Anna Ashcroft is a new exhibitor at The Breeze,  and I thought I would introduce you to her this week. Anna lives in Quesnel, and presently works full time as a sculptor in her home based studio gallery. Anna attended the Kootenay School of Art in the 1970′s majoring in applied design, and after years of working in graphic design she has now returned to her first love – sculpting.

Anna says of her work:

” I am primarily a figurative sculptor, currently obsessed with stone. I like the way the material itself influences the piece – the original shape suggests the image within, and as flaws, cracks or veins are revealed they are incorporated into the flow of the emerging sculpture. The final texture and colour is only revealed after Tung Oil is applied and is always a surprise.

My pieces are subjective statements. Like an anthropologist of my own life and culture, I am exploring themes that have an intimate quality to them. These themes have appeared in my life again and again, forcing me to look more closely at them.”

Anna’s award winning piece (pictured above) “If Summer Was a Woman” toured BC’s interior galleries with ArtFest 2005, a showcase for emerging artist of the BC Central Interior and is now available at the Breeze. We are very privileged and grateful to have Anna sharing her work with us. These are just a few of the pieces currently showing at the Breeze, so be sure to stop by to see more of Anna’s fabulous work.

I am a bit late on posting about this but there is a special photo exhibition wrapping up at The Breeze this week featuring the work of local photographers. There are some really fantastic pieces and it is well worth a visit.

The exhibtion wraps up on Friday so you still have some time to see it, and possibly get a jump on your Christmas gifts!

I interviewed Katja a little about her work and process and here is the results of that interview:

Can you tell us a little bit about your background as it relates to your work or how you came to be doing what you are doing now? 

I took two years of study at the Kootenay School of the Arts in Nelson. My studio was Jewellery & Small Object Design, but they also had classes such as Drawing and Design. I was making beaded jewellery prior to going and wanted to be able to do more, but I still like making the beaded items. I learned how to do the silver work and the most important thing I learned was how to draw. It’s good for designing jewellery pieces and just a good skill to have.
 
What inspires you when you are creating?
Everything. Sometimes I just cut pictures out of magazines like National Geographic and draw whatever the picture makes me think of, then try to make it into a jewellery design. I try to find designs in everything, but especially nature.

What kinds of materials do you like to work with the most and why?
I like it all. Especially when I get new beads, that’s always fun. I currently use semi-precious stones and glass, but if I could find the right beads out of other materials, I’d like to use those too. It’s just a matter of finding the right materials.  I really like the silver work,too, but am not doing as much with it right now as I would like.

 
Do you have a favorite piece of work?

I really like my flowers made out of silver. I’m planning on doing more of those. And my silver tree, I really love that.

What kinds of things are you pursuing for the future of your business? How do you hope to see it grow?

I hope to take a web design course so I can update my own website. Right now my sister designed my web site, but if I want to change anything I have to go through her, which is difficult since she’s in Ontario. With the internet, I hope to be able to reach more people and hopefully sell more items. Right now, I have a website, but it doesn’t display all my work. I hope to continue with both the beaded and silver work, but come up with more and better designs. It’s a fun job and I’m glad to have a place like The Breeze to sell in. 

Thank you Katja for sharing your story with us! If you would like to see more of Katja’s work you can check out her website here, and of course you can always find her designs at the Breeze.

There has been a new kid on the block in downtown Quesnel for the past few months and that is The Breeze Gold and Gallery, owned and operated by Stan Krumm. Stan is an accomplished goldsmith and in addition to his goldsmithing business he has opened a gallery featuring locally made art, jewelry, accessories and pottery.  Involving locally produced work was a part of Stan’s vision from the beginning of this project and seeing it get off the ground and contribute positively to the local artist community has been immensely rewarding for him and his staff.  

Over the coming months on this site we plan to feature gallery artists profiles and interviews, as well as keep you posted about upcoming events, sales, and special exhibitions at the Gallery. Our vision for this site is to create an ongoing communication and dialogue with our customers and community members. We hope to bring an increased awareness to local artists through special events and exhibitions. We hope that you will stop back again to stay updated on what is new and exciting at the Breeze.  

The Breeze Gold and Gallery is located at 328 Reid St. in Quesnel BC. Next time you are visiting downtown Quesnel, be sure to stop in and experience the unique blend of art, craft and personal style at The Breeze.