Barbara Roden
Free Press
Local artist Susan Kruse, who draws most of her inspiration from the scenery and wildlife around 100 Mile House, has some of her work on display at the Showcase Gallery throughout the month of February, allowing others to see the area through her eyes.
“I’m an outdoorsy person; I’m always outside,” says Kruse, who moved here from the Okanagan four years ago.
She retired after a 30-year career teaching elementary school, and relishes the opportunity to get outdoors in all seasons and observe the landscape.
“I’ll have a pretty eclectic group of paintings on display. There’s no theme.
“There’ll be flower paintings, landscapes, still life, wildlife, and some winter paintings from this year.”
If Kruse doesn’t have her paints with her to capture a scene, she’ll take photographs and use them for reference. The display will feature some of her photography, enabling viewers to see how she’s interpreted what she’s seen.
Kruse works mainly in acrylics and watercolour when she paints.
She also designs cards, which are for sale at the Parkside Art Gallery shop, using watercolour or pen-and-ink. Some of her cards will be at the Showcase Gallery.
“I do most of my painting in winter,” she says, when she’s able to work from her photographs. An avid cross-country skier, she’s recently completed a painting of a ski shack along the 108 Mile cross-country trails.
The Showcase Gallery, located at 475 Birch Ave., holds regular displays of artwork, which change on a monthly basis. Leslie Ginther, who’s in charge of looking after the display, says that in addition to work by individual artists, Showcase Gallery hosts two exhibits a year of work by members of the Cariboo Artists’ Guild; the next one is in March.
Sometimes she approaches artists about doing an exhibit, while other times an artist will approach her. This is Kruse’s second individual exhibit at the Showcase Gallery, and she encourages people to drop by and take a look.
“I paint what I’m passionate about, which is a lot of things, – especially the beauty of nature.”