The Candle Lake Art Club is spreading their wings with a new exhibit at the Prince Albert Public Library’s Grace Campbell Art Gallery.
The club normally holds one big show and sale up at Candle Lake, but this year decided to expand with a show in Prince Albert too.
“It’s a bit unusual for us,” club member Shirley Markell said. “We usually just have one big show at Candle Lake at about the 10th of July—a big art show and sale…. We haven’t shown at the library for a number of years, so it’s very good for us to get things lined up and organized.”
The art club launched their new exhibit on Jan. 31. It features paintings focusing on a variety of subject matter. Markell said club members have a great deal of flexibility in what they paint.
“The subject is up to each individual, and it’s quite delightful,” she explained. “(There’s) a wide-variety of skills. Some people are fairly new, and some have been painting for years.”
Markell lives in Prince Albert, but has travels to Candle Lake once a week. She said most of the club members live in Candle Lake, and many took up painting later in life.
“Lots of us were interested in art as younger (people) and put things away for families,” she said.
“We meet in the seniors centre once a week. There are a variety of materials that people use, from water colour to acrylics to oils to graphite. Each person works on their own project, but it’s the camaraderie of being together once a week (that helps).”
Markell herself prefers to paint a variety of subjects, from portraits to landscapes, to still lifes. As much as she loves painting, she said it’s the community that keeps her coming back.
“It’s the camaraderie and fellowship and encouragement. Occasionally, once of us will teach a class if there’s something every one of us is interested in,” she explained.
The current group of paintings will be on display until Feb. 25. At that point, Markell said club members will switch out old paintings for new ones, and continue the exhibit until the end of March.
The Grace Campbell Gallery is located on the main floor of the John M. Cuelenaere Branch of the Prince Albert Public Library.
The Candle Lake Art Club meets once a week in the Candle Lake Seniors Centre. For more information, call president Charlotte Novotny at 306-929-3011.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
