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“I felt that choosing another of Cameron Bird's pieces of art for the 2011 Map Book cover made perfect sense,” says publisher Rose-Marie Regitnig. “The moose was well received last year and raised a significant amount of funding for the Invermere and District Hospital Emergency Department.”
The Map Book has again joined forces with Artym Gallery in Invermere to sell reproductions of the cover art for charity. This year, the money raised will go to the Invermere Companion Animal Network (ICAN) to support the work they do caring for cats, kittens, dogs and small animals.
“The Generations-Grizzly piece felt perfect; a bear mother and her cub on a mission, exemplifying family relations in human life as well as in the animal kingdom,” Ms. Regitnig adds.
Proceeds from the sale of giclées (high-quality prints) of Generations – Grizzly will go to ICAN. This non-profit, volunteer-run, no-kill shelter/organization provides care for abandoned and owner surrendered animals. They tend to any special care and veterinary requirements (including spaying and neutering) and place the animals in foster and permanent homes.
“It’s a very worthy cause,” says Connie Artym-Bradatsch, co-owner of the Artym Gallery with her husband Grey Bradatsch. “I volunteer with ICAN, and giving unwanted animals the chance at having a life with someone who will treasure them is a very gratifying experience. Giving people the chance to fall in love with a kitten or cat that will become a part of their family is so rewarding, for both the people and the animals involved.”
Ryan Bavin Photography has produced just 100 giclées of Generations – Grizzly. The reproductions are 16” x 16”, costing $280 and are printed on paper, dry-mounted, varnished and framed.
The Invermere Companion Animal Network was established in May 2007 and since its inception has found new homes, provided veterinary care and assisted over 450 pets; 95 percent of those being felines. If foster homes are available, the organization will also take on owner-surrendered dogs and occasionally smaller animals.
ICAN only adopts out spayed and neutered pets, ensuring fewer homeless animals in the future. Their mandate is to provide shelter, food, veterinary care, love, and respect to each and every animal that they take in or assist. ICAN is a no-kill shelter, meaning that any pet that is healthy, treatable and adoptable will stay with them until they find their forever home.
“We would love the opportunity to help secure loving futures for more animals of the community in the years to come,” says Lana Banham, ICAN President. “We are looking for an acre or so of land so that we can begin building a new, permanent shelter facility; complete with an isolation ward, a room for nursing cats and kittens, an education room, on-site laundry, separate rooms to house cats and kittens, and a big outdoor enclosure.
“The Map Book cover project will help us begin to realize this dream and enable us to help more needy animals in the area. We are honoured and grateful that ICAN was chosen this year. It is such a wonderful thing that they are doing with this Project, it is enabling many different organizations in our Valley to get a little bit closer to their dreams.”
To purchase a giclée of Generations – Grizzly, drop by the Artym Gallery at 934 – 7th Avenue in downtown Invermere, or call 250-342-7566. To view the painting online, visit www.ArtymGallery.com.
For more on the Invermere Companion Animal Network visit www.ICanHelpAPet.com , phone 250-341-7888, or e-mail info@icanhelpapet.com.
The love and reverence Cameron Bird has for the wildlife and landscapes he lives among shines through his artwork.
“My work is a diary of my life,” says Cameron, the Columbia Valley Map Book’s featured artist for 2011. “I’m out there, seeing these things. This is who I am and hopefully it shows through my work.”
The oil painting Generations - Grizzly, which graces the Map Book cover, is inspired from Cameron's days working as a packhorse guide in the Chilcotin Mountains, B.C. “These grizzlies were at Bella Coola, eating fish at the river,” Cameron explains. “The mother was teaching the cub how to feed.”
Cameron has painted since childhood. As a young adult, he honed his craft while working at other things, including commercial art and sign painting. His guiding experiences in the Chilcotins confirmed his direction and helped shape his painting style.
Inspired in part by the Group of Seven and Tom Thompson, Cameron keeps his style simple, with a contemporary feel. Instead of taking photographs of landscapes he wants to paint, Cameron sketches the images in black charcoal or crayon on location.
“I do a journal every day and write down the whole scene as well as sketch it out,” he says. “Then I paint by layers and add texture.”
Cameron starts painting in black and white and adds colours one layer at a time. He suggests viewing his paintings from at least eight feet away, when the colours blend together. If viewed close up, the patterns become clearer. He tries to show the process of a piece's creation even in the finished product.
Cameron started selling his work in 1989 and has been painting full-time since 2000. He paints only with oil, using bold colours and a technique called heavy impasto; heavy brush strokes that add texture and dimension to a painting. His formal art training took place at Emily Carr College of Art and Capilano College.
Cameron cites many artistic influences, but none more profound than the late Canadian artist Keith Smith, with whom he studied for over 10 years.
“He taught me to keep the work simple and to make every brush stroke count,” Cameron says. “He’s the reason I paint strictly in oil now.”
Cameron and his wife Amanda live in Lac la Hache, B.C. They spend as much time outdoors as they can, camping, hiking and fishing. The couple just had their first child, Jasper, born in August 2010 and named after their favourite place, Jasper National Park.
Cameron is delighted to be involved again with the Columbia Valley Map Book. “The fact that proceeds from this project go towards a charitable cause is important to me,” he says. “Invermere, the Columbia Valley and the Artym Gallery have continued to be good to me and it's nice to give something back.”
Designed by Shawn Wernig © 2011 Columbia Valley Pioneer • www.columbiavalleypioneer.com