Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald (L to R) Jack Jensen and Linda Jensen pose in the Jensen Art Gallery. The longtime Prince Albert visual artists are selling their works through an online sale through the Kyla Arts Group website before they move to Ontario.
Two prominent members of the Prince Albert arts community are heading east, but much of their expansive art collection won’t be going with them.
Jack and Linda Jensen are planning a move to Ontario and have partnered with the Kyla Art Group to sell off their collection before the move.
The Jensens are having a retrospective online art sale based on over 40 years of works. The art sale includes more than 200 pieces created by both Jack and Linda that are available at www.kylaartistgroup.com.
The couple always liked Toronto and have been visiting the City for many years, but the draw eastwards got even stronger with the birth of their first grandchild, Hollis, four months ago. The thought of not being around to witness her milestone events was the final push they needed to move to Toronto.
“The underlying feeling is very happy and exciting but of course then you take the other layer,” Linda said. “Obviously, we are leaving a lot friends, a lot of people that we have worked with throughout our time in various capacities in the community,” Linda said.
“Certainly Jack and I have been involved in various aspects of the arts in the community and our family was very involved, especially in the performing arts. We have wonderful memories of all of that so definitely we have had a very rich life here.”
The couple have three sons, all of whom have encouraged them to move to Ontario. The couple said they’re looking forward to eating Sunday dinner with family, but they still need to find homes for all their art.
Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald — Some samples of art that is for sale by Jack Jensen and Linda Jensen through an online sale through the Kyla Arts Group website that will run to mid-Apri
Jack and Linda are founding members of the Kyla Art Group. The group was formed by a half dozen artists who painted together and who wanted more options for showing and selling their art than were available.
The solution was to form an art group and create their own opportunities. This led to the formation of the Kyla Art Group and the group’s annual fall art show that is now working towards its 45th year.
The art has accumulated because of the way the Kyla Art Group operates. One requirement was that all work in the Kyla fall art show could not have been in a previous Kyla fall show. This kept the Kyla artists creating new works.
It also assured the people coming to their shows that it would be something they had never seen before.
The Jensens opened the Jensen Home Gallery that served as an alternative venue for Kyla art shows and for their own art shows. Kyla also created art shows at Waskesiu, Elk Ridge and Saskatoon.
The artwork that is for sale is leftover accumulated works from their vast collection.
“We are going to have limited space in our new home relative to what we have here,” Linda said. “We have selected the artwork that we are going to have room for and we have spoken to our families and allowed them to choose artwork that they have room for.
They have been doing art for so long that there are over 200 pieces of art in their home on display. There are also a number of works still in storage.
“It is just like an art gallery where you have a permanent collection,” Linda said. “We had a huge amount of inventory with this art show, and we are really thankful to the Kyla Group for giving us the opportunity for this virtual show.
“It’s giving us the opportunity to go out and show the public the pieces that we have done recently or a long time ago.
She explained that since the online show opened the art has been selling really well. At this point, there are still a good number of pieces available.
“There is in total about 250 pieces out of which we took the pieces that we are going to take with us and then the pieces that we have given away to siblings and children and then a good number of pieces sold,” Jack said.
The show is scheduled to run into mid-April unless the art sells out before that time.
“That would be a nice problem to have before the month would be out, but we had a talk with the Kyla members and they said we will just keep it up for the remainder of March and into mid-April,” Jack said.
The move to Toronto will not happen until their home on Reed Bay in Carlton Park sells. The home is a character home and a log house which backs onto a park. The interior features a variety of wood from maple cupboards and floors to exposed log in the living room to see-joint cedar open beam ceilings in the living room and master bedroom.
“It has served us very well we raised our three children here and the neighborhood is very nice,” Jack said. “It started off with a lot of children in the neighborhood and then as they grew up there became less and less and now it’s regenerating again with toddlers to teenagers, and it’s very handy to schools and a park.”
Linda explained that if art buyers are from out of town, they can ship pieces at the buyer’s expense.
“(With) people from in town, we have just been contacting and saying do you want us to drop this off,” she said. “A lot of people want to come and pick them up themselves.”
The Jensens are also amicable to having people visit their home to see the art in person. They are cautious about COVID-19 and request anyone entering their home wear a mask. She explained that private showing is easy to control and it is nice to have the visits with people.
“So it is an online show but we are definitely open for people to call. If they need to have a private showing we have allowed that as well,” she explained.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
