For Langley artist Joyce Trygg, painting has become an all-encompassing outlet that allows her to do two things; capture her love of animals and give back to the community.
“I don’t do a lot besides paint,” Trygg laughed regarding her time spent behind the canvas. “But I really am an animal lover…and I’m at a stage where I would like my art to do some good.”
Good is certainly what Trygg’s work has done since she started painting professionally in 1999; her work has helped an array of local charities like Critter Care, the Northern Spotted Owl Program, and Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS); not to mention diseases like cancer, crohn’s, and colitis.
She has also used her art to help on an international level; a recent sketch of a baby elephant sold in England, which will be going to help orphaned pachyderms through the Real World Conservation Trust and Explorers Against Extinction organization. In fact, 25 per cent of every single painting sold goes towards The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
Trygg was even creating a significant portion of a 100-ft-long travelling mural, The Silent Skies Student Mural Project, which featured 678 endangered species of birds.
Evident by the over-arching genre of her art – Trygg’s true inspiration is, by far, every critter big and small.
From wildlife to pets, her paintings have captured coyotes, elks, bears, and birds to name a few – with many of the real life “models” present in her own life.
“I live on an acreage in Langley to indulge my love of horses, which I’m finding out is a lot of work,” Trygg said. “I have dogs and cats too.”
She did note, however, that one of her best-selling works is a pair of cowboy boots.
Her work has been shown in Fort Langley’s Brenda Alberts Gallery and more recently, the Kube Gallery.
Now, for the fifth year running, Trygg’s work will once again be seen – and up for sale – at the West Fine Arts Show (WFAS).
The annual show was started ten years ago to provide walls for artists to hang their work in. President of WFAS, Brian Croft, said the work featured in this particular gallery is a perfect fit for Trygg.
“The theme is western Canada…and North America really. Seascapes, mountains, and fields…the natural land of our home,” Croft said.
Not only does the theme work with what Trygg paints, the art show is also held to do some good. From each painting sold, 25 per cent is donated to Langley Hospice Society.
Prints on canvas of Trygg’s Polar bear paintings, as well as her original work called “Cowichan Bay Solitude,” featuring wood pilings and a seagull to capture the island beauty of the West Coast, will be up for sale at WFAS.
“Most of what I do, I try to have a message and make people aware or think,” Trygg said. “I want people to see animals the way I see them. If I can make them refuse a plastic straw or do something about climate change, I’ll be be happy.”
The show opening is set for Sept. 20, at 7 p.m. at Glass House Estate Winery, 23449 0 Ave.
The artists will be introduced that evening, plus live music by John Gilliat, and a small program will follow.
Admission is free. The West FIne Art Show will be open at the winery, Saturday, Sept. 21 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information on Trygg and her work, people can visit her website, www.joycetrygg.com.
Read More: West Fine Art Show returns to the Cloverdale Rodeo
More information on the West Fine Art Show can also be found at www.westart.ca.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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