The latest exhibit to come to the Showcase Gallery in the South Cariboo Business Centre Christmas Market seeks to capture the feel of a craft fair market with a series of small cozy paintings.
Ending a tumultuous year, the exhibit is made up of the work of nine members of the Cariboo Artists’ Guild’s 25 active members who curate the gallery. As a result, there is a mix of styles and mediums on display including works done using acrylic, oil and watercolours of a wide range of subjects.
One of the artists whose art is on display for the month of December is Susan Kruse, who said she loves being a member of the guild because it motivates her and connects her with other artists who love painting as much as she does. For this show, Kruse painted a couple of birds in the snow, including a mountain chickadee on an ash tree and a hairy woodpecker.
Penny Bailey, a guild member for a number of years, is also featured in the show and said the prospect of having her art featured always tends to motivate some paintings.
“We all did smaller works, our maximum was probably around eight-by-10, of a variety of themes,” Bailey said. “I think it’s geared quite a bit towards winter but we do have other subjects in here. We just wanted the feel of a Christmas market. We’ve lost a lot of venues and events with everything going on this year, so we just felt like putting that theme out there.”
Leslie Ginther agreed with her fellow guild members, saying they wanted to keep this final show of 2020 eclectic and enjoyable for people to browse. In addition to the paintings, she said she and the other artists had decorated the windows of the Showcase Gallery to give it a more Christmas-time feel and look.
“We just want to help cheer people up this time of year and give a feast for your eyes if you will and a sense of joy,” Ginther said.
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