Ray Goldsworthy: Colleague, Mentor, Friend
by John Lover ; collage by Christine Gollner |
|
|
As VSC members, we are among the many saddened at Ray’s passing. Heartfelt sympathy on behalf of us all has been conveyed to his family.
Ray’s quiet and modest demeanour belied an outstanding professional career. A graduate of the UBC School of Architecture, he acquired international experience in the United Arab Emirates, Hawaii and France. Through his highly respected architectural practice, first set up here in 1990, his completed projects, which ranged across British Columbia, included innovative school and health care facilities such as Broadmead Lodge. He also worked in partnership with his friend and collaborator Nick Bawlf on the Victoria Conference Centre. It was fitting that we should celebrate our Club centennial in 2009 at the University Club which was another of Ray’s creations.
He was also known in the community as a selfless volunteer. A  member of the Kiwanis Club of Victoria for 52 years, Ray started the tradition of an annual lunch which he then hosted for 30 years, and he is still remembered in those circles as “a happy individual with a big smile.”
Ray came to us in 2005, shortly after the sad passing of his wife. In those early days he was generally seen in the company of the then ailing Nick Bawlf, to whom he gave constant support and the chance to enjoy some last years in the company of fellow artists. From the beginning, Ray was unfailingly generous in sharing his experience and talent, notably his sense of perspective. He also applied his professional skills in designing an improved layout of display panels at annual exhibitions which gave a better flow and increased visibility.
One secret to Ray’s effectiveness was an unfailing ability to see what was important and to separate the wheat from the chaff. This emphasis on economy of effort was evident in his stints as Club Secretary and subsequently President. He believed that the shortest message was the most effective, and that one should put on paper only what was pertinent. In the chair he would politely discourage verbosity and cut to the heart of the matter. This philosophy was also evident in his art work with his impeccable tidiness, elegance and sureness of touch and his gift of expressing the essential with a few brush strokes. His work was at the same time packed with interest. It sparkled with his colourful imagination and a humour inspired by his fascination with the great cartoonists.
Ray truly valued his friends in the Club, and was very appreciative of his recent Honorary Member award. Most of all, we’ll remember Ray for his kind and generous nature, his wisdom and his infectious laughter. He had that rare and wonderful gift of lighting up a person’s day.
His loss has indeed left a gap in our ranks. |
|
Indoor-at-home program
Our Autumn indoor programming finishes up December 1. Winter programming will recommence January 5, 2021 and will run through to April 20.
Details will be sent closer to session dates .
Cheers,
Nirmala Greenwell
Program Director
Still life and model convenors: Ann Nolte and Vicki Turner
ZOOM convenor: Amy Nohales Kezes |
|
As COVID-19 carries on (and on, and on...), we will continue to carry the show 'n' share torch for another few weeks into December. Art Connections is a great way to show off whatever you're working on, so we ask you to consider participating.
For feedback on any art project, please forward the following to Rand Harrison1) your image in .jpg format (sorry, we can't work with .pdfs)
2) painting details, including title, dimensions, media, date
3) any artist commentary
4) the email address at which you'd like to receive comments |
|
Scenes from November 3rd
Indoor-at-home program |
|
|
 | VSC's first ZOOM gathering!
Still-Life/Dinnertime : table setting with an autumnal theme with images by Nirmala Greenwell and Vicky Turner |
|
Scenes from November 10th
Indoor-at-home program |
|
|
 | This week's theme, in keeping with COVID-19 protocol, was
Character / Life-drawing of a family member or friend in our members' bubble
Here are a few samples of work shown at second Zoom session, by artists in order of appearance-- Larry Gollner, Nirmala Greenwell, Vicki Turner & Amy Nohales-Kezes |
|
Scenes from November 17th
Indoor-at-home program |
|
|
 | Painting = View through your window or door
Here're some samples of work by Christine Gollner, Janice Graham, Rand Harrison, and Agnes Oosterhof |
|
Scenes from November 24th
Indoor-at-home program |
|
|
 | Painting (or Sketching) = in the style of an artist whom you admire!
Here're some wonderful examples by members Pat Hindmarch, Christine Gollner and Ruth Beninger |
|
History Corner
by John Lover |
|
|
Ten years ago, a newspaper review of our Centennial History Book characterized the formation of the Island Arts Club in 1909 as “hobby for city’s elite.” Perhaps this title did less than justice to an organization which has outlasted all its competitors and is honoured as the oldest arts organization west of the Great Lakes.
It can be argued that the Club over the years has demonstrated considerable degrees of professionalism. Despite suggestions of cultural snobbery, there were indeed high standards of artistic talent amongst members right from the start, those who merited the classification of gifted amateurs, rather than simply genteel daubers. The likes of Josephine Crease, Emily Carr and Edith Hembroff-Schleicher had studied art in France, England and California, and many of the British immigrants, such as Mary Daniell, Margaret Kitto, Teresa Wilde and Tom Bamford received their early training in British art schools. Sophie Pemberton (Little Boy Blue, 1897 at right), an early member of Victoria’s local sketching clubs, had already received international recognition in Europe.
It would however be an exaggeration to associate Club with professionalism, if this is strictly defined as making a living mainly/entirely through selling art work, and thus involving such considerations as contracts, pricing structure, deadlines and the use of high grade materials. The only original Club member who was able to survive on art alone was reputedly Thomas Fripp, who had established himself as a noted watercolourist following his arrival from England in 1893.
That said, it’s unlikely there were many club members who would have had the need or the wish to make a living from selling their art. For the likes of the affluent Crease or Pemberton families, who produced some of the best artists, any such revenue to be garnered would be small change. One-time President Tom Bamford, although of relatively modest means, showed similar indifference. A civil servant and neighbour of Carr, and a talented and prolific painter of Victoria landscapes, he rarely sold any, preferring to give them  away. A local journalist once claimed that “everybody has a Bamford (see image at left); they got them as wedding presents.”
However, putting to one side the notion of full-time professionalism, this is not to say that there have been many members, then and now, who reached professional standards through their specialized training, peer recognition, gallery showings and commitment of time and finance.
 It’s interesting to recall that during their time with the Club, its three most distinguished members, Emily Carr, Jack Shadbolt (at right, Mosaic for Autumn) and Max Maynard, never derived much income from painting. Any big pay-days lay far in the future. In those days Carr was a landlady while the others were schoolteachers. Speaking of teaching, this does lead to the point that some members did make their living from art, if we include activities, other than selling, but nevertheless art-associated, such as book-illustration. This would apply to art teachers like Shadbolt, Maynard, and Menelaws, as well as Kitto who supplemented her teaching income from the sale of her postcards at her Art Deco studio; and Will Menelaws and Ina Uhthoff who taught at Glenlyon-Norfolk School. Most notably Uhthoff, who ran the Victoria Art School, had the most all-round investment in art as teacher, administrator and writer of a newspaper column as well as being a gifted painter.
It’s fair to conclude that the Club has always been -- as the politicians are wont to say -- a broad church, catering to a wide range of ambitions and interests. It has observed the philosophy that every member has something to offer. Its influential annual exhibitions have always provided a platform for anyone seeking to enhance their reputation in the art community and perhaps enjoy the satisfaction of making sales. Even Emily Carr, despite her waspish comments about the Club’s conservatism, must have appreciated her indebtedness on this score to “the only game in town.” In turn, the most talented members have invariably been generous in helping and encouraging by example those of more modest ambitions, painting for sheer enjoyment and the desire to raise their standards. Overall, the Club has remained true to one of its founding objectives in providing a focal point for artists in the region to share their talents.
This sense of camaraderie was well expressed by the late Ted Harrison who joined the Club with his national reputation already well-established. He gave his reason for joining as follows: “because I want to be able enjoy being with a group of like-minded people doing the same thing as I do.” |
|
| Interesting Stuff in Sequestered Times |
|
|
Pottery from southwestern USFirst Nations art from the US Pacific northwest, such as carving, prints, and jewelry, is recognized internationally for its uniqueness and outstanding aesthetic quality.
In the American southwest, pottery is one of the most dominant art forms, produced by a broad range of nations / tribes / pueblos (the latter term often used to reference a cultural group, or a place, or a community). Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, Acoma, and Jemez are some fine examples. 
Over centuries this pottery has evolved from a basic utilitarian use to a contemporary sophisticated art form produced for markets ranging from general tourism to discerning international collectors.
Varying greatly in size, shape, and decoration, the very best pots, produced by established artisans, can command prices well into the thousands of dollars.
-- submitted by Rand Harrison |
|
 | | Christine Gollner introduced VSC members to her island neighbour, fashion illustrator Gladys Perint Palmer, and many of us jumped at the opportunity to watch GPP at work via an online Vimeo masterclass. |
|
Hello Victoria Sketch Club Members,
I am pleased and proud to announce that I have donated one of my paintings to the PWP (Parkinson’s Wellness Project) silent online Gala auction. Due to COVID-19, the gala is now being online, from November 25 to December 3, 2020.
 I invite you to click on the link to support a worthy cause, and hope you see something of interest to you.
https://www.32auctions.com/PWP2020
As well as being an active member of the VSC, I am also an active member of the Parkinson’s Wellness Project. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s early stages October 2019, and in this short time have met many amazing individuals sharing the same challenges thanks to PWP. As with the VSC, I am so blessed to have found another amazing support system.
PWP has embraced the challenge of COVID-19 and still manages to offer us amazing Zoom classes such as Dance, Fitness and Boxing 101. I have become a Boomer Zoomer! I have taken up a new hobby-- boxing! I love it and have developed a strong *JAB * and upper cut!! I'm a fighter, and doing well amid my challenges.  The secret is to keep moving and painting!! Great family, friends, doctors, meds, and a good sense of humour!
Andra tutto bene! Everything will be alright!
-- Joan Head |
|
Beach Acres, Parksville, is the venue for 2021, September 7-14, 2021. There are lots of painting sites in and around Parksville and Qualicum Beach.
For more information, please go to the website at www.beachacresresort.com. If you are interested in joining us, please make your booking ASAP.
Guest Services and Sales, call 1-800-663-7309 |
|
Do you have news or fun things to share?
Forward your news and relevant pictures or links to the newsletter editor. |
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment