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Fort Gallery re-opens part time to public with exhibition of artist Richard Bond’s work

Fraser Prospect continues Fraser River themed project that the gallery began in January
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The artwork of Richard Bond is on display the the Fort Gallery, signifying its re-opening after coronavirus closures. (Richard Bond/Special to the Langley Advance Times)

After a two month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, Fort Gallery will be re-opening on Friday, June 5th.

To continue the Fraser River Project that the gallery began in January, seven large paintings from Richard Bond’s series Fraser Prospect will be on display.

Bond created his series of paintings for Fraser Prospect from a location above the Fraser River just east of the Port Mann Bridge.

He chose a site that had plenty of shrubbery, weeds, grass, trees, and Burke Mountain across the river, set up his easel and painted directly on the large canvases on site.

Over the span of three years, from 1987 through 1989, Bond returned to the site many times and made about fifty paintings to capture the changing shapes and colours of the landscape throughout the seasons of the year.

At the beginning of the project, a real estate agent came by and told him that the whole area was due for development in three years; Bond had just enough time to finish the series before the bulldozers moved in.

READ MORE: Fort Langley artists kick off season with a ‘virtual menagerie’

Bond taught painting and drawing for thirty-nine years at several post-secondary schools including his alma mater, Emily Carr University, the University of British Columbia summer program, Douglas College and Kwantlen College.

His work has been exhibited in various galleries in British Columbia and Ontario, including the Bau-Xi in Vancouver and Toronto, and many community galleries throughout B.C.

In accordance with recommendations, the gallery opens only Friday and Saturday afternoons, noon until 5 p.m., for the month of June.

For July, Fort Gallery hopes to open Wednesday and Thursday as well.

To avoid close contact between visitors, there will be no opening reception or special arts events at this time, but there will be a video of the artist’s talk on view in the gallery.

Richard Bond’s Fraser Prospect will be on exhibition until July 11.

Fort Gallery is located at 9048 Glover Rd.

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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com

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