Painters show a sure sign of spring

There are such signs of spring as the first robin on the branch, the fresh buds on the rosebush, and even the street sweepers brushing over the boulevards and avenues, the invigoration of the new growth mixed with the old dust in the air. Spring is indeed a season of wonder, of life, of renewal, and especially of colour.

Maybe that’s why the St. Albert Painters' Guild’s annual spring show and sale is such a magical time of the year for lovers of art and life alike. Robins are gorgeous but fleeting. The sight of new green grass is inspiring but it comes with such smoggy particles in your lungs. Roses are great, sure, but those thorns!

A Painters’ Guild show has all of the glee with none of the glum.

For the 40 or so painters who will be contributing to the show, it’s magical for so very many reasons, not the least of which is that they too finally get to blossom after the long winter’s sleep, just like the roses do. Member and spokesperson Rhonda Vickers hinted that the ‘Ah… Spring’ theme might help a great deal at getting people in the spirit of the season too.

“There’s lots of colours, animals … even pencil crayon animals that are absolutely amazing to see! I’m just blown away what can be done with pencil crayons. It’s just magical!” she enthused, hinting, “There’s not too many winter scenes. It’s just flowers to get everybody in the mood to come out and check out a bunch of paintings.”

When she says “a bunch,” she means “a few hundred.” Expect the lobby of St. Albert Place to be overrun with some amazing works that are amazingly fresh not only in their content but also in their completion. Vickers suggested that many participants embody the ‘gather ye rosebuds’ ethos while still working out the finishing touches. At least they try to.

“I think artists typically do things at the last minute,” she said, adding that many are still working out the finishing touches.

Yes, that means that the muses often inspire the strongest during the waning hours before a deadline. Don’t touch the paintings on opening night as you might retract your hand with a coloured digit.

The guild is 90 members’ strong now and with a waiting list. Vickers noted that there are a lot of new members this year so if you think that it’s going to be the ‘same old, same old’ thing every time the guild rolls out a new event, you’re wrong.

“The shows are never the same. It’s always so different."

The one thing that is a constant is the raffle. There will be a few pieces of art on the table for people to buy tickets to build up the fund for at least one high school student to attend Red Deer College’s Summerscapes Art Program for one week during the summer break. The program involves five days of art with a show at the end, all of which is a fabulous opportunity for a teenager to get a great headstart in the world of art.

“It gives them a chance to just really see if art is something that they want to pursue further. We think sometimes it might change people’s lives.”

Helping out a young artist or two aside, people can expect to see paintings of “every different size, every different price range … and all different kinds of paintings too” to choose from. There will be watercolours, pastels, acrylics, and oils filling the lobby at St. Albert Place next weekend, in addition to all of the robin redbreasts whistling outside, of course.