ART x 2 + MUSIC = ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Visual artists Lee Simmons and Jill Leir Salter team up with vocalist/guitarist Stef Laramie to provide a feast for your eyes and ears at Tree To Me,  located at 1217 Hwy 3A just north of Keremeos. Opening reception is on Saturday, May 2nd between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.  Ample parking is available.  Wine will be poured by a member of the Similkameen Wineries Association, plus non-alcoholic beverages and snacks will also be available for your enjoyment.

From whimsical imaginings to serious environmental statements to art pieces done for children, Lee Simmons presents her first art exhibition in an array of colourful acrylic and mixed media paintings.

Below:  Winter Birds (left)  and Blue Moon Over Birch (right).

Lee is one of the founding members of the South Similkameen Arts Society (SSAS) and a supporting member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, South Okanagan Chapter.  Lee retired from business in 2011 and turned her hand to painting as a means of personal self-expression following in her mother’s footsteps.  She states she is greatly influenced by her meditative practices and the people she meets throughout her life journey.  Having left city living behind, Lee now lives with her partner in Keremeos enjoying all the many advantages of the peaceful and beautiful Similkameen Valley.  Lee is looking forward to this wonderful opportunity to show and discuss her artwork at Tree To Me.

Jill Leir Salter of Kaleden is a veteran of the South Okanagan art scene, having been a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Naramata Art Group for many years.  In Penticton, Jill’s paintings are handled by the Tumbleweed Art Gallery where she has regularly displayed her watercolours since 1989.

Below:  Peach Cliff (left) and Rainclouds (right)

Born and raised in Penticton, Jill ran close to nature, learning to love the contours and colours of the Okanagan-Similkameen. Jill prefers to paint outdoors, on-site, and thrives on the challenge of capturing the atmosphere, weather and rhythms of the land. Her watercolours are an immediate response to the landscape, the result of a life-long search and struggle for a way to preserve the truth and spirit of nature.  

Jill’s late husband, Derek, was an Anglican minister and as they moved from community to community, Jill did what she could to take art courses and hone her skill as a painter, watercolours being her preferred medium.  Jill has had her watercolours juried into art exhibitions, including those hosted by the BC Festival of the Arts, and by the Federation of Canadian Artists. Before long, she herself began giving painting workshops, both at the Naramata Centre and at the Okanagan Summer School of the Arts.

The Salters lived in Keremeos for a few years in the 1970’s when Derek was the minister of the Ecumenical Church in Keremeos and Cawston.  Jill looks forward to this exhibition at Tree To Me, and for the opportunity to showcase her paintings in Keremeos.  The exhibition runs until June 25, 2015.