News

The Chilliwack Times has published an article today (Fri. Oct. 16th) about my exhibition of paintings at a local Chilliwack restaurant and my current "Sunnyside Series" which has been displaying and selling at the Grey Area Gallery in Chilliwack and the Art Junction Gallery in Whistler.

This is how the article appeared in the newspaper. I am unable to enlarge it clear enough to read but have typed out a copy below.

Memory & Dream by Paul J. Henderson

Gary Haggquist takes his paintings beyond the surface appearance.

Gary Haggquist's latest series of paintings have a certain simplicity to them, yet anyone who has walked along the waterfront trail at Cultus Lake may have a downright emotional response.

There is a truthfulness, a purity in his canvases - something the Cultus Lake artist himself refers to as "heightened realism."

"It's not photographic," he said in an interview with the Times. "I like to take them beyhond the surface appearance, into the realm of memory and dream, and I think that's a potent area that can add a lot more meaning and depth."

Haggquist has lived and painted at Cultus for more than 20 years. Right now 23 of his paintings are on display at Evangeline's Barbeque in downtown Chilliwack.

His work is mostly of West Coast landscapes, much of it with a particularly local flavour, including Cultus Lake, Lindeman Lake and the Vedder River. But he paints in other styles as well - some bizarre and even comical and others pensive and introspective.

In contrast to the natural landscape work, the first painting in his most recent series is entitiled Strata, in which a lone man sits in front of a graffiti-laden wall in a parking lot in front of an apartment complex where another man looks out from a balcony.

"I've come to think of it recently in musical terms," he said. "I sometimes like to do a ballad, something sweet that evokes pleasant feelings, and sometimes I like to do a rocker where it has a bit of an edge to it."

Because of this, his work can be hard to categorize and pin down, something apparently frowned upon in art school and something that galleries often eschew. Despite that, he has had a successful professional career and currently has work on display at the Grey Area Gallery and at the Art Junction Gallery in Whistler.

One of Haggquist's most important themes - for his life and his work - is returning to nature. This is powerfully represented in one painting of a young boy examining old oil drums in the woods, and another of a 1950s Cadillac, half of which is on the road and half is covered in rainforest moss, being reclaimed by the woods.

His many paintings of wrecks in the woods are not something purely from his imagination, but are based on actual old cars that, at least until recently, were out there abandoned in the forested hillsides surrounding the lake.

"There is always something about an old wreck in the forest," he said. "If only they could talk about those who drove them, the lives and journeys."

There is a certain irony in the fact that Haggquist's interest is in a return to nature and he lives at Cultus Lake - a place where thousands upon thousands of Lower Mainlanders descend in an overwhelming "return to nature" every weekend in the summer.

"There is quite an onslaught for sure," he says. "Many days it's too much."

However, Haggquist is quick to point out that he has three cabins on his property that he rents out to visitors.

"I kind of cater to the tourist as well," he said. "It's a love/hate relationship."

Haggquist's work will be on display until Nov.30 at Evangelines Barbeque and Contemporary Soul Food, 9381 Mill St. The artwork can be viewed during regular restaurant hours, Tuesday - Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. or later, Friday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later, Saturday and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. or later.

Haggquist's paintings can also be viewed at the Grey Area Gallery, 7408 Vedder Rd., unit #101, in Sardis where his new Sunnyside Series, inspired by the forests and shoreline of Cultus Lake, has attracted a growing number of local collectors.

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One of my paintings (shown below) is now being offered as a greeting card by CharityCards.ca. This company which specializes in corporate holiday greeting cards donates 20% of its profits to the Childrens Wish Foundation. This wonderful foundation fulfills the wishes of children with life threatening illnesses. In the past 8 years CharityCards.ca has raised over $500,000 for the foundation. I feel honored to play a small part in helping to raise funds for this very worthy cause. There is a link to CharityCards.ca on the "Links" page.

"Skiers and Borders", acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20", 2002 Private Collection, London England

From the "Whistler Series" gallery page.

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Recently, the first painting in my new "Sunnyside Series" was purchased by the local Chilliwack Secondary school. The idea of purchasing original art for the school was spearheaded by local resident and parent Frances Mack of the 2009 Chilliwack Secondary Grad committee. The painting will eventually hang in a new school which will be built next year.

It was particularily satisfying to learn that it was students who made the final selection of which painting would be purchased. It is my sincere hope that the painting becomes a cherished part of the new school and provides inspiration to students and staff for many years to come.

My thanks to Jacquie Simpson and Louisa DeVette of the Grey Area Gallery for all thier work in facilitating the purchase.

"#1 Sunnyside Series", acrylic on canvas, 18" x 72", 2009