Member's Profile Series ~ Tony Cary-Barnard

 

Member Profile with Tony Cary-Barnard

I grew up in South America, the UK and Canada. After graduating from university I joined the hotel industry working with major brands across Canada including Fairmont and Westin. I was also part of a Canadian start up CHIP REIT (now SilverBirch Hotels). Over the years my wife and I have lived in Toronto, Calgary, Jasper, Kelowna, Edmonton and finally Whistler before retiring to Victoria late 2018.   I was an active artist during my high school years but unfortunately put it aside when I went to college and jumped into the business world for forty years. Getting back into art in some form was always a retirement goal of mine. At first I experimented with acrylics and watercolors, but finally settled on oils as my medium.  My subject matter is primarily Vancouver Island and the beautiful natural environment that surrounds us. I typically do my own photography and focus on landscape realism.   I am proud to be a member of the Victoria Sketch Club and appreciate the friendly welcome I've received as a new member. I have really enjoyed brushing up on my drawing skills and also learning from fellow members and the many great presentations that have been scheduled.   To see more of Tony's work check out his website at www.tonycarybarnard.com NOTE: Tony is the Artist in Residence at the Delta Ocean Pointe in July, the Fairmont Empress in September, and is doing a solo art show at the Parkside Hotel & Spa in October. He is also scheduled at the Union Club in April/May 2025. Note:  Our Member Profile section will return again in September

VSC Social Media Survey ~ Note from the President

 

Note from the President

Coming Soon! In the next couple of weeks you will receive, in an email, a short survey asking your opinion about the current VSC social media: the Website (https://www.victoriasketchclub.ca), Facebook and Instagram (@victoriasketchclub).  Please take the 5 – 10 minutes to fill this in to give us your opinion about frequency of use, important content and suggested changes. You'll have until August 1st to complete this, but please do so as soon as possible. The results will be made available, first to the EC, and then to the membership, using combined information only.  Also, please keep in mind that the results may indicate a need for increased funding and/or volunteer involvement.  If the Club does not have the capacity or interest then some of the suggestions/ideas may not be able to be implemented. Thanks, in advance, for your cooperation and to Laura Brackenbury for her work on this.  Cheers Myra

Members Profile Series - Nirmala Greenwell

Born and raised in Trinidad, West Indies, Nirmala taught high school art for 2 years before emigrating to Canada where she studied Indian, Chinese and Japanese art, history of art, design fundamentals, techniques of the old masters among others at UBC. Instructors Tony Onley and BC Binning were among many of her influential teachers.
 
Nirmala married beloved husband Jack and settled on Vancouver island where she taught high school art, and worked briefly for the Ministry of Education. She has sketched for as long as she can remember on what-ever-material was at hand, often painted with watercolours or oils. Eventually, she settled on painting with acrylics.
 
After raising 4 sons, Nirmala devoted more time to art while Jack built frames and provided musical accompaniment when travelling to painting locations.
 
Her work covers a wide range of subject matter, evocative of time and place, and she’s remained close to her tropical roots, infusing as much light as possible into her work. Nirmala especially enjoys the immediacy and spontaneity offered by plein air painting.  

She’s also painted many portrait commissions, and continues to derive inspiration from art museums around the world.
 
Nirmala has won many awards, including Best Canvas in Show in Sidney, Juror’s Choice and Honourable Mentions in other juried exhibitions. She has participated in numerous shows, and was the most recently featured artist in residence at Victoria’s Union Club. Her paintings are in private collections nationally and internationally.
 
Nirmala joined the Victoria Sketch Club in 2008, and enjoys the camaraderie of fellow artists as well as weekly opportunities to hone life-drawing skills.

She has served as assistant and program director for the VSC for nine years.
 
To see more of Nirmala's work, check out her website at https://www.nirmalagreenwell.com
Instagram ArtbyNirmala https://tinyurl.com/58j95wfz
self-portrait

President's Note

 Greetings Everyone!

As your new President, I’m really looking forward to working with you over the next year as we, together, continue to support and nurture this creative and vibrant organization. 

There are a couple of projects I hope to initiate this year including a team to re-visit the Archives Project, started a few years ago. John Lover has been very instrumental in capturing the biographies of earlier members, as well as some important Club milestones. Given that this is the oldest art Club in Western Canada (1909), with well known past members such as Emily Carr and Ted Harrison, it is important to document and preserve this rich history and eventually file these documents with the Provincial Archives for posterity. 

Another project for a team to address is the VSC Website, asking if it is currently meeting the Club’s needs and what should it look like going forward. 

As you know, the expectation is that members participate so please let me, or any member of the EC, know how you would like to get involved. 

Hopefully the weather will improve, over the next few weeks. and we can paint at the various venues, set up by Rand, and capture the beautiful landscapes available to us in the surrounding areas.  See you there!

Again, I look forward to working with and supporting you as we create great art and good friendships. 
Happy Painting!

Cheers,

Myra

Member Profile Series ~ Kate Gustin

 

Member Profile with Kate Gustin

Kate is delighted to be a member of the Victoria Sketch Club, having joined in 2023 when she moved from California to British Columbia. She enjoys the communal experience of plein air painting and learning from fellow artists.   Born and raised in southern California, Kate spent time each summer camping with her family in the Sierras Nevada mountains. Annual trips to stunning national parks such as Yosemite, Yellowstone, Bryce, Sequoia, Grand Tetons, etc. installed a love of nature in her, which continues to inspire her artwork. The walls of her childhood home were covered with her mother’s paintings, and created a warm association between art and a sense of family. For Kate, art facilitates connection with others, and she has enjoyed, both as a child and adult, gifting others with homemade crafts and greeting cards.   Kate's undergraduate degree is from Princeton University and she completed doctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She's established a rewarding career as a clinical psychologist, working in a range of settings over the past thirty years such as outpatient Psychiatry clinics, Veterans Hospitals, College Counseling Centers, and currently in her private practice in Victoria. Kate integrates the principles of positive psychology into her work with clients and into the trainings she offers other health professionals. She is also a poet and published author, and has been featured on podcasts for her writings about the intersection between psychology and spirituality.   Kate began exploring painting in her thirties. Seeking an immersive and meditative creative outlet, she participated a series of watercolour classes at the local community college. She has since experimented with acrylics and collage, as well as jewelry design.   Kate secured more training in the craft of landscape painting during the pandemic through mentorship with American artist Matt Smith. Though her work has been selected and displayed in juried shows in the San Francisco Bay Area, she considers herself a novice artist. She is always learning, intrigued and, at times, intimidated by the complexities of light and colour, value and composition. She hopes to continue developing and sharing her artwork in the spirit of experimentation and discovery.