Web Design, Content and Photos:

Kate Cino previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine. She has a History in Art degree and a Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria.

kate-cino@shaw.ca  250 598-4009

Theresa McFarland (left) and Michael Warren opened Madrona Gallery in June, 2010.

The bright, busy gallery has a diverse inventory of well-established and avant-garde Canadian artists. Styles range from traditional landscapes and Inuit art to edgy metal sculptures.

(Madrona sign by Colin MacRae.)

“Buying art should be a rewarding experience,” says Michael, we provide a welcoming atmosphere and excellent customer service.

www.madronagallery.com

Meghan Hildebrand is an energetic artist with gallery representation across Canada. Pre-show sales are strong for her first exhibition at Madrona Gallery. Intrigued by quilting and weaving, the artist has recently added a fabric theme to her mixed-media paintings. “My Quilt Series narratives are multi-layered stories,” she says, “I use every little delicious image (flags, stamps, coats of arms, media clippings) to create colourful dreamscapes.”

O’Sullivan’s Rolling Darkroom by Meghan Hildebrand. Triptych, each panel 12 x 24 inches.

In Powell River, the artist’s light-filled studio overflows with paper scraps and canvases in progress. She works on up to 12 paintings at a time, spending half an hour on each, weaving the imagery and palette of her themed series into a unified whole. “I find the work totally engrossing,” she says, “I estimate my painting time over the past eight years at 15,000 hours. The warmth and energy grows.” 

Meghan’s symbolic wonderlands

are full of delightful twists and turns. Among the mysterious signs and markers, strange creatures and extra-terrestrials she invites the viewer to find their own meanings.

In a playful gesture, Meghan (at right) dons 3D glasses. Glasses are available for Sparklehaus guests.

.

Meghan Hildebrand’s formative influences include growing up in the Yukon with a creative mother and miner/blaster father, plus her formal art education, awards and workshops. The artist and her carpenter husband Tony Colton are active in Powell River community projects and environmental issues.

She’s inspired by the intuitive simplicity found in children’s drawings, and the flowing curvilinear shapes of Indigenous design. A recent show by John Kissick re-ignited her creative passion. “His rich, huge, colourful images spoke to me,” she says, “about the pure joy of painting.” www.meghanhildebrand.com

Colin MacRae (below) looks forward to reuniting with old friends at the opening of Sparklehaus on April 2. From 1989-1999 he was active in Victoria’s music and art scene. His sleek art-deco signs, desks, shelving and metal sculpture grace several local businesses. Colin now lives in Powell River in a refurbished building that serves as a commercial shop and home base.

Colin’s collaged constructions contain recycled metals of many hues and textures: shiny tin sheeting, corrugated steel, oxidized copper, the rusted hulls of boats and mottled miners’ shacks. He begins each project with a drawing that is enlarged into a cardboard template.

To create linework and and borders, the artist hand bends 3/16” metal round stock. The amalgamation process is intricate and time consuming but produces balanced compositions with clean lines and an earthy palette.

The artist describes the imagery in A Long Way for a Rescue (left) as ambiguous and metaphorical. “All my art pieces revolve around narrative,” he says, “this piece talks about the open road as a gap between emotional states.”

The artist employs animal shapes (in this case a flop-eared bunny) to convey attitudes and behaviours. The square cross suggests healing or medicinal rescue.

In 2006, Colin gave Along the Way From Here to There (above and left) to Neil Young and his manager Eliot Roberts.

“Neil and his wife Peggy really appreciated the gift,” says Colin. It now hangs in Young’s Vapor Records Studio in Santa Monica, California.

Neil Young (left) with Colin MacRae

At 39, Colin works in a variety of mediums: commercial design, fine art, audio, visual and screen printing. He enjoys the challenge of bringing ideas to life and uniting form and function. “Through attention to detail, beautification and thoughtful design,” says Colin, “artwork greatly improves the quality of our lives.”

Theresa met Michael at UVic’s volunteer-run radio station CFUV. Theresa was completing her Masters in History and Michael his History in Art degree. A film historian, Theresa played scores and discussed movies; DJ Michael spun bass-heavy electronica from vinyl. After two years of saying hello, Theresa asked him out.

Four years later, Theresa is co-curator at Madrona Gallery, a full-time researcher at UVic, and enrolled in the Cultural Resource Management Program. She also expresses her love of fabric and design by creating fashion accessories like Michael’s stylish tie.  “We want to represent a variety of artists with unique perspectives,” she says, “and these two dynamic artists fit our vision.”

Michael Warren and Theresa McFarland (right) co-owners of Madrona Gallery.

*Photo Credits: Photos of artists and their artwork courtesy of artists.

The Apocalypse are Coming by Meghan Hildebrand.