Filming will soon wrap up for the second season of a documentary series that focuses on the Coastal Carvings Fine Art Gallery and its artists.
Coastal Carvings will premiere its first 13-episode season this September on APTN, according to Jeremy Humpherville, artist and gallery owner.
“I really believe this is a human interest story and when people watch it, it’s going to be like, ‘oh wow’ here’s how these guys get along — here’s their dynamics'," he said. “The stories are real and the time with us is real."
The series follows the artists as they work from start to finish on a piece of art, which can take a month or two, or much longer. It shows everything, from the search for the right material, through the artistic process until completion. The gallery artists do a lot of multimedia work with wood, glass, iron and stone.
It has been in the works for approximately three years, Humpherville said, and the editing for the first season took about a year.
“I think they went from one editor to four editors to be able to do all the content — 152 days of filming here into 13 episodes,” he said. "The bigger stuff they want to show, they have to be with us and watch the whole thing and with all that footage they have to make into a story."
As filming progressed on the first season, the network decided it wanted a second season, Humpherville said. Season 2 will finish filming this May, when it covers the gallery's 20th anniversary show "WOLF".
“[20 years] goes past so quickly. It just seemed like it was 10 years just yesterday, so it’s been very exciting," he said. "It’s been exciting to see all the artists we’ve had grow, from starting out with their first pieces to now being really recognized artists."
Artists have been working on original creations based on the theme of the show. A room in the gallery will be opened to the public where they can explore some new works featured in the TV series, with some items available for purchase.
New displays include historical art and artifacts from the West Coast that date back to the 1800s.
On May 9, fluid media artist Olga Soby, travelling from Alberta, will be in attendance for the reveal of two original pieces created with Humpherville for Season 2. Artists Levi Purjue and Jerett Humpherville and artist apprentice Sam Lindsey will be working in multiple mediums sharing their techniques and process.
The gallery will also unveil the collaborative graphic design “Hold My Bannock”, a project by Humpherville and PD Ducommun, owner of Skull Skates and PD's Hot Shop in Qualicum Beach. The project has been over a year in the making and will hopefully inspire a younger generation to enter the arts, Humpherville said.
The next day (May 10) guest Blackfoot artist Bert Tallman, from the Blood Reserve in Alberta, will share his gemstone creations, as well as the reveal of a collaborative piece by Tallman, Brenda Dowedoff and Humpherville made for Coastal Carvings.
The show will be held May 9, May 10 and May 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
