Each with a different interpretation of Canada, painter Eva Heese and felter Claudia Ring are this month’s featured artists in the Cariboo Artist’s Guild Showcase Gallery.
While both Heese and Ring are German, from Berlin and Cologne respectively, both turned to Canada for inspiration for their artwork in the gallery.
The mixture of Heese’s watercolours and Ring’s felt creations create a visually bold display offering different interpretations of Canada in honour of the country’s 150th anniversary.
Heese’s featured paintings draw from the wildlife of the country, one displaying each province’s official bird.
Ring’s felt designs are more interpretive — the main piece is a stunning jacket that encompasses a variety of Canadian imagery.
“I call it my Canada coat,” says Ring. “The panels on the bottom, they depict the things that drove me to move to Canada.”
Each panel evokes images of mountains, trees, fire, water and rock. Maple leaves adorn the front of the coat, while roots are depicted over the rest.
“The roots are going from here, from my heart, down to the ground,” says Ring.
Meanwhile, Heese’s art is bright with colours that attract the eye.
“I love watercolour because of the colours, they flow nicely together,” she says.
“I’ve been in the fashion industry all my life and always loved colours, working with different materials and different colours. I guess it stayed with the painting too,” she says.
“To me, they give life.”
The combination of the two mediums adds a different flavour to the exhibit.
“It’s a little more interesting instead of just pictures. It’s a little livelier,” says Heese.
The two were first introduced in the South Cariboo two years ago.
“I met her because I wanted to know a certain knitting pattern,” says Ring. The two quickly became friends and when they realized they were both working on projects for the Canada 150 celebrations it seemed natural to display their artwork together.
Both also took up their respective mediums after retirement.
Heese, as mentioned, worked in the fashion industry for most of her life.
“I think I always wanted to be in painting, but my father told me you don’t make any money in it, so I had to learn a trade,” she says.
While her work included some art-like aspects, sketching clothing and painting on clothes, retirement provided Heese the opportunity to pick up a paintbrush.
“It was always my vision and I finally had time to do it.”
When Ring retired from a career in psychology, she attended the Kootenay School of the Arts to study textiles.
“Felting I liked the best because you can play a lot with it, you can do so many different things,” she says.
The artwork will be at the Showcase Gallery in the South Cariboo Business Centre until the start of June.