  Culture and Community
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 Arts Council of the Central Okanagan 100-1690 Water Street Kelowna BC Canada V1Y 8T8 Email: Click Here. Elke Lange, Executive Director Telephone: 250.861-4123 Produced in association with the Okanagan Institute
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EDITORIAL:
A Celebration of Cuisine
Sinclair Philip of Sooke Harbour House and the leader of Slow Food Canada says he cannot think of a region of Canada that has more potential for developing its own cuisine than the Okanagan Valley. Amid the grapevines and orchards of apples, peaches, plums, and cherries, situated in one of the very best wine producing regions in the country, we are ideally located to explore and create a cooking style that is true to place. Equally important, our rising culinary stars are bringing new confidence and credibility to the producers who are doing their best to provide food that is good, clean, and ethical. This financial and psychological boost is needed by artisan food producers and farmers struggling for survival, and is helping to reassert a regional identity and create a new sense of commurity.
In this issue we continue to shine our editorial light on the many facets of our creative community. In addition to spotlighting some of the artists who practice here, we investigate some of the innovative ways that the arts are shared and taught, and profile the influence of creative pursuits, specifically the culinary arts.
In addition to several essays on the growing confidence of this sector, we profile signature artists, and provide a directory of artisanal producers throughout the Valley and in nearby areas.
Our work of discovery does not end on these pages. We provide a number of other ways for you to interact with the arts community:
Directory: We encourage you to use the complete, searchable and up-to-date version on our website, and to contribute to making it as complete as possible.
Agenda: We provide a brief listing indicating the plethora of arts events that are taking place through the autumn months. Again, we encourage you to keep up-to-date by refering to the www.okanaganarts.com website.
Events: We participate in the continuing series of public presentations by the writers and artists we feature in these pages. They take place 5 pm on Thursday afternoons at the Bohemian Café on Bernard Avenue and are free, informal and informative. Please come out and help us celebrate the growing influence creativity has on our community. More information is at www.okanaganinstitute.com
We continue to be amazed at the generosity that the arts and business communities have shown to our efforts, and appreciate the support of our writers, readers and advertisers.
We especially appreciate the encouragement we've received from readers. You've helped us reach further, with each issue, into the community in search of stories, artworks and inspiration.
Robert MacDonald
Publisher, Editor, Designer
"One ought, every day at least,
to hear a little song,
read a good poem, see a fine picture,
and if it were possible,
to speak a few reasonable words."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
The cover image by Ken Gillespie: View from Red Rooster
24 x 30 inches, oil on canvas
This painting was executed in my studio from shots
taken while Plein Air painting at Red Rooster Winery. I was
attracted to the subject as a means to exploit the
warm passages through a mainly cool blue green color
scheme offset by the red compliments in the buildings,
which also anchor the circular compositional patterns. Not
to mention it happens to be a most beautiful part of
the world to portray. The painting is done in oils, as are all
of my works.
Ken Gillespie has been painting professionally for the past 16 years, subsequent to a 22 year career in the geophysical business. Ken spent most of his life in Calgary then moved to Penticton in 2000, he then had a studio in Summerland for several years, and now lives and works in Peachland with his wife and fellow painter Robyn Lake. Ken is senior signature (SFCA) member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and shows his work in galleries across western Canada. His paintings hang in public, private and corporate collections throughout the world. Ken's artwork is mainly landscape and he is known for his broad brushwork, intense color and large canvases. Ken shows locally at the Hambleton Gallery in Kelowna and Tumbleweed Gallery in Penticton.
