Shannon began carving in 1986.   Although painting had been Shannon's passion for many years the moment she touched stone she felt an instant affinity and she knew this was her natural medium.  Shannon selects stone to which she feels an immediate connection.  Preferring not to impose an idea into the piece, but rather open up and let the stone speak to her, thus the sculpture becomes a form of synchronicity.

Artist's Statement: "The relationship of form and space, plus beauty and strength of simplicity continues to be an important underlying theme. Despite the intrinsic obstacles and challenges of each piece the whole experience for me is like a timeless, wonderful dance ."  

Some fine examples of woodturning by local craftsman John Spitters.

Vance Theoret is a stone sculptor who resides in the interior of B.C.

Working in alabasters, soapstones, slate, chlorite and Kissi stone, Vance carves a variety of subjects - but bears are by far his favourite. "Bears are like big kids that never really grow up. So I can get away with portraying a lot of human qualities in them. I like to explore the more playful, curious aspects of bears."

Vance Theoret's work ranges from small pieces for gifts to larger sculptures for private and corporate collections. His pieces can be found as far away as Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland, Taiwan and Japan.

Artist Statement:

I am a Canadian artist living in Mission, British Columbia (B.C.). I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, the next state over from B.C. and was painting as a child. Later, I took workshops and lessons when available, in Oregon in the U.S.A., the Okanagan in B.C., and the Fraser Valley, which is where I live. This valley is lush green valley between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, close to Vancouver, B.C. In this valley, everywhere that you look is a beautiful scene just waiting to be painted. I never run out of ideas.

I graduate from the University of Alberta and also hold a degree in music from Toronto, Ontario. I have been painting seriously since about 1974. Besides being a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, I belong to several art clubs, and am a life member of the Mission Artists Association, in my home city.

I am a self-representing artist who paints every day, if possible. Painting, to me, is like eating--if you don't do it every day, you get a gnawing in your stomach. My works are original oils, original watercolours, and original mixed media or collage. Some of my works are abstract. Usually I work in my studio, but I like to work outdoors "plein air" (out on location) too. I have works in private collections in North America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.

My belief is that art is a gift and as such has to be used. To me, it is a lifetime love. I'm sure that a lot of what I feel shows in my original work. My paintings are always changing and evolving as I get new ideas.

Born in the north-eastern province of Jilin, China in 1958, Donna Zhang was drawn to art as a child and recalls that a favorite pasttime was to translate her friend's desires for toys or clothing into sketches.

She studied art for 13 years, earning a degree from a Chinese university in the 80's.  She worked as an art educator for several years, before continuing with advanced studies at Saitama Uniiversity in Japan, achieving a master's degree in the 90's.

However the focus of her artistic energies took a sharp turn in 1999, when she traveled with a small group to a remote corner of Tibet to help preserve the habitat of an endangered species of monkey.
 
There she encountered the indigenous Tibetan people and was struck by the contrast of their rough, simple lives with the richness of their warmth and generosity.

Further trips to Tibet in 2001 and 2002 deepened the appreciation of their character and provided material for her portraits of children. These portraits capture the openness, simplicity and warmth of the people, their strength and resilience.