The Town of Wells, BC in Canada

Less than a 10-minute drive from historic Barkerville, BC is the tiny community of Wells. I was told by one of the artists here that there are only 200 full time residents but seven art galleries. The talent is pretty impressive, not considering the size of the town.

Art Rush Gallery
The first artist I met was Ting Yuen at the Art Rush Gallery, right on the main street of Wells. Her work is based on dreams featuring a woman. They’re a bit whimsical and the stories are printed on the back of each piece.

Island Mountain Arts Public Gallery
Across the road is Island Mountain Arts Public Gallery, an eclectic bunch of various artists working in different media: paintings, jewellery, pottery, etc.

Amazing Space Studio & Gallery
A sign promising more galleries took me up a gravel path and to a residential area. The rest of the galleries were closed but as I kept walking, a large white church came into view. It seemed to have a built-in back end added to it, so I wasn’t sure if it was actually a church. That’s as good a reason as any for me to explore further.

It turns out it’s the Amazing Space Studio & Gallery, home to the incredibly talented Claire Kujundzic and her equally talented husband Bill Horne.

14 years ago, Claire and Bill bought this church for $40,000 and have been fixing it up ever since. A back quarters is their living space and the basement has more, plus studios. The front acts as their gallery and showcases some fabulous artwork.

Claire’s next show will be at the Two Rivers Gallery in Prince George, BC. It has already started and runs until August 9, 2009.

What I liked:

With a population of 200, this is an unassuming town, to say the least. Lots of artsy folks keep the atmosphere lively.

The artists are genuinely talented. This isn’t a town full of crafty hobbyists but real artists selling some really creative work.

A 10-minute walk through Wells exhibits old houses, heritage buildings and quirky locals. My kind of place.

Tags: Amazing Space Studio & Gallery, Art Rush Gallery, Artists, Barkerville, bc, Bill Horne, canada, Claire Kujundiz, Island Mountain Arts Public Gallery, jewellery, paintings, pottery, The Town of, Ting Yuen, Wells