Summer profile heralds talented Sunshine Coast Indigenous couple
John Preissl and Laurie Beeman in their Secret Cove, BC yard
It was a joy to meet and interview the talented couple Laurie Beeman and John Preissl for the summer 2026 issue of Sunshine Coast Life magazine. Their life is filled with Indigenous tours, traditional foods and plant knowledge, stained-glass-and-wood art, scenic photography, and film and TV appearances. And they’re supposed to be retired!
I was delighted to receive praise for my profile of them and for the magazine in an effusive Facebook post by John. Here’s a condensed version of what he wrote:
“Laurie and myself were contacted by Ace Writer Heather Conn a few months ago to do a feature story in the coveted Summer Edition of this amazing local magazine. I say coveted as everyone looks forward to our Summers here and the magazine is everywhere with the Summer edition.
“We had an instant connection with Heather and we had many shared stories as we took Heather on a full tour of our Home and (Art) Garden. It was a completely beautiful and unique meeting with Heather and we appreciated her enthusiasm and professionalism…
“The Sunshine Coast Life Magazine is a rare and important media connection for the Coast and we deeply appreciate their important work for our Community! We are also Honoured to be included with amazing Coast Friends in the Summer edition.
“A huge Huy chexw [“thank you” in the Squamish language] to Heather for her beautiful writing! Laurie and myself love how she introduces the story and weaves her descriptive, articulate talent from start to finish. Laurie’s Garden has never been described so beautifully.
“A huge Huy chexw to the incredible diverse talent at the Sunshine Coast Life Magazine with Bronwyn and Team.”
Check out the summer 2026 issue of Sunshine Coast Life magazine to see more photos
Here is my profile of the couple:
Follow a windy, forested private road to a long bamboo hedge, tucked into a bay at stl’ítl’kwu (Secret Cove). Take in the stunning ocean view. Enter a magical, multi-level garden full of wood carvings, hand-made mosaic-and-concrete stairs and stained-glass art work. As hummingbirds zip past your head, discover seated Buddha statues and nooks with knickknacks curated informally with charm and an artistic eye.
You might find yourself drinking nettles tea in the welcoming home of Nlaka’pamux artist Laurie Beeman and Leq’á:mel/ Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) photographer and chef John Preissl. Beyond hearing engaging stories, like how they first met at a nearby neighbourhood beach fire in December 2019, you’ll find an astounding array of their creativity. John produces scenic landscape images and Indigenous culinary dishes while Laurie designs and builds one-of-a-kind wood-and-stained-glass pieces, mosaic originals and more.
Both offer Indigenous photo tours and historic talks for the Burnaby Village Museum. A passionate gardener, Laurie shares her knowledge of Indigenous plants. After growing up in xwesam (Roberts Creek), she first learned of her First Nations heritage in 2018. Her great-great-grandfather was Chief David Spintlum (Sexpinlhemx), who helped unite First Nations and broker peace with miners during the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858.
As a knowledge-keeper and environmental activist in his home town of Burnaby, John performs First Nations ceremonies and songs and has avidly strived to protect areas such as the Silver Creek watershed by Burnaby Mountain. He’s the great-great-grandson of Chief Joe Capilano (S7ápelek) of the Squamish Nation.
Last December, the Solstice Celebration showcased their skills at the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden in ch’atlich (Sechelt). John performed two Indigenous welcomes for hundreds of attendees. Thirteen of Laurie’s tall carvings, made with stained glass and mostly reclaimed red and yellow cedar, added an ethereal air to the night. Thanks to battery-operated lights with remote dimmers, her circles of stained-glass artistry, embedded in the wood, kept the garden aglow.
More of Laurie’s cedar-and-stained-glass works will soon be on display at the Botanical Garden. Discussions are underway about John and Laurie offering a public tour there that will include Indigenous teachings about plants and their importance to First Nations peoples. “We’re very excited,” says John. “We absolutely love it there (at the Botanical Garden). We love the work they’re doing.”
Laurie will display all-new art pieces June 26-28 in the show Coastal Layers at the Seaside Centre in ch’atlich, alongside the works of Charly Mithrush, Donna Stewart, Lore Schmidts and Christy Sverre. Ten per cent of opening-night sales will be donated to the nonprofit Pacific Wild, which protects BC’s Great Bear Rainforest and connected wild places in the Pacific Northwest.
Laurie started working with stained glass in 1977. Through her mentor Harry Smith in Sechelt, she learned to make decorative windows and doors, Tiffany lamps and candle holders. She did leaded work in Vancouver. As a teenager, she took woodworking in high school and learned from her father, a wood carver. Together, they made a burl table. “All of my creations are inspired by my life growing up here, with my dad being a huge part of my creative process,” says the mother of a daughter and two stepchildren.
Two years ago, after retiring as a dental assistant in Sechelt, Laurie says she wanted to revive the “forgotten art” of stained glass and combine it with wood. She searched mills for locally resourced wood, including cedar, cherry, yew and maple. “I just started playing,” she says. “John helped cut the holes. I’m pleasantly surprised how it (her mixed-media art) has taken off.”
Laurie does commissions. For requests, such as a wall lamp, she’ll visit the client’s home to ensure that the look and materials of her piece will fit with their décor. She teaches beginner mosaic workshops that enable participants to leave with a finished piece after just one half-day session.
John learned photography through courses and from an early mentor, Frank Grundig, a friend of his parents who was a professional mountain and ski photographer. He shoots mostly with an iPhone 17 Pro Max, supplemented by a Sony RX10IV.
For the next year, photo enlargements of John’s local landscapes will adorn the walls of city hall for the District of Sechelt. “The Sunshine Coast is a photographer’s, explorer’s and outdoor enthusiast’s dream,” he says.
As a trained chef, John first learned to cook from his mother and took classes as a teen (an added benefit of the latter was to meet girls, he says with a smile). Later, he spent 25 years working with caterers and at restaurants and took chef courses in Vancouver.
His dish Salish Sea Salmon, wild-caught over locally foraged greens with salad drizzle, will be a featured recipe in One City, Many Kitchens: Burnaby’s Global Cookbook, to launch July 9 at Burnaby Village Museum. Published by the museum and sponsored by United Way, it includes recipes from cooks representing 17 cultures.
After doing popular tours and talks for 25 years in Burnaby, John says he plans to hand these over in a few years to one of his two daughters, Lauren. These Indigenous walking tours, hosted by John and Laurie, include iPhone photography tips, family stories and culture, local legends and plant identification. John has also done kayak and canoe tours with school groups.
This summer, John and Laurie plan to offer Indigenous talks and tours on the Sunshine Coast that will include photography, bird and plant identification and the importance of place.
In the meantime, you can catch them both onscreen. They appear in a Super, Natural BC advertisement, on television and social media, which promotes the Sunshine Coast. They’re the paddle boarders shown amidst spectacular scenery in a video done by Dolf Vermeulen and John’s cousin, Candace Campo of the shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation.
And for fans of the locally shot Fox TV series Murder in a Small Town, you might spot them as background performers. They’ve appeared in four episodes, with 28 film days logged between them. They also appeared as extras in the 2024 Hallmark movie The Blind Date Book Club. “It was a lot of fun,” says John.
