Aurora Art Group members did not have to wait long to see whether Prince Albert had an appetite for local art.
By the end of the group’s 22nd annual show and sale at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation hall, close to 30 pieces had been purchased, and several empty spaces were left behind on the display.
Sandra Zelensky, an Aurora member who served as acting chairperson for the evening while Susan Prakash was away, said the event showed the strength of the group and the community around it.
“This is the 22nd year of the Aurora Art Show,” Zelensky said.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Artwork from Aurora Art Group members and guest artists is displayed during the group’s 22nd annual spring show and sale.
Zelensky said she first joined Aurora as a guest artist before becoming a member. She is now in her second official year with the group, and said the experience has changed more than the number of places where she can show her work.
“Art in a whole for me has broadened my world,” she said. “It’s a community of like-minded people.”
The Aurora Art Group is a non-profit organization with 12 registered members who meet regularly and exhibit in a variety of mediums. Guest artists are invited each year and selected through a democratic process.
The show featured work in a wide range of media, including acrylic, watercolour, photography, repurposed jewellery, coffee art, alcohol ink, paint pouring, and stained glass. Zelensky said Aurora artists also display work year-round at several Prince Albert venues, including Funky Fresh Cafe, Shenanigans, the Chamber of Commerce, Grace Funeral Home, Ascending Shears Hair Salon, and the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club.
The evening also included a featured silent auction piece by Aurora member Chris Relitz, who works with nature, realism, and coffee-based tones. Zelensky said the one-of-a-kind piece sold for $350, with proceeds going toward the group’s youth art program.
Zelensky said Aurora donated $100 this year to King George Community School for a special art project, and the group plans to continue supporting youth art in Prince Albert.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
An attendee looks closely at artwork on display during the Aurora Art Group spring show and sale.
She also added that being part of the group has helped artists build confidence through regular support from one another.
“There’s such a support system, and I think that helps your confidence,” Zelensky said.
Guest artist Brenda Piper brought stained glass panels to the show. Piper said she first started working with stained glass after buying an old Victorian home and wanting to create stained glass for the windows.
“I did quite a bit of that first, and then I just branched out to different patterns,” she said.
Piper said two of her pieces sold during the evening. She said the show also gave her a chance to meet other artists and see the variety of work in the room.
“It was wonderful,” Piper said. “It was wonderful to see the variety and craft with different people.”
Guest artist Pat Bliss brought 18 pieces, including 16 paintings and two sculptures. Bliss said he has painted for most of his life, although there were long gaps when work and life took over. Since retiring, he said he has been able to devote much more time to art.
Bliss said Aurora stood out because of the range of work and the relationships between artists.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Sandra Zelensky and guest artist Pat Bliss chat during the Aurora Art Group spring show and sale at the Prince Albert Wildlife Federation hall.
“This group is just wonderful to work with,” Bliss said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie amongst the artists, and the diversity in this group makes it even more interesting.”
Much of Bliss’s work is shaped by personal experience. His paintings often draw on wildlife and western life, while another body of work came from his years as a correctional officer and later became a book.
Bliss said he tries to paint subjects he knows closely. His western pieces come from a life around horses, and his wildlife paintings are also rooted in direct experience.
“I want to capture a piece of life,” he said.
One of his pieces, “White Hat,” sold during the show.
Zelensky said being part of Aurora has helped artists build confidence through regular support from one another. That support, combined with public interest, is part of what has kept the show going for more than two decades.
For Zelensky, supporting youth art also fits naturally with what art can offer at any age.
“Art is a lifetime thing,” she said. “I can be 100 years old, and I can still do art, and it’s so important.”
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
