It was not the arts and culture scene that drew Kate Brown from Vancouver to the Comox Valley in 2010, but she fits right into the Valley’s rich cultural community.
“It (the local arts scene) was an unexpected bonus, but it really amazed me once I got here.”
Kate immersed herself into the local scene immediately upon arrival, producing and hosting “Arts Beat with Kate,” on the local Shaw television channel.
“It was a monthly program surrounding the arts in the Comox Valley,” she said. “It was a great way to find out more about all the different artists in the Valley. Many times I would approach (people) not knowing the full story but by getting them to open up, you learn an awful lot more about the Valley.”
Kate is the founder, president and hostess of the Artsphere Comox Valley Society – a group of about 40 members, including not only painters, but also photographers, jewellers, writers, glass artists and fabric artists.
The group evolved from the Comox Valley Newcomers Club roughly eight yeas ago.
“I started an art club within the Newcomers and we grew very quickly, to the point that we became an independent group,” explained Kate. “we do exhibits, workshops and art activities, all the while giving back to the community for the past eight years.”
Kate is a constant promoter of the arts in the community, and works tirelessly, hanging art displays in restaurants and coffee shops throughout the Valley.
She said her reason for promoting art is to get the message out that anyone can be creative.
“That’s the main purpose is to encourage people who are a bit shy from doing art that yes, you can. Just getting people to try something out of their comfort zone, and then when they see that they can do it, they get hooked.”
When she is not promoting others, she is busy either producing her own original pieces, or illustrating children’s books, including the Marlet Ashley series, Revelry on the Estuary.
She said she and Marlet are now working on a “comic book for adults, about a trip of two crumblies, to Paris.”
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