The Westlock Art Gallery was abuzz with activity this weekend as the local art club held their spring exhibition.
Although the theme this year was “Prairie Spring,” and many of the paintings for sale reflected this image, the range of subjects and media were remarkable.
One patron of the sale, Jeannette Bachand, said she was impressed not just with the quality of the work but with how many different media were used.
“It’s all so different; it’s too bad not many people know about it,” she said. “A lot of it is hidden art.”
Members of the Westlock Community Art Club, who hosted the event, are seeking to expose more people in the community to their art.
It was all on display Friday and Saturday, however. Media ranging from the classic oil and acrylics to the lesser-known encaustic wax and scratchboard art techniques were all on display, with many of the works available for purchase.
Betty-Anne Rufiange, the gallery coordinator, said that the patrons who attended the event had positive reactions to the art, although she did wish there had been better attendance.
“Everyone really enjoys the art,” she said. “We’ve had some great comments and a lot of questions about the different media.”
One of the artists, Natalie Langkopf, was at the gallery for the exhibition and was demonstrating her preferred technique, scratchboard art.
“I’ve played around with other mediums, but this is my favourite for sure,” she said.
She begins with a white clay surface, she said, which she then covers with a layer of black ink. She then uses a variety of instruments to etch an image into the surface.
Each line etched adds a little bit more light to the surface, resulting in an image not unlike a camera negative that highlights select points on a black background to create an image.
“There are big chunks (of the subject) missing, but your brain tells you the head is there,” she said of picture of several cows she had on display. “Your mind tells you it’s there because that’s what the light does.”
Rufiange said having so many different artists with different techniques, attitudes and philosophies has been a great help in keeping the club strong — and in putting on a weekend exhibition.
“I had a lot of great help setting up gallery,” she said. “I think (the members) do a great job portraying all the different art.”
And while the community has been very supportive of the club, Rufiange said there is always more ground to cover. She hopes to be able to attract more members, particular of a younger generation.
“Children are the art club of the future, and we would also love to see more teen art,” she said, adding she hoped to try to coordinate with the school art classes to display student work in the gallery.
Bachand, for her part, said that while she has lived in town for seven years, she never got involved with the art club. That, however, could soon change.
“I do some painting myself, and I think I’m going to join the group,” she said.
