Barbara Foreman opens her studio, Fossibilities, to the public Aug. 30-31
Whether she’s creating a custom piece in honour of a loved one’s memory or making art for herself, Interlake artist Barbara Foreman lets her materials — all of which come from nature — guide her process.
Originally from Winnipeg, Foreman has lived in Gimli for about 30 years, enjoying the gardening, walking and beachcombing that the lakeside environment provides. About a decade ago, living in the Interlake inspired her to begin crafting heartfelt works of art with driftwood, stones and beach glass found along the Gimli shoreline.
“I’m inspired by the things that wash up and how nature creates them and how I can manipulate them into designs and create art with them,” Foreman said. “I work with what is given to me and what I discover. I enjoy the challenge of using those pieces to create.”
Foreman recently embraced a new challenge. After applying last fall and completing the jury process, she was accepted as a participant in the 2025 WAVE Interlake Artists’ Studio Tour. The self-guided tour offers visitors an expansive art experience across 16 studios and runs over two weekends. The first one was June 7–8 and the second one is Aug. 30–31, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. WAVE has an app that can be downloaded to start planning your route.
Foreman’s studio, Fossibilities, located at 249 Parkside Dr. in Gimli, welcomed more than 100 visitors during the June weekend.
“I was very nervous,” she said. “You know, you’re opening not only to a different group of people but you’re also inviting them into your personal space. I was excited. I think a lot of people were surprised because our physical environment is quite different. I got to meet and chat with people at a really relaxed pace. It was a very positive experience.”
In the past, Foreman showcased her work at markets, including the Arnes Farmers Market.
“They’re like family, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It was just time to step back a bit and slow down a bit,” she said, adding that being a WAVE artist allows her to focus more on her art and welcome visitors into her home gallery.
Fossibilities is on the property where she and her husband, Charles Kirkpatrick, live.
“My husband is my right-hand man,” she said. “All of our artwork is framed with wood that’s been reclaimed from the landfill. On every piece of art that I make, I can pretty much tell you where those stones come from or where the wood comes from. Some of them are like a hundred years old.”
Just as the pieces are connected to each other, Foreman said she too is deeply connected to her work. Her process often follows one of two paths.
She might begin with a drawn design based on an idea, sorting through her trays of materials — organized by shape and colour — to find the right fit. She revisits and refines the arrangement until she’s satisfied with the result.
Other times, inspiration strikes during a walk on the beach.
“I come home with what I’ve found, I wash it all and separate it into categories, and sometimes, if I’m lucky, they come together in a way that I think is quite magical,” said Foreman. “The stones tell that story.”
While much of her work is rooted in the found materials, Foreman also creates custom and memorial pieces. In those cases, the story behind the artwork comes from families and loved ones. She gathers details through photographs and conversations to honour those relationships.
She recently completed two pieces for a customer seeking to commemorate families who had lost their pets.
“When I look back to the early pieces, I still love them but my work has grown by the detail and the intricacy of the way I do things,” Foreman said. “I like to challenge myself, and often it’s been through custom orders and customers where I have been the most challenged. One customer, she said to me at one point, ‘You know, this just doesn’t bring me joy.’ Now, I have to ask myself at the end of each piece, ‘Does this bring me joy? Is this joyful?’ If not, I have to go back and keep working at it.”
Foreman plans to keep her Gimli gallery open throughout the summer so that locals and visitors can stop in outside of the WAVE weekends. She is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 4 p.m. or by appointment. She hopes to create seasonal pieces and is exploring ideas for interactive activities, like scavenger hunts on the property.
“I really just look forward to continuing on with the work that I do and welcoming back customers and continually meeting new folks that are discovering WAVE for the first time and educating them on the way that my art works,” she said.
“I’m proud to be a part of a collection of artists that are so incredibly talented on this tour. There are many of them that have been on this tour since the beginning. The Interlake just has a wealth of creativity and I think we are inspired by each other. I think, collectively, the tour is a great way to honour that.”
To contact Foreman, call 1-204-407-8924, email bforeman@mymts.net or visit watchthewave.ca.
