Newsletters

(posted on 30 May 2020)

Dear art lovers and friends of the Blood Star Gallery,

It feels as if we've been sitting in Parking gear safe and healthy at home for the last few months while essential workers care for the ill and dying and keep us fed, and more. We won't forget their work.

Now, all of a sudden we're lurching into Third gear.

Art galleries have been shuttered; art shows have been cancelled or postponed; others have gone online. Some artists and galleries have been very creative and developed hybrid approaches to continuing to exhibit work.

There's a summer art show on the Pender Islands - ART OFF THE FENCE - it attracts a large crowd over one July weekend. About a month ago, the organizers needed to decide whether this year's show would be a go or no-go. We decided on a compromise. In our desire to keep our community safe, we've moved the 24th annual ART OFF THE FENCE Show and Sale from our usual bucolic one acre site to the twenty-four square foot glass exhibit case at the Penders' commercial hub, and online. Sounds easy doesn't it. Not so much! But we're starting to get the hang of it.

A few days ago we installed Part I, The Bee Project celebrating the importance of bees, in the display case and put photographs of the work online.

Mondrian's Rustic Bee House by Frank Ducote

A Nesting Box for Artistically Inclined Bees (with a nod to F. Hundertwasser) by Susan Taylor

Frank's piece Mondrian's Rustic Bee House and Susan's A Nesting Box for Artistically Inclined Bees (with a nod to F. Hundertwasser, artist and environmentalist) have both sold; wonderful works in clay, wood, pastels, photography and paper are still available.

Part II of the show will feature a rotating exhibit of eclectic new work by Art Off he Fence artists both in the display case and online.

If you're on the Penders, you can see the show in the display case in front of Talisman Books; if you'd like to visit online, you can find the show on Facebook and Instagram now at Art Off the Fence on Pender Island . If you "like" us on FB and "follow" us on IG, you'll automatically receive updates as we add new work over the coming weeks.

The highlight of the last few months for Susan has been the selection of one of her nest drawings by the Family Physicians of Canada for the cover of their Journal's May issue. That issue was delivered to the mailboxes of 38,000 family physicians across Canada a few days ago. It's pretty much an artist's dream to have her work chosen from among all of the art available in the world and then widely distributed!

Home by Susan Taylor

Frank has been working hard producing and selling work, both digital and painted, online. We are figuring out how to do this effectively.

Still Life with Crab Claw by Frank Ducote

Katy, Bar the Door by Frank Ducote

As for our own small gallery, we've been mulling how to open safely and thanks to our friend Monica's suggestion, beginning Sunday June 7 for the summer months, weather permitting, we'll be taking our work outside from 11 am to 4 pm and asking visitors to practise social distancing. Because the weather can be surprisingly different between North and South Pender Islands, we suggest you text or call 778 891 9437 to confirm that we're open.

We hope you and yours are staying well and have discovered inner strengths and creative outlets to carry you through this time, unprecedented in our lives.

Our best to you,

Susan and Frank