THE INFORMER PAGE 5

JANUARY 28, 1992

Kiff Holland continued from page 2

point. “I fainted,” he said. “Maybe it’s the South African
character. We’re very proud. We don’t accept ‘the econ-
omy’s bad’ as a reason, it’s very personal.”

Telling Janet he was “never going to be laid off
again,” he set up his studio and began painting. By his
third UIC cheque, he was away. The Harrison Gallery
took his first works, and the word spread. The Leafhill
in Victoria, a Chemainus gallery, the Masters Gallery in
Calgary, and Hollands-York in Toronto were all selling
his paintings, and he was able to support his family
once again.

Surprised that this man who was revolted by selling
insurance could sell himself, the Informer inquired as to
how he managed to do it. “I was lucky,” he admits. “The
galleries have always come to me.” He adds that it did
take a shift in his consciousness to confess to people
that he sold his art for a living. “I thought it was ‘below
the salt’,” he explains. “But that was a conceit I couldn’t
afford to have.”

After a year or two of full-time painting, he was
asked to apply at Cap for a job teaching drawing to the
first year of the Foundation program. He got the posi-
tion and discovered a fitting complement to his lonely
job in his studio. “It is a lot of fun. It gives me contact
with people and it’s a chance to put forward some
radical views. I like to try out new approaches and
techniques, to knock the conventional wisdom.”

Kiff says the Art program is an excellent one that
attracts graduates from other art schools. “With 150
applicants for 22 positions we have the luxury of teach-
ing the top 10 to 15 per cent.”

He describes teaching as giving direction: “I’m like
the drum in a stone polishing machine. The students
polish themselves, I just keep them moving.”

Spending nine hours a day, five days a week at his
painting, he describes the job as a roller coaster ride.
“Sometimes it’s magic and then you don’t stop, because
it doesn’t last. But when you're down, the worst thing is
to stop. You have to paint your way out of the slump.”

He laughs, mocking what he paints during these
periods as “seeing-eye paintbrush”. However, he has
learned that when “it turns” he reaches another pla-
teau. The painting is better than the last high spot in
the ride. He tells his students, “The best painting I’m
going to paint will be the one I paint tomorrow.”

Kiff is a member (and former president) of the Fed-
eration of Canadian Artists and a member of the North-
west Watercolor Society. The Harrison Gallery holds an
annual show of his work.

Healthstyles

FEBRUARY IS HEART MONTH
Are you HEART SMART?

59 per cent of B.C. adults have at least one of the
major preventable risks associated with heart
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¢ smoking

¢ high blood pressure

* high blood cholesterol
° being overweight

¢ lack of exercise

Be HEART SMART and reverse this deadly trend
by assessing your risk status—having only two of
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of having a heart attack or stroke.

The disease process leading to a “sudden” heart
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KNOW your blood pressure and keep it healthy.

ASK your physician if you need your blood
cholesterol checked.

DO NOT smoke.

MAINTAIN a healthy body weight.

DO daily physical activity

LIMIT the amount of alcohol you drink.

EAT a healthy diet.

TAKE time to relax and express feelings.

KNOW CPR.

KNOW the signals of a heart attack or stroke and
how to get help.

If you are a woman
40 or over,
this program is a must.

SCREENING
MAMMOGRAPHY

is funded by the B.C. Min-
istry of Health. A doctor’s
referral is not required for
women over 40. Call 1-800-
663-9203 for an appointment.

@ Screening

Mammography

\ rd m of.
British Columbia