Wells BC - Bowron Lake

No need for a car in Wells B.C. In this little ART PAINTING everything is in walking distance. Well it is a cozy mining town. It is as friendly now as it was in the 1930’s. The reason I say that the town is an art painting is because of it’s 4...now 3 art galleries.

The art galleries are:
Amazing Space Studio and Gallery
It has unique silk screening, original painting, cards and a variety of other art for sale. The gallery used to be an old 1930’s church!
Beck’s Pottery Studio
Beck's Pottery features raku pieces, functional stoneware and earthenware pottery.
You can also take lessons in making the pottery for $25. The class is about 2.5hrs long.
Island Mountain Arts
Not only is this a gallery but a year round place to learn creative writing, beginning watercolour, drawing, singing, children's harp and more.


The reason I stopped in Wells was because of Art Rush Gallery. Ting Yuen is my favourite artist. She stopped many times in Prince George and I fell in love with her work. Every piece has a story and each piece has a family. The stories are about lessons that she has learned along the way. From the Art Rush Gallery website this is what Ting Yuen says: "I create lyrical worlds, where tribulations are perceived with inspiring humour; fetishes, embraced with open arms, thoughts are symbolic, dreams are always infinite, and an ideal world is possible. In many ways, my paintings compose a diary of my everyday life and aspiration, expressing fears and joys that are personal, but, at the same time, universal to the current consciousness."
Though she and her husband do not live in Wells anymore, she has set up her gallery in South Eastern B.C. I hope to visit her gallery again and was very sad to hear that she had left Wells.

Anyways moving on. Not only does Wells have a huge art community, there is a great outdoor adventure waiting for you. You can pan for gold and visit an operating gold mine, visit ghost towns from the 1860s, or spend a day hiking in spectacular alpine meadows. There is ‘The Williams Creek Nature Trail’ home to a wide variety of birds and flowers. Great trail to cross country ski in the winter.

A must see in the area is Bowron Lake Provincial Park. This BC Provincial Park is a wildlife sanctuary and it is not uncommon for visitors to observe and photograph deer, moose, bears, caribou and mountain goat. Waterfowl and beaver are abundant in streams. The picture above is the picture I took of the lake. Doesn’t it just make you want to go there?

Though Ting Yuen’s gallery is no longer there, I cannot wait to hop in my car and spend a weekend in this beautiful area/town. TOP NOTE: The historic town of BARKERVILLE is only 5-10min away.

Written by: Ellen Wookey
Pictures by: Ellen Wookey