Two new art shows opened at the Station House Gallery on Sept. 8 featuring artists from Williams Lake and Kelowna.
In the upstairs gallery are father and son artists Chris and Kevin Easthope of Williams Lake with Wild Fish and the Artificial Fly.
The show includes only a few pieces by Kevin, the younger but more established visual artist of the two, who illustrated two children’s books written by his friend Williams Lake First Nation Chief Willie Sellars.
Chris has more recently taken up watercolour painting, starting out in the medium in 2017.
Kevin introduced the show for his father, speaking about Chris’ tendency to learn as much as he can and diligently research every subject.
“Like Chris does, he dives into the passions he has with a keen interest in really, really learning in meticulous detail exactly how the best people in the profession would do something,” said Kevin.
Chris’ fastidiousness and attention to detail are readily apparent in his work creating fine-lined illustrations of fly fishing patterns. He painted some traditional patterns, and spoke passionately and in great detail of both fly-tying and fly-fishing when he was chatting in the upstairs gallery during the opening.
Kevin joked in his introduction about how for years his father had been pressing him to take up watercolours but even though Kevin paints in acrylics and oils, he did not want to learn watercolours. Eventually, his father gave up trying to get him to take up the new medium and began researching and then doing it himself.
“I’d like to think that my negligence in doing something for my father that he would have really appreciated has created this great moment for him,” joked Kevin.
Self-taught Kelowna artist Garry Toop, has a show titled: From the Eye of a Western Canadian in the main gallery.
The paintings feature bears and landscapes typical of British Columbia, from mountain tops to streams and rivers and a float plane and a canoe.
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ruth.lloyd@wltribune.com
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Entrance to the gallery is free and is open Monday to Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.