Local lands photography awards

Dianna Hanna took a prize at the 2013 Seniors Open Show and Sale put on by the Allied Arts Council of Spruce Grove, and then she took another one.

The St. Albert Painters' Guild member was doubly awarded not for her brushwork but for her shutter skills.

"With this show, we do four awards in painting and then four awards in photography. I won two for my photography. I'm pretty happy. I won first and second," she said.

Hanna has spent the last 15 years or so pursuing the artform seriously. She divides her time between catching good shots and painting time, when she works in watercolours, acrylics, encaustics and batik. St. Albert art fans got a good look at her multiple talents when she exhibited a variety of works at the Bookstore on Perron Street.

Hanna is no stranger to this show, open to anyone 55 and over from anywhere in the province. She balks at the notion that being a senior means slowing down.

"There was an article that I read that said you're not in your prime until you're in your '80s and your '90s. It looks like I've still got a long way to go!" she laughed. "It looks like I shouldn't retire."

While this Saturday is the last day to catch that show, her next exhibit will be Horsing Around, a photography show at the Spruce Grove Art Gallery. It runs from July 8 to 27, with the opening reception on the 13th at 1 p.m.

For more information, visit her website at www.diannahanna.com. To learn more about the Allied Arts Council, call 780-962-0664 or visit www.alliedartscouncil.com.

A work in the Works

Karen Blanchet is keen on Kinetic, the upcoming members' show at Harcourt House Art Gallery, and it's not just about hanging out with friends as her paintings hang out with theirs.

"It's just keeping my name out in the public. That's all a part of making a success of it. People have to keep seeing me."

Her contribution is from a watercolour series called Invitation. She had tried to get into Harcourt's other annual show, the Naked show as most people know it, but her work didn't meet the size criteria.

"It's only three feet by three feet but I can't get standard glass that size. It's all about size. They don't have the space."

She added that she appreciates the Works for what it does for promoting visual arts and artists, especially for beginners.

In the meantime, she's in the very early stages of preparing for a solo show coming up in the spring next year.

Kinetic runs from June 20 to July 4, in conjunction with The Works Art and Design Festival. Now in its 28th year, the fest will feature 26 venues across Edmonton, mostly downtown, bringing visual art to the masses with more than 250 special events and 53 exhibits.

Visit www.theworks.ab.ca for more details.