Nov 12, 2016 — GREENWOOD, BC (BG)

Like so many aspects of Greenwood history, the background of the Kettle River Art Club, and the Greenwood community of artists who founded and developed it, is fascinating. The Club was founded in 1968 around a group of painters who had begun taking instruction from Robert E. Wood (1919-1980) — one of Canada's most commercially successful painters.

Robert Wood began giving classes at what was then the Women's Institute Hall in Greenwood, but the space was not adequate for the task, so he encouraged local artists to organize themselves and find a more suitable space. This effort evolved into the Kettle River Art Club, now headquartered in the McArthur Center at 346 South Copper. The club's history is presented below in a background piece written by one of its first directors, Isabel Peterson_[1].

Even before arriving in Greenwood, and long after he departed the Boundary, Robert E. Wood held a prominent place in the Canadian art scene. He became well known not for producing 'high art', but rather for his unapologetic stance on allowing fine art to also be a commercial product. This approach helped him to become one of Canada's best-selling painters of his day.

Robert Wood's arrival in Greenwood in 1968 received a mention in the local news_[2]:

Noted Artist Makes Home at Greenwood

"Coincidence and a good memory resulted in one of Canada's outstanding artists moving to Greenwood. Robert E. Wood of Victoria moved to Greenwood during the summer after buying the old McArthur house.

Mr. Wood is one of Canada's foremost oil painters and will soon open a gallery in Greenwood. About two years ago, the Beautiful B.C. Magazine published a picture story on Greenwood. Included was a shot of the McArthur house, one of the outstanding period houses in the city. Mr. Wood saw the article at the time, and was intrigued by the beauty of the house. Two months ago, Mr. Wood and his family were on their way from Vancouver to Banff and stopped in Greenwood for lunch.

While standing on Copper Street, Mr. Wood looked beyond the post office, and recognized the McArthur house. He and his wife visited the house, learned it was for sale, and promptly bought it.

Mr. Wood plans to hold classes for adults and children at a gallery in Greenwood. Instruction will be in drawing and painting. Mrs. Wood will teach the children's classes. Both will give classes in Grand Forks and Osoyoos and are planning to open a gallery-school in Grand Forks soon."

Kismet, perhaps, that Robert Wood moved into the McArthur house, and the Kettle River Art Club is now housed in the McArthur Center. More so, the founding father of Greenwood was also named Robert Wood.

Having just celebrated Remembrance Day, it's also interesting to note Robert Wood's personal service history, which was mentioned in a Calgary newspaper article:_[3]

"[He] was a demolition commando during the Second World War. In occupied France he was taken by the Underground one day to see some interesting installations the Germans were guarding. He had a stub of a pencil and snaffled some toilet tissue on which to make sketches while lying under a bush studying the installations through field glasses.

He turned his drawings over to the British Intelligence. They were sketches of the V-1 and V-2 launch sites.

After the war he went to the Arctic for a year to "get back to God and Nature's handiwork" and to sketch. He spent some time in Russia in 1957 painting landscapes. He insists that if he had his druthers he'd be a water bum, cruising, fishing, dozing, painting when the urge struck. On one such sailing adventure he ran into a hurricane with 40-foot waves and winds clocked over 100 mph. "There's nothing between you and God then!"

Bob also has ESP and has known ahead of time of the deaths of several family members. He even sensed impending disaster for President Kennedy and was telling a skeptical friend about it when news of the assassination came."

On a tribute website_[4] curated by his grandson, we find further details of the artist's life:

"Robert E. Wood was born on January 27, 1919 in the hamlet of Mount Dennis, Ontario (now a suburb of Toronto). He inherited his love of the season from his mother and his love of nature from the Wood family. His father and grandfather were ministers, and Robert was a deeply religious man. "People are either tuned in to spiritual things or they're not. A person in any of the arts has to have a depth and be in tune with God and Nature, because to paint a mountain is nothing... just a pile of rock. But to paint it as a spiritual cathedral, leaving something for the viewer to imagine, takes an artist."

Robert was a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and studied under Arthur Lismer and Fred Varley. He was also greatly encouraged by the great art teacher J.W. Beatty.

Before settling down to paint seriously, Robert worked at many diverse occupations, including time as a scuba diver (he was one of the first scuba diving instructors on the west coast), a miner, a minister, an undertaker, the first all-night radio disc jockey on the west coast of North America, radio station manager, and as a private detective, among others.

Wood explored the avenues of various forms of art such as abstract, but settled on true representational art as the medium in which he desired to express himself. He did, however, paint abstracts under the pseudonym of Robert DuBois.

Robert Wood started teaching in 1955 when a small group approached him and asked if he would help them in their efforts. He taught countless art courses over the years, and many of his students went into the professional field.

"There is no occult mystery to painting. It is not something that should be kept hidden. I'm not afraid to let my buyers see how it is done. And frankly, I like doing it."

His landscapes, seascapes and still life canvasses made him a well-recognized Canadian artist. Apart from growing up in Ontario, he lived in many places throughout his life including Winnipeg, Calgary, Victoria, North Vancouver, Greenwood, Courtenay, New Westminster, Texada Island, Duncan and Comox, among others.

"Canada has only a back-house culture. What will bring Canadiana will be love of country. We can't expect a flourishing culture until people know what Canada has to offer."

It was perhaps this sentiment — that Canada must be seen and experienced in order to be known — that eventually inspired Robert Wood to leave Greenwood, moving on to the next beautiful place. Over the course of his career Robert painted in many parts of Canada: all across British Columbia, in Eastern Canada, and the Arctic.

Hopefully one day a catalog will be compiled of all the Boundary scene paintings Robert E. Wood produced. The painting above of the Greenwood Smelter was sold at auction on November 21, 2011 by Hodgins Art Auctions Ltd. in Calgary._[5]

Origin of the Kettle River Art Club

By Isabel Peterson

"In the summer of 1968 Vancouver Island artist Robert Wood was invited to Greenwood to give a week-long seminar in oil painting. The classes were well attended. Robert Wood liked Greenwood and returned here to live in the Fall, purchasing what is now known as the Hammersley House.

He continued giving painting classes in what was then the W.I. Hall. Renting a hall was not very satisfactory and Mr. Wood felt that we should have a place of our own. With this in mind, he and Mr. Peter Smith helped to organize the painters and the Kettle River Art Club was formed.

The first directors were:

President: Peter Smith
Vice President: Frances Radford
Secretary: Isabel Peterson
Treasurer: Hatchi Komori

Charter members included people from Beaverdell, Westbridge, Rock Creek, Midway, Greenwood and Grand Forks.

A search for affordable premises began and Peter Smith approached the Community Association re: the use of the mezzanine section of the McArthur Center. The C.A. agreed and the Art Club had its home.

The hall had not been used for years and was dirty and full of rubbish but "cleaning bees" were held and it soon became more presentable. An excerpt from the rough copy of the minutes of a meeting held in May 1969 reported that Vera James had ordered 5 gallons of paint at $6.00 per gallon at the Greenwood Merc. This was to be used for painting the ceiling, members were each assigned a set number of metal tiles to do or else assessed a fine of $2.00 per tile.

Eileen Taylor mixed water based paint with oil paint to do the inside brick wall.

Over the years many improvements have been made, and the Community Association has always been supportive of our efforts.

In February 1976 the Club adopted a Constitution and became registered under the Societies Act. The objects of the Club are stated as being to promote and stimulate interest in Arts and Crafts for leisure time.

The Club directors at this time were:

President: Nan Mabee
Secretary: Vera James
Treasurer: Ena Ainsworth
Directors: Francis Radford
Jill Tletsen

From its humble beginnings as an association formed by a handful of oil painters, the Kettle River Art Club has evolved into an organization which has embraced many crafts and the Art Club Hall is equipped with potter's wheels and kilns and has housed workshops in egg-decorating and silversmithing — a facility that has something for everyone."

FOOTNOTES:

[1] "Origin of the Kettle River Art Club" by Isabel Peterson, first Club secretary. This history hangs on the wall of the KRAC clubroom.

[2] "Noted Artist Makes Home at Greenwood" - Nelson Daily News, B.C., September 16, 1968. (An error in the original story is corrected, changing Grand Forks to Greenwood.)

[3] "Thumbnail Sketch of Artist" by Linda Curtis, Calgary newspaper (publication and date unknown)

[4] Robert E. Wood, Canadian Fine Artist - www.robertewood.ca

[5] "Old Smelter - Greenwood, B.C." by Robert E. Wood, Hodgins Art Auctions Ltd., Calgary, AB, Nov 21,2011