After a brief one-year hiatus, the Squamish Valley Art Walk reminded the town of its creative assets with a bustling 17-stop route over the weekend. The annual event put on by the non-profit organization Visuals brings residents and visitors into the studios of local artists. As marketing director for VISUALS Squamish Valley Artists, Wanda Doyle was on site at the Adventure Centre to tell the public more about the group. She made several new recruits as she talked about Squamish's rich arts community.
"Squamish has the second highest number of residents who are artists by profession per capita in Canada," she explained. "With our beautiful scenery here, it's very inspiring."
This year's tour stretched from Valleycliffe to Brackendale while more than 200 visitors taking part in the walk to discover a spectrum of local creations ranging from pottery to stained glass, to canvas and copper work.
Portrait photographer Susan Carmody said the walk was an opportunity to catch up with past clients and connect with prospective buyers. "I'm a little bit on the shy side but it's nice to meet people," she said.
Without a studio in town, Carmody displayed her children's photography at the Adventure Centre, many of which featured her six-year-old daughter Hayleigh Bradshaw as she plays outside.
The Adventure Centre served as a launch pad to the walk with a sampling from each participating artist on display. Visitors could also see the raffle prizes firsthand and buy tickets for pieces such as Doyle's hand-finished canvas print A Walk in the Park. Squamish resident Wendy Gray won the print, and half the proceeds from the draw went to the Howe Sound Women's Centre.She noted that even with a focus on outdoor recreation, Squamish is getting known for its creative side.
One Whistler resident who was checking out the show said she always had a feeling that there was artistic talent in Squamish. Yvonne Dobrowlski credited the mountains for inspiring artists and said she suspected outdoor recreation enhanced the arts community. "I think they actually feed off each other."
