In Their Own Words…

Whistle Stop Gallery artists on their art and inspirations …

Sheilagh Foster

I paint, live and delight in the diversity of life along the Fraser River. The river nourishes my soul and flows purposefully through my ancestors’ land. I am part of this mighty river, its people, its beauty and its natural resources. Born on my grandparents pioneer homestead I returned to Mountain View and the heritage and beauty of the valley and the magnificent Rocky and Caribou mountain ranges around McBride. With watercolours I try to convey the ever-changing light and dramatic moods of the life I witness. I strive to reflect with impressionistic narrative my passion for the natural beauty that surrounds me.

David Marchant

Art has been important to me throughout my life, but I have a problem concentrating on just one kind of art. I have thrown myself into music, cartooning, video, and photography. The only painting I did was a course at university, and that only lasted as long as the course. Since the 1960’s, photography has been a consistent part of my life, capturing the rich colors and striking light of the natural world. After decades of taking photos, I realized that, as I was aiming my camera, I was thinking “this would make a nice painting.” In 2005, two years into my retirement, another realization came to me, “If I don’t start painting now, I never will”. So I rifled through my wife’s collection of acrylic paints and paper, chose one of my photos of a cabbage, and began to paint.

I describe my style as segmented realism. I try to make my paintings look photographic when viewed from a distance, but from up close one can see it is a grid of individually painted square segments.

Glen Stanley

I was born in High Prairie, Alberta in 1938 and my parents moved to this beautiful Robson Valley when I was five. I had never been in the mountains before, and all at once was surrounded by beautiful snow-capped peaks and virgin forest. I fell in love with it all. I’ve always liked trees and wood, especially cedar. Some of the prettiest cedar anywhere grows right here, so when, by varying cedar chest designs, I came upon the idea of making pictures, I was really excited. I like the soft wood tones and the possibilities are endless. It is my hope that these pictures may bring joy and relaxation to many people caught up in today’s stressful pace. God surely is good, and I look forward to sharing the beauties of the out-of-doors through artwork.