Palette to Palate Food and Art Tours

Ever since the day it opened, Hotel Arts has been renowned for its art collection.

But who are the artists behind the work? We asked Karen Anderson, creator of Calgary Food Tours. She’s become an expert on the Hotel Arts collection, leading a food and art-themed tour called Palette to Palate, which runs Fridays at 11 am (May – October) starting at Hotel Arts. We tracked her down to ask her about the artists behind some of her favorite pieces on the tour.

Take the painting, King, by artist Tim Okamura, for example. The work, which features a flag of civil rights activist Martin Luther King surrounded by a gold halo, hangs at the entrance to Yellow Door and Raw Bar, inside the hotel.

Okamura studied at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, but now lives in New York. Collectors of his work include celebrities Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke and John Mellencamp, and he’s had his art in a slew of Hollywood movies, too: School of Rock, Pieces of April, Unfaithful, Prime.

“Tim Okamura has been described as the most successful graduate ever from the Alberta College of Art,” Anderson says. “And this painting, it really fascinates people.”

Another show stopper piece is Barry Fairbairn’s massive, brightly coloured hand-blown light fixture which hangs in the main entrance.

“Artists come from around the world to study with him,” Anderson says. “But we can see a beautiful example of his work right here.”

Toronto artist Cathy Daley has work in The National Gallery of Canada and The Art Gallery of Ontario, but you can see her whimsical work at Hotel Arts.

Then there’s Bruce Pashak’s Caution Horse; it hangs in the lobby. (Ask staff to point out the horse painting, if you can’t find it on your own.)

And Mourning Cloak, by American artists Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison, “is about grief and metamorphosis, and how nature will heal you when you’re ready,” Anderson says. (It’s in the hall, across the pool from the concierge desk.)

For Anderson, fine art is a natural expansion of her food tours because, as she notes, art can be found everywhere: a beautiful building, a wine label, or a perfectly plated dish at a fine restaurant.

“I had always admired how artful the food is at Raw Bar,” she says. “And every time I was there, I’d look at these incredible paintings and I’d wonder: what is the story behind them?”

She mentioned it to a friend with a background in art history. They did some research, and then created a tour to share what they found.

“You could walk by these artworks a million times and never give them a second thought,” Anderson says.

“But once you look at the work and dive into the stories, there’s just so much meaning behind them all.”

Stay tuned to the blog for some of the stories behind the art. Or take in a Palette to Palate tour with Karen.

Written by: Shelley Boettcher, Brand Ambassador