It was a three-hour tour in which nothing went wrong. No storm to maroon the tourists and crew on a tropical island. No Gilligan to frustrate the skipper, no professor or millionaire and his wife. No Ginger and Mary Ann to compete for the attention of adolescent TV viewers. Just six destinations that opened their doors to about 18 Creston Valley residents who wanted to get a closer look at some of the area’s cultural and artistic highlights.
The tour was arranged by Wynndel artist Sandy Kunze and her husband, Dirk.
“We want to see if it’s feasible to offer tours to many of the special places that the Creston Valley has to offer,” Kunze said on July 21.
The group traveled on BC Transit’s community bus, allowing participants to relax and enjoy both the scenery and camaraderie between destinations. Another tour a week earlier included different destinations.
“We thoroughly enjoyed hosting these folks,” said Baillie-Grohman Estate Winery owner Bob Johnson who, with his wife, Petra Flaa, took the group on a tour of the winery and vineyards before hosting a tasting of the winery’s products.
The group, which included several local artists, was met by the bus at the winery. The first stop on the art portion of the tour was at the home of Bruce Paterson, a retired Prince Charles Secondary School teacher who built a strong following when he drew pen and ink sketches of historical Kootenay buildings and sites and later drew editorial page cartoons for the Creston Valley Advance. He now creates ceramic sculptures and acrylic paintings, most with fantasy themes.
While his home studio and gallery is not open to the public, Paterson said he appreciated the interest shown by the group and would consider welcoming groups in the future.
The next stop was Alfoldy Gallery, where artists Elaine and Andy Alfoldy have shown their cloth and paper batiks and watercolour paintings to thousands of visitors since they first opened in Kuskanook in 1982. The gallery’s current location is in a small house on Highway 3 in Erickson. Visit www.alfoldy.com for more information.
Following a discussion with Elaine Alfoldy, the group reboarded the bus and headed south to Canyon, where the first stop was at the gallery and home of Bea von Allmen, whose cloth and clay art has long been a popular attraction at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market. In her gallery, which is open to the public on Sundays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. from July through September, the visitors enjoyed groupings of meticulously crafted characters that feature clay bird heads with bodies draped in beautiful cloth costumes. Her recent focus, she said, was to create a series of characters based on various participants in Middle East markets.
The bus then headed further south to Orde Creek Pottery, where Gunda Stewart displays and sells clay art.
“I make functional stoneware pottery that is wood fired and salt glazed,” she said. “My work is rooted in tradition, influenced by English, German and Japanese folk pottery.”
Outside, behind the studio, a massive brick kiln is being prepared for a firing this week, which will help Stewart restock her shelves.
The final stop on the Thursday tour was to Hilltop Gallery in Riverview, where the works of James and Nora McDowell are created and displayed. James, one of the Creston Valley’s most prolific artists, welcomed the visitors into his small studio, where the walls are covered with paintings in a variety of styles. Among them are the small acrylic and oil paintings he has produced in the last few weeks since taking on a personal challenge to create a painting each day.
“It’s a lot of fun to do this,” he said. “It makes you focus on the little things around you and it takes some discipline to complete the work in a couple of hours — that’s why I’m using small panels.”
Also on display are Nora’s knitted tea cozies, which have become a hit at the farmers’ market, where the couple also sells produce, art cards, home-baked goods and, occasionally, James’ woodwork.
Before the visitors retreated to the bus, James produced a project he completed last winter. He built an octave mandolin, using wood from his shop, while Nora was taking a small business course at Kootenay Employment Services.
“I called that my ‘six weeks of solitude’,” he joked, strumming the mandolin before thanking his guests for visiting.
“I’m not sure if or how future tours might be arranged, but I think they are a great way to get out and see what Creston Valley has to offer,” Kunze said.
One participant said similar tours should be arranged for Creston Valley Chamber of Commerce directors, Creston town councilors and Regional District of Central Kootenay directors.
“It’s too easy to forget what we have here,” Kunze said. “And using a bus to get around makes it so easy to enjoy the tours.”