Having always loved to draw and paint, Edith Illes was thrilled when in grade six she was given her very own, very first, set of oil paints.
They were kept a surprise, waiting under the tree under the guise of a new winter jacket. But she kept looking at the package and questioning whether it was, in fact, an article of clothing.
“Finally, they had to tell me they were paints,” Illes said.
Looking back now that may not have been so nice for her parents, but as an eleven year old she couldn’t wait to expand on her passion for creating. Now, Illes is joining the Potters of the Valley at the Smithers Art Gallery throughout the month of July with her show “Seasons of Smithers”.
In Grade 11, she did apply to the Vancouver Art School, however chose to go to university instead to become a teacher.
“I got my degree in teaching and I loved it,” Illes said.
As an elementary school teacher she spent the majority of her career working with special needs children.
As she had always been fond for children, especially young ones, it was the perfect career for her, she said.
Mostly, she worked with children with emotional problems, she said. While it could be emotionally draining for her, it was one of the most fulfilling experiences she’s had.
One boy she was looking after had been accidentally shot in the head.
His success story is one highly cherished by Illes, who worked with him for three years to get him to read and to write. She would go back and forth to the hospital where he was being assessed and on his last assessment she read the doctor a poem he had written.
“One of the doctors stood up and said it was impossible he could do that,” Illes said.
Now, he’s an assistant manager at a shop and got married in the Illes’ backyard.
“He was a miracle child,” she said.
She’ll never forget any of her children, she said.
“But my favourite grade was grade one,” Illes said. “It’s lovely, the little ones give back so much and they’re so creative — they fill you with ideas.”
In 1997, she was honoured to receive the Prime Minister’s Teacher’s Award. It’s the parents and fellow teachers who put in her nomination, she said, who was so touched that she’d be considered.
During her time as a teacher she often found herself doing art projects with the kids, however when it came to developing her own stuff independently she found that as most of her focus and energy was towards her career she just didn’t have the time.
For the past five years of her retirement, that isn’t the case anymore, she said, surrounded in her home’s living room by the art she’s been creating since those days.
While she grew up on Vancouver Island and spent her career in Vancouver and Pemberton, B.C., her interim program was spent in Kitseguelcla. There was no running water or electricity in the small community, except for the school house.
“I loved it,” Illes said. “It was really wonderful, I learned more that year from the children than I have learned ever since.”
That first experience with northwest B.C. was enough to draw her to the Bulkley Valley once she retired.
“I always wanted to come back,” Illes said.
It helped that her children and grandchildren are in the area now, she said, and she’s thrilled to see her grandchildren and capture the beauty of the valley with her oil paints.
“Landscape is something that’s all around you, and I love the colours,” Illes said. “I find I couldn’t live without those colours.”
This show is her second show. The first was held in the Ranger Park Station with Linda Hanson. Now, with the show in Smithers Art Gallery, she’s looking forward to showing her collection.
The show goes from July 5 to July 31, with the opening reception on July 8 from 7 to 9 p.m.