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Nature’s Secrets revealed at Millennium Place

Tewinkel photos show natural with au natural
tewinkel-peach

What: Nature’s Secrets – Photo-based artworks by Wim Tewinkel

Where: Millennium Place Gallery

When: Oct. 1-31, artist reception Sunday, Oct. 2, 6-9 p.m.

The community gallery space in the upstairs foyer at Millennium Place is featuring a collection of photo-based artworks by Pemberton’s Wim Tewinkel for the month of October.

Tewinkel is no stranger to the gallery. He had the space to himself in July 2004 and as a result, became part of the first annual Whistler ArtWalk tour. His works were back in the space in July 2005 for the second annual ArtWalk as part of the ArtWalk Eclectika group exhibition.

The first exhibition showed several different creative sides of Tewinkel, including nature/female nude photo illustrations, portraits of First Nations elders and window-framed travel images.

This time around, the exhibition will focus solely on the nature/nude concept, featuring 34 new works under the collective title "Nature’s Secrets."

The nude figures are photos of local models subliminally integrated into the photography – the au natural element a surprise in what appears from afar to be a photo of the natural world.

The combination reflects the whimsical Wim.

"For me, making art… it’s got to be beautiful of course; that’s part of it being fun. Because it’s no fun looking at a picture that’s not beautiful," he mused. "I like to see that people look at a picture and have a little smile on their face."

Born in the Netherlands, the 60-year-old Pemberton resident has a background in forestry and lived briefly in Kenya before immigrating to Canada in 1972. Following stints in Quebec and Ontario, he settled in Pemberton in 1984, finding work as a forestry consultant. An intrepid traveler, Tewinkel has explored all continents with the exception of Antarctica. Now "semi-retired," he focuses his energies on photography, painting and martial arts.

In 2003 Tewinkel published Salish Elders , a collection of photographic portraits of First Nations elders, whom he became familiar with via his forestry work. The Nature’s Secrets collection has little in common with the historical book project, but the creator insists that variety is simply the result of a life less ordinary.

"The next idea might be something totally different," he remarked. "I’ve always, my whole life, been doing many different things. So I have many different sources to draw from, and that’s where the inspiration comes from. Combining different aspects of different things I have done."

Tewinkel will be in attendance at the opening reception for Nature’s Secrets taking place in the gallery on Sunday, Oct. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information call 604-935-8410.

Artrageous returning for Cornucopia

The Whistler Arts Council is resuscitating Artrageous just in time for this year’s Cornucopia food and wine festival.

The art and music gala event has been occurring sporadically since the early 1990s. The Arts Council was toying with the idea of staging the event last summer, but held off due to the wealth of other events occurring in July.

Artrageous 2005 takes place Thursday, Nov. 10. The location is yet to be announced.

Tickets to all Cornucopia events are currently on sale. For a complete schedule go to www.whistlercornucopia.com.