’s Leighdon Studio Gallery. The gallery itself began as a retirement project following her biology career as a lab supervisor at Capilano College.
“At the gallery, my whole thing was artists of British Columbia,” she recalled. “I had a lot of international artists wanting shows and I said, ‘No, this is for B.C. artists.’”
Richardson, a painter herself (and bagpiper) who resides part-time in Sechelt, was originally prodded by Sunshine Coast landscape artist Brian Romer to publish a finely wrought survey. “He kind of talked me into Volume One,” she said. After four volumes, she closed the gallery; she now carries on many of its operations as a home-based business.
Last summer, at the Art and Words Festival of the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society, a participant nudged Richardson and suggested it was time for a fifth volume of her series.
“I thought: yeah, I could do one more volume,” she said, “and zoom into Sunshine Coast artists specifically. Then it was a question of contacting every artist I knew on the Coast.”
The list of featured contributors includes internationally acclaimed careerists like abstractionist Motoko of Garden Bay and multi-disciplinarians like landscape painter Ruth Rodgers — a serial novelist in addition to a founding member of the Landing Artists collective.
Richardson herself is featured in the book; her acrylic Rainstorm captures the weather-washed liminality of the West Coast shoreline. Each artist provided a short professional sketch and a list of professional highlights.
“This book was ten times harder than the other volumes,” noted Richardson. Her layout consultant had retired; she’d lost touch with her distributor after the previous volume was published 10 years ago. Timing was critical because the debut of a new regional arts magazine in summer of 2024 threatened to distract potential participants.
“It was a really difficult book to get to this stage,” Richardson said. Her husband stepped up to assist with distribution. “And there’s egos involved and emotions involved. But now everyone seems happy with it.”
The decision about artwork for the front cover was made by a five-member panel. A work by Levi Purjue, artist-in-residence at the Silver Moon Gallery, was selected: Deep Water (Tatlan Tū). In the image, an orca dives into the blue-tinted depths past submerged house poles and crests. (Purjue is of Tahltan heritage and was raised on Haida Gwaii.) David Kilpatrick’s 21st Century Amazon — a captivating portrait of a coffee-swilling cell phone diva — adorns the back.
While the new book is devoted to artists linked by Highway 101, other Coast painters have appeared in earlier instalments. Carol La Fave, Ed Hill and Nadina Tandy appeared in Volume 4. Cindy Riach, Greta Guzek and Marleen Vermeulen are among those making return appearances in the latest installment.
For Richardson, the rigours of promoting a self-published volume were lessened thanks to an unexpected favour. She sent a copy to legislative bureau journalist Keith Baldry, who regularly highlights B.C. books during his television appearances. Baldry had previously facilitated a legislature visit for Richardson’s father, a former night editor for the Vancouver Sun. Artists of British Columbia: Volume 5—The Sunshine Coast occupied a cameo position on Baldry’s bookshelf for more than a week.
“Every time it’s on the news I get more people saying, ‘I saw it,’” exclaimed Richardson.
Volume 5 of Artists of British Columbia is available for sale from participating artists (a full list is online at leighdon.ca), plus Talewind Books, Flying Anvil Studio & Gallery, the EarthFair Store, and the Gibsons Public Art Gallery.
