Come and PLAY at Saint-Germain

PLAY:
ART FOR THE CHILD
AND THE CHILD INSIDE OF US

November 20, 2014 – January 3rd, 2015

OPENING RECEPTION:
Thursday, November 20th, 2014
5pm - 8pm


Saint-Germain Cafe Gallery is excited to present PLAY, an exhibition of art for children and for the children hiding inside of us... you know, the ones just looking for a reason to come out and play. Join us for our opening on November 20th, 2014 from 5pm to 8pm. Along with this being the opening of PLAY, it will also be a grand re-opening of SAINT-GERMAIN CAFE GALLERY under new owner Christopher Millin, and will feature live music by Montreal's CABRON.

From 2007 to 2011, Millin published an art and literature magazine for children called CROW TOES QUARTERLY. The magazine played on the quirkier, darker side of children's art and literature and was just as successful with adults as it was with children. The original art in PLAY is inspired by (and in some cases, directly from) the pages of CTQ, each piece telling a story through what is shown and what is not shown. "Where the painting ends," Millin says, "the imagination takes over..."

PLAY features new work and a few classics by Vancouver's KRISTIAN ADAM and REBEKAH JOY PLETT, Kelowna's HEATHER YIP and Penticton's ENDRENE SHEPHERD. It also features a retrospective of CROW TOES QUARTERLY and includes original artwork from many of the stories that appeared in the magazine.


KRISTIAN ADAM's paintings use a host of whimsical and childlike characters that reflect our roles in society and reveal the consequences of our actions on the future. These imagined creatures -- NymNums -- are what you might expect to see wandering around in his mind all day. Through a variety of techniques inspired by the old masters, this Canadian-born artist creates quirky narratives for his characters to tell. His work has been displayed in the Canadian Embassies of Japan, Korea, and China, as well as featured in books and television. He exhibits regularly throughout Vancouver, BC and in galleries around the world.

The girl with a pet bird of prey / Taught it to hunt and to play / Then once in the park / It was dressed as a shark / And scared all the children away. REBEKAH JOY PLETT lives in the outskirts of the outskirts of Vancouver, BC where she raises her daughter, chases her dog and creates all the live long day. She likes to give back to her community by volunteering and donating part of the proceeds from her Etsy shop to causes close to her heart.

HEATHER YIP was an art instructor teaching classes for the City of Calgary, Parks and Recreation Department and for a non-profit supporting adults suffering with mental illness. After having children Yip realized she needed to make art for her own therapeutic reasons. She is currently painting and experimenting with all sorts of mediums, including sewing and printmaking.

ENDRENE SHEPHERD, who was born in Vancouver and raised in the rural setting of Kaleden, BC, displayed an aptitude for art-making from an early age. She learned how to handle watercolours from her grandfather, and has not stopped creating since. Her work and process is influenced by both the aesthetics of the natural world and her colourful imagination. Endrené graduated from the University of British Columbia (Kelowna) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with a focus on painting and drawing. Her work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions locally and internationally. She has expanded her repertoire to include illustration, out of a long-held desire to illustrate a children's book (now achieved twice over.) Endrené is a director on the board for the Penticton and District Arts Council, and a member of CARFAC. She lives in Penticton, BC.

Born and raised in a rural northern area of Quebec, mentored closely by Haiti music teacher Denis Alexandre, Mathieu Drolet (CABRON) has performed over 400 times during the last 10 years under different aliases or as a member of bands, including Post-Hardcore act LE CONFLIT, Crust/D-Beat/Punk power trio FEU DE PNEU, and lately has been active as the frontman of East Vancouver based Punk/French/Screamo duo KARATE KIDS, touring Canada twice in 2014, while also releasing three different records in Canada and Malaysia.

Saint Germain Has Just The Wall For You

We're honoured to have the surreal and playful work of Kristian Adam don our walls in the coming weeks, but we're on the lookout for even more talent from Penticton and beyond. Yes, one of our first big tasks at Saint-Germain Café Gallery is to re-establish our roster of contemporary Canadian artists. What we offer artists is an intimate environment with plenty of visibility (and foot traffic) in the heart of beautiful Penticton, British Columbia.

We love paintings, sculpture, photography and mixed media in a variety of styles and subject matter. Whether you are an established artist, an emerging artist, or someone who just wants to share your beautiful art with the world, please get in touch with us. Currently, we accept submissions by email only.

If you'd like to show your work in our gallery please email StGermainSubmissions@gmail.com with the subject line ARTIST SUBMISSION (note, this email address will change on September 15th when ownership of the gallery changes, so please refer to the CONTACT section of the website after September 15th).

Include with your submission:

1. a link to your website/portfolio, or attached JPEGs (4 max.) of your recent work
2. a brief BIO (with contact info.) and your exhibition history

Due to the volume of submissions we receive, we will only reply to you if we are interested in making an appointment, or viewing more of your work. If you have additional questions, please email us at the above email address. And please keep following us to see what shows we're planning for the fall and winter.

Hello, My Name Is...

Late last spring, while I was driving along Main Street, in the heart of downtown Penticton, British Columbia, I noticed a mauve building trimmed in muted yellow with a couple of shops in it. One of the shops was called Saint-Germain Café Gallery.

Having worked in the "coffee-shop biz" off and on for more than a decade and having spent several years back in the 2000s publishing an arts and literature magazine, I was instantly drawn to the café gallery. An amalgamation of my two passions in life: coffee and art… how could I not stop. Once I stepped inside, looked around and tasted the food, that initial curiosity of mine turned into adoration. Little did I know then that only a few months later I would be taking over ownership of Saint-Germain.

My name is Christopher Millin and I am so very excited to become a part of the art and food community in Penticton… to continue on with the great work Brigitte and Stephano Liapis have put into the café/gallery over the past four years… to continue making it a place where you can get a great sandwich and cup of coffee, and see some amazing original art by a wide range of contemporary Canadian artists.

On September 15^th, 2014, Saint-Germain Café Gallery will change ownership. What won't change are the creative and tasty soups, sandwiches and salads you love to eat, and the unique, beautiful and inspirational works of art you love to look at.

One change you will see is a little more online presence. I love sharing the amazing things we're going to be doing with the bigger world. Through this blog, through our Facebook page, our Twitter account, or even our Instagram account you will see a bit of the art we're displaying, or hear about the new bites we're offering. These are the places where you will also learn about community events we're involved in and events taking place in our little gallery.

My past also includes writing and photography, and as all writers and photographers know, these are hard things to give up. That's why, when I'm not preparing the best sandwiches in Penticton, or making the best darn lattes in Penticton, or prepping the gallery for new shows, I'm writing about them and taking pictures of them and sharing them here... with you.

Of course, I'd much rather meet you in person, so if you live in Penticton or happen to be traveling through, stop by the café and say hi. Currently, we're open from 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday and 9am to 3pm on Saturdays.