Copper Sky Gallery and Café, in Madeira Park, is a wonderfully warm and
welcoming place where locals gather and visitors to the area can enjoy the
splendour of this beautiful community. The atmosphere is relaxed, casual and
comfortable, open to everyone. The place is filled with delicious food, beautiful
art and comfortable seating.
Artists Cindy Cantelon and Marshall Mar opened Copper Sky in May of 2006 and
they have a lot to offer their patrons. The café serves homemade soups, chili,
burritos, sandwiches, and baked goods of all kinds. Wireless Internet access is
available at the café, the walls are filled with exquisite art, and the gallery offers
work from over 50 different artists and artisans: glass and metal arts to paintings,
photographs, fibre arts, and poetry.
A passion for art brought Cindy and Marshall together, first as artists and friends,
then as partners in life and business.
Marshall is a goldsmith by trade. He studied in Germany from 1966 to 1968, and
then returned to Canada. In 1969, with a group of friends, he opened Banana
Brothers, his first metal shop, located in Gastown. Jewellery is just small
sculpture and Marshall soon began to experiment. He forged vessels, started
sculpting larger scale pieces, and even tried his hand at tattooing.
Cindy studied painting and drawing in Montreal, Edmonton and at the Banff
School of Fine Arts. She graduated in 1986 and followed in her father’s footsteps
by becoming a professional photographer. She always kept a small studio
and while living in Edmonton, took a silversmithing class. Cindy had ideas of
combining photography with metal to create jewellery and once she worked with
the casting equipment, she was hooked. She moved to Vancouver’s Chinatown
and set up a jewellery shop with a friend. She met Marshall in 1992 and they’ve
been inspiring each other ever since.
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For a while, Cindy cast jewellery for her own company, Crucible Design, while
Marshall operated Mar’s Manufacturing and designed a line of accessories for
Harleys known as Creatures and Demons From Mar’s. When Marshall bought
all of the equipment required to manufacture his designs, they began working
seriously together to master production. This process inspired Cindy to design
her own line of metal garden art and accessories known as Earthly Creatures.
In 1996, their common need to get out of the city brought Cindy and Marshall to
Pender Harbour. They set up another metal shop and continued production of
Demons and Dragons From Mar’s and Earthly Creatures designs.
Cindy eventually tired of travelling to different shows and fairs to show their
work. The set-up, breakdown and time spent on the road is a gruelling cycle, she
decided she wanted someplace where she could just “turn the key”.
So when the space in Madeira Park became available, Cindy and Marshall
opened Copper Sky Gallery and Café. Cindy manages the day-to-day operation
while Marshall serves as taste tester and maintenance man. Both continue to
create metal art and jewellery. With the café and gallery operating smoothly,
Cindy wants to pursue her dream of creating large-scale bronze sculpture and
public art pieces that combine art, science, culture, and nature.
I go to Copper Sky Gallery and Café because I feel comfortable there. The
clientele includes workers in dirty boots, artists discussing the most recent
displays, writers, locals and visitors to this community. Friendly staff, mouthwatering
food, magnificent art and the other customers keep me returning, again
and again. It doesn’t matter if I go for breakfast, lunch or just to enjoy a cup of
coffee, Copper Sky nourishes my body and soul.
Copper Sky Gallery and Café is located at 12904 Madeira Park Road in Pender
Harbour. Café open Tuesday to Saturday, 6 am – 4 pm; gallery open 11 – 4. For
more information call 604-883-0096 or email copperskygallery@dccnet.com
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