A GOOD HOCKEY STICK

Exploring the Olympic celebrations in Vancouver, I’ve spotted loads of giant, fiberglass eagles, wings spread and talons outstretched. Eagles in the City are in fact third in a trilogy of sculptures commissioned by the BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities – and they’ll be around until April 2010. Follow out the Eagle flight path at eaglesinthecity.com.
Another thriving art scene – and more apt for a rainy day – is a set of galleries along South Granville Street (a short bus ride over the bridge from downtown). During the Olympics, several artists have created sports-related pieces.
Windsor Gallery (3025 Granville St) – Artist Paul Wong’s installation features the bright and cheeky Mural Number 5, which is also on a billboard at the Granville & Georgia Canada Line Station.
Elissa Cristall Gallery (2245 Granville St) – Anda Kubis’s collection Split Second is all about speed, with blurry brush strokes and pixilated colour channeling athletes in action.
Bau Xi (3045 Granville St) – Vancouver painter Lisa Burke’s exhibition shows hockey players on a melting ice rink and athletes trying to free themselves from knotted cords. “Eye candy with a hint of acid,” is how she describes her work.

college hockey championships is pretty much Vancouver’s art capital, packed with galleries, pottery, gold and silversmith studios and even the prestigious Emily Carr University. Can it get much artier?
Thanks to a 2010 Winter Games exhibit, Portraits in the Street, yes it can. I’m in the bohemian Railspur Alley, gawping in wonder at a painting of hockey superstar Wayne Gretsky by none other than pop art maestro, ANDY WARHOL.
Twenty four framed photos and paintings of Canadian Olympians and Paralympians line a brick wall, making for a perfect sunny afternoon stroll. Others include a relaxed black & white shot of Canada’s most decorated ski racer, Nancy Greene Raine (now Director of Skiing at Sun Peaks resort).
Scary but impressive, is a masked close-up of legendary hockey player, Cassie Campbell, taken by Bryan Adams. Yes, musician BRYAN ADAMS.