Exhibit Opening: Wanderlust by Jesse Bell

On February 22, 2018 writer and photographer Jesse Bell hosts Wanderlust: A photography Series exhibit opening at the Arts Station.

Born and raised in Fernie, BC, Jesse has loved travelling from a young age. "I first knew I loved to travel at seven, when my parents bought a camper van and we drove from Fernie to Vancouver Island, where I played with slugs in the grass and tripped into waves along the ocean with my sister," she recalls. At the age of 13, she travelled with her family to the Baja Peninsula. At 17, she saw a red pillar of sand in Monument Valley, Utah reflected in a puddle and captured it, "all frozen with a photograph, a return ticket to a moment long since gone."

After graduating from University, where she studied journalism, photojournalism and geography, she travelled Central America for three months. "And then it hit me—wanderlust. How badly I wanted to become acquainted with unfamiliar landscapes and cultures. I moved back to Fernie, began writing, hiking, adventuring (and working), and made travel a priority."

Icland, Australia, Greece. The years between her move back and this show have been filled with adventure, beauty and experiences around the world, all caught through the lens creating a show worth enjoying. A show that will leave us all dreaming, maybe even planning our next adventure.

"Whenever I return home to Fernie, I'm grateful. For its simplicity and fervour, for the drawn-out 'hello's' at coffee shops and familiar walks along the river. For those summer nights when the street lights turn on and it's still warm enough to wear only a sweater. Nothing changes, everything feels the same. What changes each time is me. Though I may be a little broke, to wonder and not wander is an offence only to myself."

Join Jesse at the Arts Station at 7pm for wine and cheese, "and chats about going to all the places, and doing all the things."