Spring is a time of joy for visual artists, and that emotion is reflected in their paintings. Once again, St. Albert Painters Guild hosts its spring show and sale with an eye to engaging the community.
Hello Sunshine, an exhibition designed to illuminate, surprise, delight and challenge the mind, takes place Friday, April 28 to Sunday, April 30 in the St. Albert Place rotunda.
Visitors can expect to see 56 dynamic visual artists showcasing more than 300 paintings. Although spread across the region, their common interest is sharing individual creative visions that speak to and challenge both artist and viewer.
“You get lots of variety — oils, pastels, acrylics, watercolour and mixed media. And every artist has a different style,” said Frances Pelletier, president of St. Albert Painters Guild.
She is a Sturgeon County-based visual artist who paints rural landscapes from her backyard. That includes everything from trees, barns and flowers to a map depicting Lord of the Rings Middle Earth.
The show's diversity of subject matter varies from mountains, scrublands and vast prairie landscapes to still life, figurative work and rippling waterscapes. Within the subject matter, each artist creates a world where the canvas's silence, mood and expression are all that is needed to convey a sentiment.
Some artists focus on precise details while others paint dreamy impressions. Certain moods demand bright, bold palettes while others convey emotion through soft pastels.
For instance, St. Albert artist Tom Steele paints forests, mountains and seascapes using robust colours and a touch of whimsy.
“He does very big, very large paintings. His paintings are true to nature. They’re realistic with an impressionistic perspective,” Pelletier said.
Acrylic artist Julie Day takes an interest in shapes and colours and often paints dreamy scenery.
“She’s wonderful. Her works are very calming.”
Using luminous and vibrant hues, Memory Roth, the city’s most popular award-winning visual artist, paints in oils and uses light to capture subtle shifts of nature across moments in time. A prolific artist, Al Anderson paints realism in anything that interests him, from a battered old truck and garden flowers, to lava flows and windmills revolving in the wind.
As befits St. Albert’s botanical arts slogan, many featured artists will capture the beauty of nature and stunning floral life that surrounds us. However, two artists also paint with an environmental messages, reinforcing the importance of sustainability and respecting the planet.
“Norma Callicott is a new member. She went to Mexico and sea garbage washed up on the beach and she put it in art. She does unique statement art,” Pelletier noted.
“And Elaine Mulder builds paintings from the ground up. She never buys anything. She uses twigs, twisted fabric, cords from headphones, rocks and other things. She creates these incredible 3-D images. They are a whole environmental statement. She doesn’t waste anything, and her art is so beautiful.”
A diverse visual artists’ hub, the St. Albert Painters Guild spring show has helped artists, patrons and visitors advance their knowledge and develop an understanding of how visual arts are integrated into our lives.
Celebrate the arrival of spring, meet new artists and possibly take home a painting. Hours are Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. A reception takes place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., while Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
