After the show closed at 4 o’clock a convoy of cars drove across Bowen Island to King Edward Bay, to the home of Kate Bellringer’s parents Steve and Cathy Bellringer for a post-show drink. The setting for their house at the end of the road is rather spectacular. The house sits on a little bluff with a fairly steep walk down to the private wharf and a view west towards Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast.

Thank you Steve and Cathy for inviting the happy but tired Raiders to relax on the patio with a glass of wine and tasty tidbits. It gave us a chance to unwind and to get to know each other better.

Kate surprised us by producing a delicious coconutty birthday cake for Eric’s upcoming birthday on Thursday. She had given the cake decorator a photo of one of Eric’s painted plates and they had reproduced it on the cake!

It was in fact fellow Raider Pierre Coupey’s birthday that very day so the two men shared the candle blowing-out and slicing of the cake. Both men will be here in Port Moody on Thursday for yet another birthday celebration, this time as one of our now-traditional August Raids timed to make it a good but relaxed birthday get-together with friends.

Several people took photos so I have chosen just a few to remember a lovely end to a long-planned and very successful show. Again, we Raiders owe lots of gratitude to curator Kate Bellringer for the idea of a Raiders’ show and all the organizing of us, and gallery owners Steve Massey and Laura Quilici. You three did a super job of hanging the plates, publicizing the event and welcoming us. Thank you.

As mentioned in a previous blog, Bowen Island Arts Council member Kathleen Ainscough was at Terminal Creek Contemporary right as the show opened and mentioned to me that ‘The Hearth’ was having an opening at their gallery that evening too. She explained that the gallery is attached to the Bowen Island Library and that the show featured two potters and two print makers. Gotta see it! So, as we were parked in line for the 6.15pm ferry back to Horseshoe Bay we zipped across the road and tapped on the door of the gallery and were allowed in just a little early. Bowen Island residents and potters Russel Hackney and Julie York were featured. Brand new work from both artists. I wouldn’t have guessed that Julie had made the strong, round cylinders with building forms on their surfaces.

Similarly Russel is known for his fine white slip-cast traditional bottles and here were wheel thrown, tall, coloured cylinders which, when you look closely, reveal sayings along their sides.

I’m afraid I didn’t have time to study the prints. If you are lucky enough to be on Bowen Island in the near future of course you should check out the Raiders’ show, but also take a look at the work in ‘The Hearth’.