Hello there, Columbia Valley. I hope you had a rejuvenating winter and are raring to go for what looks like a busy summer ahead.

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Joshua Estabrooks and I have lived in Invermere for just over a year. I came here as part of a work transfer with the Columbia Valley Pioneer after spending six years in the Robson Valley (just inside the B.C. border from Jasper). And now, with a year of getting to know this wonderful part of the province under my belt, I will now be spending my days at Pynelogs, working as the assistant curator.

Life changes can be great, I have learned recently, and I am beside myself with excitement at the opportunity to learn everything there is to know about art, art galleries, and to work alongside the dedicated members of the Columbia Valley Arts Council. Groups like CV Arts don’t exist everywhere and I think oftentimes we take our long-standing, successful community groups for granted. I have worked with many organizations throughout the years and have yet to work with one that has not only accomplished so much as CV Arts, but also has so much potential still waiting to be realized.

Art and the artists that create it have always fascinated me. Growing up on a small farm near Ottawa, Ontario, I had the luxury of frequenting a city full of art galleries, both large and small. Visiting the National Art Gallery of Canada, or The Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, were regular occurrences for me and helped shape my artistic sensibilities as I realized my own creative side.

I have been exploring art in my own way for quite some time, using both abstract photography and strange musical compositions to satisfy my need to create. I’ve never publicly presented my work, but after some positive urging from a few key people here in Invermere, I will be taking part in my very first official show right here at Pynelogs in July.

So come on down to the little log cabin on the beach and check out what we have in store for you this summer. We have a lot of new ideas (including a revamped website) that we are already working on, and I look forward to meeting the artists, art lovers and those who share a passion for all aspects of the artistic process. It’s going to be a great season. I can feel it.

—Joshua Estabrooks