Kelly's painting of Bulley Glacier Peak, as seen from Mt. Clifford near Tumbler Ridge. Greg Amos photo.

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By: Greg Amos

For one lifelong landscape painter, the horizon is really starting to expand.
 
Through gaining access to many of the wild places around Tumbler Ridge and her home province of Alberta, Jane Kelly uses her art to capture the essence of the places in landscape.

For the past two-years, the semi-retired mother of six has put down those memories in nearly 50 watercolour on canvas paintings, in the process re-discovering a means of expression that was almost lost to her.
 
"I just about gave up doing art, and I'm so glad I didn't," said Kelly, one of two local artists accepted into the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) in May. (The other artists, Darcy Jackson, was profiled in the Tumbler Ridge News three weeks ago.)
 
"Art isn't always about what you're producing; I think it also makes you look at the world differently," she added.
 
Her painting of Kinuseo Falls now hangs in the Peace River Regional District's head office in Dawson Creek, and she's done commission work in Alberta.
 
The Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) was founded in 1941 by a group of influential artists, including Group of Seven member Lawren Harris. It operates as a non-profit organization with chapters throughout Canada, and strives to stimulate participants to greater heights of achievement.
 
"The federation has a great group of people promoting art and artists, improving their work and striving for greater things," she said.
 
To be accepted, Kelly had to submit ten reproductions of her paintings and three originals,
as well as a curriculum vitae and artist statements. Most of her work is in watercolour, while some is in pastels and oils.
 
"It seemed like quite a process to put it all together," she said. But it will be worthwhile for the opportunity it now gives her to get her work shown.
 
Kelly's landscapes, including 60 of her paintings, will figure prominently into the upcoming Mosaics of Life show at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery. Kelly, Jackson and an Alberta artist (and friend of Kelly's) will have their works on the walls of the gallery from August 16 through September 10. For Kelly, it will be her first art show.
 
Kelly began art in junior high school, where she was mentored by some visiting artists from the University of Calgary. She re-kindled her talents by joining the Tumbler Ridge art club when she arrived here in 2009.
 
Born in Jasper and raised near Athabasca Falls, Kelly said she had "kind of a magical childhood" that included horse rides in the mountains, starting her lifelong connection to wild places. More recently, Kelly and her husband have been out on ATVs exploring local areas such as the Red Deer Valley, and the far reaches of the Sukunka Forest Service Road.

         
Tumbler Ridge artist Jane Kelly is one of two local artists accepted into the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) in May. Greg Amos photo.