Mission and History
Discover the world of imaginative art at Capulet Art, a thriving gallery nestled in the heart of Richmond, BC. Since 2006, we’ve been a passionate advocate for artists who dare to push boundaries with their abstract, figurative, and contemporary masterpieces. Our mission is simple yet ambitious – to enliven walls with stunning works of art and create a vibrant platform for local talent to showcase their creativity to the world.
About Us
Unlock the door to a world of art and creativity with Capulet Art, your one-stop bohemian-style gallery and framing shop. Established in 2006, we’ve been showcasing the finest abstract, figurative, and contemporary styles through captivating exhibitions and live performances throughout the city.
Transform your workplace into a thriving hub of inspiration by renting or leasing our original masterpieces. Not only will you add a touch of beauty to your walls, but you can also write it off as a business expense. Studies show that surrounding yourself with stunning artwork has a positive impact on mental health, making it a win-win situation for you and your employees.
We believe that everyone should have access to beautiful artwork, which is why we offer affordable picture framing to the public. Our goal is to promote the arts and make it easy for people to display more art in their homes and businesses. Don’t let expensive framing hold you back – at Capulet Art, we’ve deliberately priced our framing services to make sure that more art finds its way onto walls.
Named after the epitome of beauty and grace, Juliet Capulet from Shakespeare’s timeless tale of Romeo & Juliet, our gallery is a celebration of the feminine self. Say goodbye to works of art hidden away in artist studios and hello to a public display of beauty – contact us today to see what Capulet Art can do for you.
Our Team
Kevan Seng, Owner
Uncover the hidden gems of the art world with Capulet Art, founded by the visionary Kevan Seng in 2006. As an artist representation agency, we bring the works of talented Canadian artists like Raymond Chow, Norveau Morrisseau, and Jose Urbay to the forefront, showcasing their abstract and figurative masterpieces to the public.
Kevan’s passion for the arts began with a chance encounter at a bus stop in Richmond, BC, where he met the legendary Vancouver artist, Raymond Chow. His awe and admiration for Chow’s artwork sparked a life-long journey in the arts, leading him to become an artist agent under Chow’s training.
In addition to his work at Capulet Art, Kevan is also the co-founder of Golden Brush Art Events and a producer of the “Battle of the Brush” live painting competition. He is a dedicated member of the Vancouver Chinatown Lions Club, where he holds high offices and devotes his free time to community service and fundraising events.
Discover the world of art through the eyes of Kevan Seng and the hidden gems he represents at Capulet Art. Contact us today to experience the beauty of abstract and figurative artwork by Canadian artists.
Raymond Chow, Artist/Mentor
Raymond Chow introduced the Arts to Kevan in 2006, and since then, they have formed a strong friendship and partnership where Raymond provides the artwork and Kevan markets and sells the artwork.
Raymond Chow is an internationally renowned artist based in Vancouver, Canada. He won his early recognition in his teenage years when many art dealers would come knocking on his parent’s door with cash in hand, eager to buy a Raymond Chow drawing.
In the mid-1950’s, Raymond began his art career drawing black ink drawings of Vancouver’s buildings. His drawings sold for around $50 in the 1950’s, artwork created by his favorite 25 cent ball point pen.
Throughout his career, Raymond has met many public figureheads who have commissioned him for paintings. Some include Clint Eastwood, Sunny and Cher, and Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia.
Other collector’s include Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Paul Anka, Raymond Burr, Gordon Lightfoot, and David Lam. His works are in the collections of Touche Ross, Scott Paper, the Variety Club, and MacMillan Bloedel, to name a few.
Raymond Chow exhibits with some of the most prominent contemporary artists in the world including AJ Casson, Andrew Wyeth, and many more. He has a lengthy art career of over 50 years where his artwork has gone from art galleries across Canada to as far as the Royal Palace of India in Rajasthan. Now, he enjoys his time traveling in Eastern Canada and supporting the Arts.
Our Gallery
It all started at a bus stop in 2006...
Excuse me, Sir, do you have change for a $10?
In 2006, Kevan Seng (24) met Raymond Chow (65) at a bus stop in Richmond, BC. That day, Kevan was on his way into Richmond with his father to pick up a van but due to the snowy weather condition, that did not happen. So, Kevan’s father decided to visit a friend in the nearby area, instead. This did not seem too exciting for Kevan, so, he decided to venture off and take the bus home. As he was walking away, he noticed he didn’t have any bus change. Instead of walking back to his father to get some change he decided to just continue walking to find the nearest bus stop and to ask the first person he saw for change for a $10 bill. As he neared the bus stop, he noticed a gentlemen wearing a hat, an interesting coat, and a pair of cowboy boots. This would be the person Kevan would ask for change for his $10 bill.
“Excuse me, Sir, would you happen to have change for a $10?” asked Kevan.
The gentleman didn’t have any extra change on him but suggested that Kevan cross the street to a corner store for some. After that, Kevan came back to the bus stop and thanked him. They exchanged business cards and this was when Kevan realized that this gentleman was, indeed, famous. The business card read “Raymond Chow”, artist. They continued chatting while waiting for the bus, and when the bus came, they sat together and chatted some more, getting to know one another. Raymond invited Kevan to his gallery and Kevan said he would come by one of these days. After the bus, they parted ways and agreed to meet again at Raymond’s gallery.
A couple days later
A couple days later, Raymond phoned Kevan to follow up on his invitation to visit his gallery. It was the first time Kevan had ever received an invitation to an art gallery, so, he accepted the invitation and visited Raymond’s gallery the next day.
When Kevan left to visit Raymond’s gallery, he had a bit of difficulty finding the place. It was located in the industrial part of Richmond, an area Kevan seldom traveled to. After circling around a couple times, Kevan found the gallery reading the bold sign “Raymond Chow Art Gallery”. His first thoughts were, “Why is an art gallery in the middle of nowhere?”.
“It felt as though he had walked into a gold mine of hidden gems”
Kevan parked his car and walked towards the door of the gallery. He buzzed the door and Raymond came down to open the door for Kevan. He greeted Kevan and welcomed him to his gallery. Now, the gallery is in the industrial part of Richmond, so after opening the door, there was a set up steps towards the second floor where the two walked up towards.
This was when Kevan noticed a beautiful display of drawings and paintings on both sides of the wall up the stairs. It felt as though he had walked into a gold mine of hidden gems tucked away in the industrial part of Richmond. In fact, it took him about 10 minutes before reaching the top of the stairs because he was admiring all of the artwork on the way up. It was as if he was walking back in time with each additional step passing from one decade to the next. There were works from the ’60s, 70’s, and 80’s, like a glimpse throughout time in Vancouver.
Once Kevan reached the top of the stairs, he noticed a stack of drawings on the floor. He walked towards the drawings and picked them up, finding that they were drawings of Vancouver Chinatown. Suddenly, he had the idea to create a calendar from the drawings. After speaking to Raymond about it, this would become his first project in the Arts.
The Chinatown Calendar
The Chinatown Calendars took 6 months to create. Kevan asked his friend, Ed Lee, to help him with the computer design of the calendar and to also teach him how to use photoshop. This process took 4 months. After creating the first black and white copy of the calendar, Kevan visited the Chapters bookstore in Richmond with his friend, Christian Buschner. They asked for the manager of the store and showed the raw-looking calendar with a story of why the calendar would be a great sell that year.
This calendar was a 16-month 2007 calendar with drawings of buildings in Vancouver Chinatown. There were short stories and neat information about the buildings that were collected from old-timers in the area. It also happened to be the 100 year anniversary of Chinese Canadian Change, and because of that, the calendar was featured in the Ming Pao Newspaper and the Ricepaper Magazine. M-Channel News also sent a film crew to interview Raymond and Kevan about the calendar. Because of the whole centennial celebration, the calendars were sold throughout many Chapters bookstores throughout the lower mainland in Vancouver, BC.
Chapters
With the calendars selling in Chapters, Kevan got an offer from Mike, the general manager of Chapters on Broadway and Granville. Mike said, “Kevan, if you ever have an event you’d like to have here, just let me know and I’ll put it through.”
A couple year’s later…
Kevan came up with an idea! It would be a 3 day consecutive event on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday where 3 artists would come in each day to create a painting. The painting would, then, be raffled off to a lucky winner and all the monies would be donated to the Love of Reading Foundation, Chapter’s charity of choice.
Day 1 – Friday October 17, 2008
Raymond Chow, Ron Sombilon, and Arlana Green came to Chapters with Kevan to create a 3 hour painting. The canvas was 36×48 inches stretched over a 3/4 inch wooden stretcher. The group brought the canvas, paints, drop sheets, easel, and other supplies into Chapters. The people around watched and waited to see what would happen. After setting up the area, the three began painting. Kevan noticed that the people around would stop and stare after walking into Chapters. People outside would peek through the glass windows to see what was going on. This was to be the first spectacle of what would be known as the Battle of the Brush.
After 10 minutes, Kevan’s legs started to get tired, so, he was about to sit down when he noticed some senior citizens. They were standing just as long as he, and without any motion to sit down. If they could handle it, Kevan could, as well. An hour passed. More people formed an arc around the artists, watching to see what they would create. As the night fell upon the group, Kevan noticed the rain and wind outside. People waiting for the bus would peek through the windows to see the live painting and after Kevan motioned to them to come inside to watch, they would wave that they were simply fine watching from outside in the cold. This was when the lightbulb inside Kevan’s head came on. It would seem that people were interested in watching live art being created. This was the beginning of the Golden Brush Live Painting Competition, now, known as, the Battle of the Brush.
Soon After
With the art calendars and live paintings in Chapters, Kevan soon dabbled in the print market creating art prints and cards from Raymond Chow’s artwork. The prints and cards found their way into Chapters throughout the Vancouver region. Word spread about the art cards and shortly after, Kevan was contacted by the London Galleries to create art cards from a collection of works they owned by Norval Morrisseau. This collection known as the “Edwards Collection” would be created into art cards and sold to the Smithsonian, the National Gallery of Canada, and other major galleries and collections throughout North America.
