One Two Ski: Designer helmets and mountain art at Sun Peaks Resort

Helmet Design is the latest creative workshop organized by Sun Peak’s innovative ArtZone Sun Peaks Art Society. Not to make an actual helmet but to learn techniques to collage and paint helmets to make them stand out from the crowd.

Susy Randell

Coming up on March 18, instructor Susy Randell – a Kamloops artist, who doubles up as a snowboard instructor - will help mentor attendees of all ages in producing unique and stylish designs. An Embroidery Workshop a few weeks ago, run by a British designer, sold out quickly. And the upcoming Brushes and Berens evening planned for March 7 - part of the Sun Peaks Wine & Food Festival – is already fully booked.

These inventive workshops are part of President Marj Knive’s strategy to make ArtZone a financial as well as artistic success. Tapping into the growing trend for artsy activities and learning something new, Knive first saw an opportunity when she moved to Sun Peaks in 2018. “I’ve been interested in the arts my whole life,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of performing, singing, working with fabrics and fibre arts.”

Marj Knive's signature Sun Peaks plaid bag design

Marj Knive's patented plaid

She is currently enrolled in a Master Weaving program at Olds College. A veteran of Calgary corporate circles, Knive is an expert organizer with a keen eye for commercial viability. “When we came to Sun Peaks I saw the ArtZone website and thought ‘that is my world,’” she enthuses. “So I went to their meeting and saw it was very specific to painting and photography.” After figuring out a new direction for ArtZone with the previous President and leading a re-imagining workshop, Knive – along with the current Board - helped reinvent the group’s mandate, broaden the offerings, redesign the website, and create a financial statement and five year plan.

The outcome: six different collectives covering painting and sketching, photography, fibre art, writers and readers, performing arts and music. With my background in clothing design, I decided to try out the Fibre Arts

Collective which holds monthly meetings at a rotation of households. This one was hosted by Ruth Fanes, a master of artistic quilting. Her work is currently on display at ArtZone partner, Vertical Café, which exhibits different artists every month.

Fane promotes her work by word of mouth as well as donating pieces to fundraisers in Sun Peaks. “I have only done one commission so far,” she explains. “I resisted for quite a while because I wasn’t sure I could do justice to someone else’s choice of subject, but found I really enjoyed the challenge of the one I did do. I am only just getting into selling, for a similar reason. I didn’t want to choose subjects based solely on commercial appeal.”

Fabric art by Ruth Fane

It all started after popping in – and then staying, entranced, all day - at Canada’s biggest quilt show when it came to Kamloops. Fane started making her own art quilts in 2007, the same year she and her husband Michael bought a condo in Sun Peaks. “I worked for 30 years as a research technician in plant biochemistry,” she says. “I did sew, clothes for myself and the kids and home dec, but nothing truly creative.”

Having skied at Sun Peaks since 1975, Fane is more likely to snowshoe these days. She now lives full time in the resort. “Mostly we love living here for the community,” she says. “We have made so many good friends and love seeing the children actually play outside! That doesn’t seem to happen in the city anymore.”

The Fibre Arts meeting I attended was a jolly affair with nine of us sharing examples of our fabric arts, drinking tea, eating cake and imbibing likeminded motivation.

Ruth Fane's Quilt Art on display in Vertical Cafe Sun Peaks

Quilt Art by Ruth Fane

Fanes’ home is inspirational in itself, with a modern motif which showcases her artwork – everything from wall hangings to a quilted and embroidered Christmas screen, to table runners and paintings. As well as Fane, the group included two clothing designers, one embroiderer, two quilters, a knitter (who is also a talented painter), a local looking for input for banner art, and a weaver (Knive). It was no surprise to me to meet up with them all over the next few weeks on the slopes, around town, and as part of the ski/lunch Polar Bear club. No surprise because the full and part-time residents in Sun Peaks are really into joining, supporting, socializing and attending every event. Small town, big smiles and big hearts!

Knive’s intention is to appeal to every age group with ArtZone specializations and events. “We have even had young seasonal workers join who wanted to learn how to embroider patches on their jeans,” she recalls. In the summer Tourism Sun Peaks – which supports ArtZone via monthly exhibitions – hired the collective to run a children’s art table at the weekly market. “These were very successful and we’re doing it again this year,” she says. “We have had to look at ourselves externally rather than internally, and bring art to the whole community.”

One of the patchworked fabric designs I brought to the ArtZone Fibre Arts Collective
from my Assymetrix Collection

Other ArtZone activities have included a ‘Plein Air’ painting workshop, open studios with still life, and ‘Drink and Draw’ nights. The music collective is also very active, running acoustic jams and performing at the TELUS Nancy Greene Classic event. A first this winter was the January Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival which sold out and was a great success. “ Our hope is that it will become an annual or even semi-annual event – for example, having a mountain bike focus in the summer and ski focus in winters,” says Knive.

Ski scene by Liz Derksen

Mountain art abounds around the gift shops and galleries of Sun Peaks. Featured in the ski lift ticket office and in the photography shop, Alpine Images, you’ll see Liz Derksen’s colourful outdoors, mountainsports-inspired work. Snowboarder and sledder, Zuzy Rocka sells her artistry – everything from paintings to portraits to photos – from her website and blog, via Facebook, as well as taking on commissions for branding photography, weddings, commercial, action and travel.

Feather and Fur by Zuzy Rocka

Fired Up for Fall by Edit Pal

And landscape and figurative artist, Edit Pal has her acrylic and oil paintings on show at Alpine Images.

Last month her work was on show at the Tourism Sun Peaks offices.

Trained in Fine Arts in Europe and Canada, she’s a professional graphic designer who is inspired by the natural beauty of Sun Peaks – and, of course, an avid, advanced skier. She's a regular attendee of the Polar Bear women's ski group which meets weekly at Sun Peaks - a free club for any part-time or full-time residents.

Edit skiing at Sun Peaks in her signature paint splash ski pants

Morning Glow by Edit Pal

Pal's focus was mostly centered on figurative art in the past, but since moving to Sun Peaks from Toronto in 2017, she became inspired by the natural beauty of her new home province. “I find endless inspiration in the beauty of Sun Peaks, which is where I am lucky enough to call home,” says Pal who is an active member of The Federation of Canadian Artists. “My love of the outdoors influences every facet of my creativity. When I’m not painting you can usually find me skiing, hiking or biking. Then when I step inside my studio I aim to capture those experiences and bring them to life on my canvas. Whether it’s how the light hits the trees or the shape of the shadows stretching along the snow, I am constantly finding ideas and inspiration all around me.”

Edit Pal

Having started skiing at 10 years old in the Carpathian Mountains, she feels at home in the wintersports environment: “Last season I started Nordic skiing as well, and I really love it. Being on the trails is just so peaceful and beautiful.”

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