On Tuesday, friends and neighbours of Kay Hoffman gathered at Bowen Court to look at her artwork and share stories. Kay was, they said, a person who held on to dignity and pride, as well as her love of life and identity as an artist until her last days, which came this past July.
Hoffman came to Bowen Island with her daughter in the early 1969. Her friend Pat Eliot recalls that she was already painting at that time. Hoffman was a person constantly enouraging other artist, and even helping people get their start. Eliot started painting with her friend's encouragement, and is still painting today.
“The whole 17 years we lived next to her, Kay’s home was full of art making,” says Caitlin Frost. “When I hear the other Bowen Artists speak of her water colour painting they get a kind of wistful look and say, ahh Kay - she was magic with the watercolours.”
One of the attendees at Monday’s gathering for Kay said she was bold and courageous with her painting and never intimidated by the big canvasses - that was how she did art and also how she lived her life.
Others said how generous Kay was in her support for their painting and artwork. She spent hours volunteering at the Arts Pacific Gallery and the Tuesday Art Group.When her arthritis got too bad to painting, she became a photographer and could often be seen wandering Bowen’s trails with her camera.
The Kay Hoffman Memorial Bursary will provide financial support to adults wanting to participate in art classes on Bowen Island. The funds will also support Bowen artists offering classes and programs.
The Bursary will be held through the Bowen Island Community Foundation with the support of the Bowen Island Arts Council.
Donations from community members are encouraged.
Contact Caitlin Frost for more information: [email protected]
