Canadian artists believe British Columbia’s rugged coastal rainforest is worth safeguarding. And last summer, on an expedition organized by Raincoast Conservation Foundation, fifty of them headed up the coast with their paintbrushes, canvases and carving tools to prove it. The results, which include the work of Robert Bateman, W. Allan Hancock, Carol Evans and other celebrated Canadian artists, will be exhibited at ArtSpring from Wed., Dec.12 to Sun., Dec.16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

The original artworks have been donated by the artists and are now part of a traveling art show and auction to raise public awareness and funds for conserving the wild and diverse marine environment of Canada’s rain coast, including the Great Bear Rainforest, currently in the path of various proposed pipeline and supertanker routes connected to the Alberta tar sands.

The art on display is also showcased in the recently released art book Canada’s Raincoast at Risk: Art for an Oil-Free Coast, published in November by Raincoast Conservation Foundation. The 160-page art book devotes two pages to each artist’s work, and includes a foreword written by scientist and author David Suzuki, an introduction to the region written by naturalist and author Briony Penn, an introduction to the Peoples of the northwest coast written by Heiltsuk artist and advocate Jessie Housty, and an afterword written by Canadian anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis.

Everyone is welcome to attend the free opening night event on Dec. 11, a multi-media evening involving a book launch, film screening and art exhibition. Tickets for the event must be reserved in advance at http://oilfreecoastsaltspring.eventbrite.com.