Most of the artists who donated their pieces to the 100 Mile House Wrangler’s silent bid art auction said they did so because “Bobbie Crane asked me to.”
Crane, along with Wrangler’s director Bruce Madu, helped organize and gather the work of over a dozen artists for display across the community.
For the last month now the public has been secretly bidding on the paintings and photographs with proceeds going to supporting the Wrangler’s upcoming season.
As a standing member of the South Cariboo Artist’s Guild and a board member of the 100 Mile and District Arts Council, Crane is well known in the local art community and was happy to help facilitate the auction.
“When Bruce Madu actually came to me with the idea of doing the secret auction, I jumped on board right away because I thought it was a really good idea,” Crane said. “I started canvassing the artists and we had many artists that jumped on board.”
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Being an artist in a small town, Crane said volunteering is something you do to give back to the community. It’s the people of 100 Mile House who support her art, she reasons, so giving back to them is important to her. Seeing that so many of her fellow artists feel the same way fills her with pride.
Crane herself submitted Bugle Boy to the auction which depicts a miniature elk in a frosty environment. The painting was based on pictures she took while travelling up the Alaska highway. She said she encountered and then fell in love with a herd of immature elks she resolved to paint when she returned home. For the background, she used pictures of Lac La Hache taken by fellow artist Monika Paterson.
“What I want the viewer to take away from the piece is the beauty of the area we live in. No matter what season, it is a pristine beautiful place to live.”
Crane began her artist’s journey a few decades ago messing around with paints before becoming a painting instructor. After honing her skills for years, Crane decided to up her game and became a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and share her work in galleries.
“Now, because of COVID-19, my classes have been curtailed so I’ve been working on some really detailed artwork. I am hoping to be published by the Artist’s for Conversation this year,” Crane said.
Bugle Boy is going for a starting bid of $600 at Western Financial.
Other artwork up for bid is displayed at RBC, CIBC, the Credit Union, the Sugar Shack, Cariboo Floor Design, Pharmasave, Uptown Brewing, Gustafson’s Central GM, 70 Mile General Store, Days Inn, Andre’s Electronics, Sunrise Ford, Regency Chrysler and the 100 Mile Free Press. It can also be viewed on the Wranglers’ Facebook page.
The auction is slated to end on March 31.