“Christmas Toys” is the theme of this winter's Cariboo Artists' Guild (CAG) group show at the Showcase Gallery in 100 Mile House.
Local artists were still dropping off their paintings when the show was going up on Dec. 2.
Among the works was a painting by Susan Kruse of Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls sitting under a green conifer.
Inspiration for the painting came from Kruse's teaching days, when she used to do a pioneer Christmas theme lesson with her primary school students.
“Pioneers didn't go buy toys, they made them by hand. So, Raggedy Ann and Andy were handmade by someone with love.”
Kruse has been a member of CAG since 2012, when she relocated to the area from Summerland, where she was also part of an art group.
“It's wonderful,” she says of CAG, a group devoted to promoting arts and culture in the Cariboo. “There are a lot of very inspiring artists. We share ideas and we have workshops. We have a lot of opportunities to learn and grow as artists.
“We also have a lot of opportunities in the Cariboo to share our art, which is wonderful, because people get to see what we're doing.”
The theme of last year's show was “Christmas Food.” Having a theme really pushes artists to create something different, Kruse explains.
“A theme makes an artist delve deep and come up with something they might not necessarily paint otherwise.”
Laverne Martin was new to painting when she got involved with CAG about three years ago. Since then, it's been a lot fun, and she's been very involved with the arts' scene.
She painted Tinkertoys, a construction set for children made of colourful sticks and pieces that fit together.
“It's an old-fashioned, simple toy the kids used to love.”
Stella Erickson, of Lac la Hache, also submitted a painting. She has been a member of CAG for close to 10 years. Her painting was of two 1930s-era fire trucks, with a child's note attached.
The idea was to express the fact that Christmas isn't always an easy time for people, she
explains.
“The note I put on it was the note sent by somebody in our family in that time. It says: 'My mom needs shoes. I need shoes. But I really want a fire truck."
The show runs until the first week of January at Showcase Gallery, located on the main floor of the South Cariboo Business Centre at 475 Birch Ave. in 100 Mile House.