Kate and Jerry Enewold are a royal couple when it comes to the Castlegar arts scene, having been deeply entrenched in it for over half a century. They have specialized in a multitude of media from painting and silversmithing to furniture design and woodworking and their work can be seen in a variety of venues from the city’s new Confluence Building to the historic JB Fletcher’s Museum in Ainsworth. They both come from a family of artists and their daughter is following in the family footsteps with her poetry and metal artistry. We caught up with Kate to find out more about her artistic family and how Castlegar influences all of their endeavours.
Hi Kate. It’s not often we meet an entire family that’s artistic in various specialties. Tell us what you, your husband, and your daughter specialize in?
Between us, over the years, we have specialized in pretty much everything. But to be specific and current, I am a silversmith, Jerry is a painter and wood carver, and our daughter, Willow, is a metal artist. (We featured Willow’s artwork earlier this summer in this article.)
How long have you all been creating art? How did you get into it?
We were born into creative families. Both my mom and dad were artists and I have many childhood memories of spending time in my father’s art studio, and teenage memories of hours spent at the Kootenay School of Art which my father, Zeljko Kujundzic, founded in Nelson in 1960/61. Jerry’s father, Robert F. Enewold studied painting and was, in fact, a student alongside painter Grant Wood, the creator of the famous “American Gothic” painting. Robert was also a master gunsmith responsible for restoring antique guns for the Smithsonian and other clients.
How long have you been living in Castlegar? Where were you before that?
We were captivated by the ethos and freedom of the late ’60s and while dreaming and drifting, Jerry and I found ourselves in Vancouver, BC. I was enrolled in a studio arts program at Langara College and Jerry had been an art student at the University of Nevada in Reno. We were introduced to each other by a friend in 1970, and our mutual passion for art and the creative process made for a strong and lasting bond. We lived in a small apartment in Vancouver’s West End for a while, but unceasing noisy construction put a damper on any creativity, and so we moved to Thrums, a rustic but peaceful 10-acre-property just north-east of Castlegar on the Kootenay River. This home has been our ongoing masterpiece for over 50 years. We’ve built a house, a garden, workshops, a family, and a community.
Out of a necessity to put food on the table, art took a second place to work when we had our two children. Jerry honed his skills as a master woodworker, and in addition to the “work” of wood windows and doors and custom cabinets, his creativity shone through as he added carved doors, masks, and sculptures to his repertoire. My career as a library technician/systems administrator was a good precursor for the attention to detail and technique required in my career role as a silversmith. I left my job at Selkirk College in 2010 to go back to school for three years at the Kootenay School of Art in Nelson, studying and working in the jewellery and small objects studio.
What do you like most about living in Castlegar?
Castlegar is a wonderful place to live, especially as an artist. The geography is stunningly beautiful and a constant inspiration. The community here appreciates and supports the arts; Sculpture Walk and the Kootenay Gallery are great examples of that fact. When the Castlegar Recreation Centre was newly built in the mid ’70s, Jerry helped to furnish the first art and craft room, where we both taught pottery classes for adults and children. We still find it rewarding to be reminded by former students how much they enjoyed their adventures in clay.
What are the joys of having an entire family of artists? What are the challenges?
Just as we were nurtured by artistic parents, we are so proud to have a daughter who is a creative dynamo. As a family, we embrace many media in our work: Jerry is a painter and carver, I am a silversmith, and our daughter, Willow, a poet and a wordsmith, and more recently a metal artist. We all have studio spaces at our family property in Thrums, which makes for great synergy. It’s always fun to go and see what the others are up to when visitors show up. I don’t think there are any obvious challenges. Maybe getting too much feedback on our works in progress, such as “you should do this” or “you should make it like that” from other artists with different techniques and aesthetics can be a thing? There’s so many positives though: the problem solving, the introduction of different materials, the constructive criticism. It’s all good.
What’s the funniest moment you’ve had while creating art?
That’s hard to say. There are so many moments of levity and hilarity coupled with hours of head-down, hard work. Sometimes a piece that one of us creates just ends up being funny rather than “good.” We’ve definitely had some laughs.
What do you do when you’re not making jewelry? How about your husband and daughter?
We are both deeply involved with our business Boardwalk Woodworking where we make beautiful wood windows, doors, and custom cabinets, despite an ongoing resolve to retire. Jerry is a chess fanatic and can be found playing daily either with friends who drop in, online, or at the Chess Club at the Seniors Centre in Nelson. I have been studying violin for 20 years, and I practice at home and in various classes and groups, including the Kootenay Old Time Fiddlers.
Where can people find more information about your work?
All three of us are currently engaged in planning and creating new work for a family show at the Kootenay Gallery, which will happen next year from March 6 to April 12. Many of Jerry’s paintings can be seen at the new Chamber of Commerce Confluence building in Castlegar, as well as at the Pinnacle accounting offices in Castlegar and Nelson. Kate’s work is for sale at the Kootenay Gallery in Castlegar as well as at the gift shop in the Nelson Museum and Gallery (formerly Touchstones) in Nelson. JB Fletcher’s Museum in Ainsworth is another venue where you can find work by both Willow and I.
You can also see more of our work on our Facebook and Instagram pages or email us to make an appointment to see us in our studios:
Kate: kenewold@shaw.ca; facebook.com/ThrumsLogicArtDesign; instagram.com/thrumslogic_art_design
Jerry: jpenewold@shaw.ca; facebook.com/p/Imaginative-World-of-Jerry-Enewold; instagram.com/thrumsonian