Creating a destination
Kentville native opens art centre in Cornwallis Park
A$20 paint kit sprung Ed (Tripp) Parmiter on an artistic adventure he didn’t see coming. His wife, Lynda, had picked up the kit at Chapters as a gift for him.
“I took to it like a duck to water,” Parmiter recalled, “and soon realized, from the advice of other artists, that I had my own style.”
Now nine years later, Parmiter owns Tripp’s Gallery in downtown Annapolis Royal, and his latest adventure is restoring a former church in Cornwallis Park into what he believes is the largest independently owned art gallery in the Maritimes.
“The size,” Parmiter said when asked what attracted him to open a gallery in the new location. “Tripp’s Gallery is like 1,700 square feet and this is 10,000 square feet.”
The couple was living in Saskatchewan about a decade ago when they decided to move to Nova Scotia.
They bought a 38-foot motorhome, loaded their possessions and set out for their new home.
“If it didn’t fit in the motorhome, it didn’t come,” Lynda laughed.
They ended up buying a home in Bridgetown because they liked the “antiquity” of it, explained Parmiter, a Kentville
native.
He continued painting, and before long, friends were after him to open a gallery.
So, in 2012, they rented space in Annapolis Royal, and Tripp’s Gallery became a reality.
“It grew and grew and grew,” said Parmiter, noting he has sold more than 5,000
paintings during his nine-year career.
They soon needed more space and purchased a building in Annapolis Royal.
But once the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, they decided to consolidate into their own building as business slowed considerably.
“During this time, I started
to feel for other artists,” Parmiter said. “As the days and months went by, I started to understand what others were going through and I really wanted to do what I could to help them.”
He started to think about adding another spot. While driving around in December 2020, Parmiter came across the former church. It had most recently been a museum but had been closed for more than a year when Parmiter stumbled across it on the former military base.
“I thought, there’s a place I can get a large group of artists together and make a thriving hub,” he said.
He parked out front and envisioned the potential of becoming a destination with tourists coming to the gallery and interacting with the artists as they worked on various projects.
It was -10 C and the wind was howling.
Parmiter dialed up the real estate agent and inquired about the building.
“I said, ‘Bring your hardware and your pen, I want to buy it,’” he recalled.
The deal was signed and soon the work began. The list of renovations to the 1945built structure included a new roof, wiring and plumping, among others.
“We worked and worked and worked and got this open in summer 2021,” Parmiter said.
Edwin C. Hollett, a lifelong artist who lives in Centreville, heard about the new gallery through a family member and connected with Parmiter, who agreed to sell his paintings in the new locale.
“I went to meet him, and we just hit it off right away,” Hollett said. “I like Ed. He’s a fantastic person to deal with.”
Paul Edmond turned to doing art full time after retiring from the financial industry. He connected with Parmiter through the arts community and was intrigued by what was happening in Cornwallis Park.
“I went down and took a look at what he was doing and decided it would be a good
fit for me,” he said, noting he liked the size of the gallery that provided lots of room to showcase artists’ work.
Edmond, a Dartmouth resident who does acrylic paintings on canvas, is a studio artist at Oceanside.
“He’s got a good heart,” Edmond said of Parmiter. “It’s not just about him. He’s really a guy that’s trying to promote the idea of art in Nova Scotia.”
Oceanside Artland remained open until Christmas.
But business wasn’t brisk. Tourism was still heavily impacted by the pandemic and Parmiter knows the gallery hasn’t had a fair shake.
“It’s been a strain,” he acknowledged. “A lot of other people going through the last year would have given up, and I had actually thought of it several times, just emptying the building out and putting the sale sign on it ... I just couldn’t do that to the artists.”
Like many industries, the arts community has felt the pinch during the pandemic.
“They’re lucky to have a guy like Tripp as somebody who is supporting them,” Edmond said. “I think once he gets established and people are aware it exists, then I think it’s going to be a big deal.”
Parmiter plans to give it another shot this year. He is in the process of adding a café to the building and he envisions more additions for the property.
He plans to open on Mother’s Day and increase the number of days it is open as the tourism season picks up.
“It’s a big dream,” the 71-year-old said, and “I want to see it through.”