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A Brief History of ArtCan Gallery and Café

Author: July 16, 2019

A Brief History of ArtCan Gallery and Café By Ron Hayes When my family first came to Nova Scotia I noticed there were very few places to exhibit art in the Valley, and nowhere to buy basic art supplies. I decided to create an art gallery and art supply shop. ArtCan was born out of this idea in 2001. After a couple of years we required a bigger space, so we purchased the old MacDonald Chisholm building by the park in Canning. While renovating this building we added a café and reopened in 2004. There have been many adjustments over…
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In Photos: New Murals and Jane’s Walk in Kentville

Author: June 28, 2019

Blossom mural: Trackside Studios created a mural over Apple Blossom weekend on a 70 foot wall in front of Main Street Station (former Cornwallis Inn). The mural was a collaborative effort by Maritime Express Cider Co., Safeguard Property Management, Kentville Business Community, and Hardware Gallery. Mural installation: The EDGE program in Kentville teamed up with Hardware Gallery and artist Ian Funke-McKay to create a participatory mural on the side of the Valley Gate Vineyard Church in Kentville. Graveyard Walk: On May 18, Kentville Community Fund and the Kentville Historical Society hosted a Jane’s Walk through the Oak Grove Cemetery, led…
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On the Cover: Two Planks and a Passion Theatre

Author: June 27, 2019

On the Cover: Two Planks and a Passion Theatre Heading into their 2019 summer season at The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts, the folks behind Two Planks and A Passion Theatre are hard at work preparing an impressive selection of productions. Artistic director Ken Schwartz was generous enough to find a few minutes in the midst of a full rehearsal schedule to answer some questions for The Grapevine:** The Grapevine (GV): Describe the Two Planks and A Passion experience in one sentence: Ken Schwartz (KS): A unique marriage between nature and the imagination resulting in an intimate, unforgettable experience….
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What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens – Outdoor Sanctuary

Author: June 17, 2019

What’s Growing at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens – Outdoor Sanctuary By Melanie Priesnitz, Conservation Horticulturist Getting outside is not hard to do. You need no special equipment nor fancy clothes. You need only the desire and determination to make it so. As I sit at my desk writing these words to inspire others to get outside, a solitary bee is madly buzzing around me. He’s flying directly into my office window with monomaniacal determination as he looks through the glass to where he wants to be. As a former office worker, I often felt much like this little bee,…
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In Pursuit of Light

Author: June 17, 2019

In Pursuit of Light By Anna Horsnell Light. Without it we live in darkness. Light enables us to literally see the world around us in all its complexity. In art, the painter uses the illusion of light to create a three-dimensional world on a two-dimensional canvas. To do this well requires an exceptional eye and masterful skill. Arnaud Béghin is just such an artist. Béghin was born in 1964 in Le Havre, France. Having tried art school, he chose instead to follow his own path to become an artist. Living in Paris in the late 1980s, his preference was to…
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Shark Sighting in Grand Pré

Author: May 30, 2019

Shark Sighting in Grand Pré By Anna Horsnell Doug Morse is an artist. He is perhaps skeptical of that statement, pointing first to his 35 year reputation as a wooden sign maker. His portfolio of work ranges from commercial, residential, and nautical signs to finely-detailed carvings. However, his most recent creation is quite simply a work of art. Within his sizeable Grand Pré workshop, surrounded by a clutter of tools and copious amounts of paper calculations, drawings, and photos, Morse is sculpting a creature both terrifying and beautiful, namely a great white shark. The attention to exacting detail is remarkable…
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Art Spot: Susan Knowling

Author: May 22, 2019

Art Spot: Susan Knowling Who: Who am I? I am the watercolour artist whose paintings are the current works on display in the Wolfville Library. You may have seen me hanging around the Wolfville Farmers Market pencil in hand. I draw in coffee shops, parks, parking lots, graveyards, just about anywhere there is an interesting activity or landscape. What & Where: I sketch or paint in watercolour and ink for convenience and portability. My subjects are modest studies of life in and around Wolfville: who is doing what where? It is the life and activity that attract my eye, and…
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The Dedicated Life of an Artist

Author: May 6, 2019

The Dedicated Life of an Artist By Anna Horsnell Dedication plays a key role in most successful careers. Artist Twila Robar-Decoste is no exception. For as long as she can remember she wanted to be an artist. She also had a keen interest in science, specifically the natural world. Last, but by no means least, she always had strong and unwavering ties to her childhood home of Aylesford. Those three things, art, science, and home, have remained constants throughout her life, and her artistic career is a testament to that dedication. Robar-Decoste was one of those children who sketched during…
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FESTIVAL GUIDE 2019

Author: May 6, 2019

FESTIVAL GUIDE 2019 May 9-10 MAYWORKS FESTIVAL Wolfville donnaholmes712@gmail.com – May 29 – June 3 ANNAPOLIS VALLEY APPLE BLOSSOM FESTIVAL The Valley, NS appleblossom.com – June 7-8 PORT WILLIAMS DAYS Port Williams, NS portwilliams.com – June 13 – 16 ROOTS TO BOOTS FESTIVAL Louisbourg & Chéticamp, NS festivalracinesetbottines.ca rootstobootsfestival.ca – June 15 -16 DEVIL’S HALF ACRE MOTORCYCLE EVENT Kentville, NS devilshalfacremotorcyclerally.ca – JUNE 21-23 FULL CIRCLE FESTIVAL & SUMMER SOLSTICE POP-UP MARKET Newport Landing, NS fullcirclefestival.ca – June 22 KENTVILLE CHALK AND ART FESTIVAL Kentville, NS kentville.ca – June 22 TEDDY BEAR JAMBOREE Falmouth, NS falmouthcommunityhall@gmail.com – June 22 –…
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An Intimate Embrace with Nature

Author: April 24, 2019

An Intimate Embrace with Nature By Anna Horsnell Kate McKenna feels a reverence for this planet that goes far beyond Earth Day. As a fine art photographer, she seeks to connect people with nature by sharing a way of seeing that touches something primal, something ancient inside us. She invites us to recognize our landscape in a new way. McKenna’s images take the viewer up close and personal. So close that the details of tree bark, rock, and sand become abstracted, drawing attention to shapes and colour, sculptural aspects, and the beauty of creation. “I want to be close. I…
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