Kelowna’s Newest Fine Art Gallery Opens in the Cultural District
New environmental photography gallery and studio space on Cannery Lane
Freestone Spirit Photography has opened a new gallery and studio location on Cannery Lane, downtown Kelowna. The gallery pieces are by Mark Coffey, fine art photographer and lead photographer at Freestone Spirit. Reflecting his educational background in environmental sciences, Mark’s fine art photography works are based on environmental themes. Mark uses his art to draw awareness to issues, such as global warming, and the endangerment of the Kettle River.
The gallery also features a studio section where Freestone Spirit Photography (a joint effort between Mark and his wife Sarah) offers top quality baby’s first year packages, portraiture, and wedding photography. In addition to a fully equipped photo studio, the space will also be used for small group photography training.
Freestone Spirit Photography was named after the spirit of a freestone river – ever changing and maturing, but still young at heart. The husband and wife team behind it see themselves as storytellers. “We believe photography is an art; an art that should capture love, emotion and the character of life” says Mark. “Telling your story and preserving it forever. We look forward to telling your story through the art of photography.”
As a part of its environmental mission, Freestone Spirit Photography is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, meaning that they donate 1% of sales to environmental organizations.
The Freestone Spirit Photography Gallery is now open on for public viewing Wednesday to Saturday from 10am-5pm, and Sunday from 12-5pm.
Visit www.markcoffey.ca and www.freestonespirit.ca to learn more about the gallery’s fine art and portraiture offerings.
Contact:
Mark Coffey
Freestone Spirit Photography Gallery
110-1295 Cannery Lane, Kelowna, BC
250-469-2852 | info@freestonespirit.ca
Background
Environmental Roots
Mark wasn’t always a photographer. It was it passion for the natural environment that led him down the path of environmental and fine art nature photography.
Born in small town Ontario, Mark Coffey grew up surrounded by small plots of owner operated pastoral farmlands. This early connection to the land became embedded in his thinking and way of life. With an Environmental Sciences degree from Trent University in hand, Mark followed adventure of the land: summers of canoe guiding (where he met his wife and business partner, Sarah), and winters of ski patrolling. It was the love of the mountains that led Mark and Sarah to set up permanent roots in the heart of the Okanagan basin. Mark and Sarah are now proud to call Kelowna home and the birthplace of their daughter, Amber, who was born last spring.
Although documentary photography was always a part of Mark’s nature explorations, it wasn’t until moving to Kelowna that he started to see his art form as a potential career path. This led to the launch of Mark Coffey Photography in 2006, with a focus on fine art and editorial photography, and soon the addition of Freestone Spirit Photography.
Fine Art Photography and the Environment
“My photography explores our inter-connections with nature. The feeling of connection; at times the disconnection; at times the re-connection”, says Mark. “I am always looking for ways of showing and feeling the impact of human influence. We are creating both subtle and grand environmental shifts that we are, by necessity, very much a part of. As a resource user, just as seven billion other humans are, I struggle with concepts of setting some spaces aside, using some, and common influences shared by all spaces… My imagery is rooted in questions, not answers.”
