Canada's insider blog

When you take a walk through the streets of Wells, BC it’s not hard to imagine yourself back in the Cariboo Gold Rush days. Not only is this small community home to a number of one-of-a-kind studios and galleries, the town itself is a living, breathing work of art.  Many of the historic buildings have been renovated but with the 1930s respectfully in mind, and the artistic locals have painted the facades of their homes and galleries in an array of splashy colours. Wells is the kind of place that rekindles your faith in the creative human spirit.

Amazing Space Studio, formerly the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, is where the über-amazing Claire Kujundzic and her husband Bill Horne create and display their work. Claire works in a number of media, and visitors will want to purchase one of her infamous magnets, depicting cherubic women taking flight into a night sky full of stars, or a “Wells Angels” T-shirt. Bill spends his days printmaking on handmade papers, marble and animal hides. My favourites are his original silkscreen prints featuring some of the town’s famous historic buildings – “Sunset Theatre”, “Tomato House”, and “Good Eats” the only wooden-framed flatiron building still standing in British Columbia and one of the most photographed and painted structures. 

Frog on the Bog sells unique products such as wild animal tracks embedded in clay, gold nuggets from Conklin Gulch in the Cariboo, nugget jewelry, organic outdoor shirts, aprons and boxers. Workshops, seminars, exhibitions and concerts are held year round at Island Mountain Arts; Wells is a fascinating cultural destination during any season.