Meets the artists behind Revelstoke’s Art Alleries

This story first appeared in print in the Winter 2020 issue of Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine. Read the e-edition here:

The master plan

Every autumn, local artists display their recent creations at LUNA Art Fest in Revelstoke. Buchanan wanted to make a more lasting impression, something more permanent that could last for years to come.

The idea was to replicate a contemporary art gallery, where each floor has different mediums and genres.

The ambitious plan is to create a full network of art alleyways across Revelstoke. “A secret discovery off the beaten path,” Buchanan explains.

Making Revelstoke safer

Dark alleyways are not exactly known to be cozy. “You kill a few birds with one stone. The light makes the art look cool, but it also works as security lighting, which the police and building owners have been very happy about,” Buchanan says.

Rob Buchanan’s art light up dark alleyways in Revelstoke. Photo by: Sofie Hagland/ Revelstoke Mountaineer.

Green ethos

To make the Art Alleries last at least a decade, the outdoor gallery’s paintings and photographs are made with powder-coated aluminum, which is also used to paint cars and airplanes.

Reducing the project’s environmental impact has been a core value from the start. The picture lights are run by solar-powered LED lights, the golden picture frames are made out of recycled water bottles and sawdust, and many of the pieces are made of recycled materials.

Buchanan hopes that these alleyways will create a new face of Revelstoke and inspire people to think outside of the box.

Tricky ski art by Rob Buchanan

‘Girl with the P-tex earring’ by Rob Buchanan. Photo by: Sofie Hagland/ Revelstoke Mountaineer.

It was bothering Buchanan how many skis were going to the dump. You must be able to reuse them for something he thought. Then he realized skis are the perfect medium for outdoor art, as they are made to be durable in the rain, snow, and -40C weather.

However, what the artist didn’t realize was what a headache he had just signed up for. “Cutting through skis is impossible. They are made of metal, laminated wood, fiberglass, epoxy, and foam. For every cut, you need at least five tools and every ski is different,” Buchanan says.

“The other hard part is, there have been decades of ski companies researching how to make a product that nothing sticks to, and now all of a sudden I want to stick it onto something,” Buchanan laughs. The secret recipe became to carve a diamond pattern into the back of the skis, and using heavy-duty construction adhesive, as well as screwing the pieces into an aluminum plate.

Blacksmith Kyle Thornley: A Simple Joy

Kyle Thornley in his new workshop in the Big Eddy. Photo by: Sofie Hagland/ Revelstoke Mountaineer.

Blacksmith Kyle Thornley started his career in the hidden, trying to get away with making little sculptures out of the scrap bin at his welding apprenticeship.

Today, he has his own workshop in the Big Eddy where he creates large scale pieces, such as ‘A Simple Joy,’ out of metal from the scrap yard.

The blacksmith wanted this piece to illustrate the connection between people and nature. “I wanted to spread some light during these dark times, to put a smile on people’s faces,” he says.

Thornley never turns down a challenge. For every design, he tries out new techniques with new tools, which he often builds himself. “There is enough to learn for a lifetime,” Thornley says.

Kyle Thornley’s sculpture ‘A simple joy.’ Photo: Sofie Hagland/ Revelstoke Mountaineer.

Stained glass artist Kelly Hutcheson: Canadian Pacific

Kelly Hutcheson in front of her stained glass piece ‘Canadian Pacific.’ Photo: Sofie Hagland/ Revelstoke Mountaineer.

Kelly Hutcheson had a hope that doing a Bachelor of Fine Arts would make her realize what medium was her thing. But after graduating she couldn’t help but feeling a little lost.

New to town and out of work, Hutcheson started experimenting with stained glass, which her dad taught her as a teenager. “It’s a bit random and unexpected, but all the best things are,” Hutcheson says.

The artist quickly became known for her Begbie Bears, and as much as she loves making them, it’s nice to change it up every now and then.

Hutcheson wanted to make a piece that paid tribute to Revelstoke’s history. The steam train at the railway museum became her muse, and today you can find ‘Canadian Pacific’ spanning across four windows at the Revelstoke Credit Union.

‘Canadian Pacific’ by night. Photo by: Rob Buchanan.

Adventure photographer Bruno Long: A friend of a friend

Even though the sports photographer Bruno Long calls Revelstoke home, he has spent most of his time chasing adventure elsewhere.

The pandemic mixed with a shoulder injury made the photographer home-bound. With time to reflect, the artist realized he wanted change. “I loved the cultural aspects of traveling, but I was tired of going to remote places halfway across the world to ski shitty snow or mountain bike somewhere that’s not made for it,” he says.

Bruno Long in front of one of his pieces from his project ‘A friend of a friend.’ Photo by: Carolyn Buchanan.

The artist wanted to make an impact by creating something more personal and meaningful.

With social distancing in place, people were craving social connection Long says. He started his project ‘A friend of a friend,’ taking over 50 portraits of local Revelstoke residents and hearing their story. Each subject had to recommend the next friend to feature in the project, which later turned into an Instagram series.

“People want to open up. You see them walking down the street, but you have no idea what they have gone through. Everyone has a story to tell,” Long says.

The pandemic has taught the photographer a lesson: “There are all these limits and restrictions of where you can go and travel, but there are no restrictions on creativity.”

You can find the Art Alleries in the alleyway just west of Mackenzie Avenue in downtown Revelstoke, B.C.