Musings

(posted on 21 Oct 2017)

Autumn - change is in the air. I have been a member of the Red Tree Cooperative for eight years, and have treasured my time as part of our vibrant collective. While the cooperative will continue, the associated store-front Red Tree Gallery is winding down. This is what appeared in this month's issue of the Pender Post. (Please forgive me if you have received this more than once. I want to ensure that anybody who wants to visit the gallery is aware that time is of the essence.)

Pender Islands Artisan Cooperative has operated the Red Tree Gallery at Hope Bay for over twelve years. Artists have kept the gallery open through busy summers and quiet winters, and visitors and Penderites alike have expressed tremendous appreciation for the visual feast and tranquil atmosphere that greets them as they walk through the doors. Thirty Pender artists have shown their work at the Red Tree over the years, and the work of a dozen guest artists has been featured over the last three summers.
Sadly we have taken the decision to close the gallery at the end of this year. However the Red Tree Cooperative will continue with a plan to mount one or more shows each year. Look for updates in the coming months. We will sign off with "Remembering" in November and a thank you to the community in December and hope that you will continue to visit the gallery between now and then. Thank you for your generous support over the years and for pointing your guests in our direction. Monica (Mira) Petrie, PIAC Chair for the Members

Personally I will miss the Red Tree walls tremendously as a place to show my work along with the work of a variety of talented Pender Island artists. "When one door closes, another opens" - the trick is to find it. I certainly won't stop taking pictures but I may not mat and frame as many!

This fall is melancholy with the prospect of Red Tree closing, but I continue to be nourished by the warmth and beauty of the season.