Kevin Lousier
The master at work. Wielding wet earth between cracks of stone. The artist, deep in thought, building walls that bide the time before he returns to his true calling. Kevin Lousier may not be widely known in the art world, but I like to think he’s earned a star among the world’s true artists in some ethereal walk of fame. He belongs to a league of creative souls... Read More
Selah Outdoor Explorations
I’m deep in the woods, in the dark, with my three young children trudging through huge drifts of snow as we search for a way back home. A strange man emerges from the bushes and stops us in our tracks. In a twisted Scottish accent he describes the gory details of a scalp-scraping bear attack on his friend, Chief Short Legs. He points the way towards a fire pit where... Read More
Yarn Bomb ~ Cool Arts Society
Darn. We’re late again. I race along the walkway to the Rotary Centre for the Arts with my children. Somewhere inside the building a patient friend sits waiting for our coffee date. I’m about to run through the door when something catches my eye—a tree wearing a sweater. I’m thrust into a slow motion scene where I’m pelted with unexpected bullets of beautiful... Read More
Skydiving as art
A red blob splattered across a green canvas. That’s how I’ll look if things go wrong today. I am plummeting from 11,000 feet over the Okanagan Valley with nothing but a Russian man strapped to my back. If we can land without looking like a Jackson Pollack painting… Read More Read More
Art Means Business
“So, will it be wine or coffee?” asks my host as we tour his home, an art gallery decorated with an air of enchantment. A white baby grand dares me to play a note as I walk by. Buffets of Easter bunnies perch in display across the kitchen walls. Near the entrance, the portrait of a man painted on a deer hide draws me in. I look deep into his blue eyes and hear him... Read More
On Set: Stace Williamson
Thick dark blood is about to drip into my eye. I’m in the back yard of a little house near Knox Mountain. The guy sitting next to me throws money and a knife on the table as weird noises circle around the yard. Suddenly, he’s sucked up into the air by an unidentified beast that tears into him, splattering the mess across my face and into my left eye. It burns, but... Read More
Bookshelf
Summer in the Okanagan means time to kick back and read. Check out these titles by Okanagan authors: Bear of a Honeymoon, by Laurie Carter; The Bridge, Don’t Look Back, by Faye Cyr; Fall of a King, by James Fuller; Financial Fitness for Beginners, by Diana E. Young; Food and the City, by Jennifer Cockrall-King; Getting Paid to Pay Attention, by Marilyn Strong;... Read More
Festivals Kelowna – Renata Mills
“I’m an administrative goddess on steroids,” says Renata Mills—and she needs to be. Along with her job as executive director of Festivals Kelowna, which brings a wide range of cultural events to life around the city every year, she has a busy family life looking after her husband and two daughters. Festivals Kelowna is one of those groups most people are only... Read More
Okanagan Types, Tips and Secret Bits
Ordinary, extraordinary Okanaganites – Pigeon-holing? Not so much my style. But a few months ago, I was people-watching from a downtown Kelowna bench and it struck me that there are some incredible types milling around. The girl with the sandals and the pug? She just might head up the latest game studio. The guy on the bike? Maybe a sommelier, stay at home dad or... Read More
Inspired Words
Softly gently courageously I Love self An invitation to be mighty is the path A warrior’s walk is my walk… Rawle James ends his poem with a loving smile. The audience breaks into applause. I’m at the Landmark Bean Scene Coffeehouse in Kelowna. It’s packed with people jacked up on cups of joe and thirsty for the inspiring words being shared tonight. It’s all... Read More
