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‘Deep Roots’ artists both inspired by trees and wood in show at The Art Gallery Osoyoos
Stained Glass Window is an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)
Two artists, both inspired by trees and wood in different ways, appear in a show titled Deep Roots at The Art Gallery Osoyoos (TAGO). The show runs from Saturday, Feb. 3 to Saturday, Feb. 24.
Ann Willsie does large oil paintings on canvas often showing huge gnarly trees and dramatic light. She is a Senior member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. She lives and works in Lake Country, B.C.
Mike Voros carves wood and bark to make fantasy scenes of people, strange creatures, and twisted vertical cities and towns. He lives near Jackfish Lake, north of North Battleford, Sask., and spends winters as an Osoyoos snowbird.
In recent years, Willsie has found a passion for painting outdoors, en plein air.
“How many of us have walked into a deep forest and been overcome by a strong sense of calmness and tranquility; a sense of wonder and respect,” she says, describing standing in a Spanish olive grove more than 1,000 years old. “I could only imagine what they [trees] must have witnessed over the years, and the stories they would tell if they could only talk.”
Voros has been carving wood and bark for more than 30 years. Describing his approach to carvings, he once told a Prince Albert newspaper: “The more that you play with them, your skill develops and all of a sudden you get to the point where you want to do something and it’s kind of like you’re watching your hands do the work. You don’t think about it, they just do what the hands require.”
The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
It is located at 8713 Main St. in Osoyoos, B.C., just west of Town Hall.
Click on thumbnail images below to see in Virtual Gallery. Use arrow keys to flip through images. Click on images to see title at top.
Deep Roots Feb 2024
Walk at Sunrise, an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Lake Country Roads, an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Hoer and Hooker are two carvings made from bass wood by Mike Voros. (Richard McGuire Photo)These ornate walking sticks were carved from wood by Mike Voros. (Richard McGuire Photo)The Watcher was carved in bark by Mike Voros. (Richard McGuire Photo)Hang Your Hat was carved in bass wood by Mike Voros. (Richard McGuire Photo)The paintings here are by Ann Willsie and the wood carvings are by Mike Voros. From left are: Early Morning Shadows (oil), Capital City (bark), City Centre (bark) and Willow in Winter (oil). (Richard McGuire Photo)The oil painting in centre is Ancient Cedar Trail, by Ann Willsie. The wood carvings by Mike Voros are both in bark and are called Three Feathers. (Richard McGuire Photo)Morning Light is an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Lily Pond is an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)An oil painting, Jackpine II, by Ann Willsie, is flanked by bark carvings by Mike Voros: City Centre, and In the Clouds. (Richard McGuire Photo)On the left is Spirit, a carving in bark by Mike Voros. At right is Jackpine by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)In a corner of the back room are four oil paintings by Ann Willsie (from left) Morning Light on Lagood, Here Comes the Sun, Magical Place II, Shade of the Poplar. (Richard McGuire Photo)Town Tower is a carving in bark by Mike Voros. (Richard McGuire Photo)Summer Marshes is an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Safe Ghost Watcher is a bark carving by Mike Voros. (Richard McGuire Photo)Thompson River is an oil painting by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Road to the Lake and Overlooking the Bay are oil paintings by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Wood carvings by Mike Voros are displayed in the middle of the gallery’s back room. Behind are paintings by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)Wood carvings by Mike Voros are displayed in the middle of the gallery’s front room. Behind are paintings by Ann Willsie. (Richard McGuire Photo)
Author: Richard McGuire
Richard McGuire is an Osoyoos photographer who worked at the Osoyoos Times between 2012 and 2018, first as reporter and then as editor. He has a long career in journalism as well as research, communication and management at the House of Commons in Ottawa and in the federal government.
View all posts by Richard McGuire