The gallery with no walls

This is just about the best idea to come along since peanut butter and jelly. Putting an art exhibit in the middle of a garden is genius.

First Choice Tree Nursery has once again set up an extensive gallery of works from local and Canadian artists including painters, sculptors, photographers and installation artists. You’ll see some fantastic pieces from artists like Rachel Curry, Amanda Yaken, Douglas Walker, Marolyn Beck and Amanda Woodward. There are, sadly, too many others to mention. You’ll just have to get yourself up there to check it out.

You can also enjoy the fantastic fabric designs of Hort Couture Fashions from Cory Christopher Art. Christopher is gaining a name for himself for his brilliant and creative design works that many people would probably recognize from last year’s Homes for Christmas Tour in support of the St. Albert Senior Citizens’ Club. Here, he has come up with five stunning floral dresses, all of which he has donated as prizes in a charity raffle. The proceeds will go to benefit the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Team BURT for the Ride to Conquer Cancer, Little Warriors, the Angels Anonymous Connection and the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Spokesperson Sandi Lavigne is thrilled to have Art in the Garden back for its second annual showing and she loves Christopher’s work as he establishes himself in both interior and exterior design. A tireless community presence, she called him, referring to how he even came up with a few ‘display only’ dresses not for the raffle as he begins to prepare for his busy season in advance of Christmas.

“He’s been involved with Festival of Trees,” she said, mentioning his award-winning creation The Ice Princess Tree at last year’s event, garnering him accolades as a new designer on the scene. “He’s been quite a bit involved in a lot of things like that … different home tours, other charity things.”

She added that it was his idea to continue creating new dresses like he did last year but this time he wanted to do it to benefit some great causes. “He’s just very cool. I so want one of those [mannequins] in my own yard. They are like living art.”