When you think of the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre, hockey might spring to mind, or lacrosse, of perhaps a workout in the gym.
Yet there’s another group of dedicated people that call the Spirit Centre home — the artists of the Westlock Art Club — and May 8-9 was their spring show and sale.
Linda Corbett is the club’s vice-president and she thinks exhibiting members’ artwork is an important part of the creative process.
“I think it’s the gratification of somebody looking at a piece of art and saying ‘wow,’ you know? The artist really feels good when people do that,” she said.
“We have some people come through that are artists from other areas and will praise our artwork here. We have a really good group of artists in Westlock.”
On display were paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolour, mixed media and pencil as well as 3D art, and sculpture, by club members and local students.
The club itself has been going for over 50 years and life member Marlene Byvank also gets something out of showing her work.
“I enjoy it,” she said. “I don’t always have a picture in the show but if you’re part of a group, it’s nice to be part of the show.”
Byvank sold a picture early on during the exhibition and many of the pieces by other artists were also for sale.
The two-day event saw over 60 people pass though the doors and a sculpture, two paintings and a number of other artworks sold.
Collette Ringuette was named the people’s choice artist of the show.
Some members of the club undertook painting demonstrations during the event, and that enabled show goers to gain a view into the creative process.
“We’re paining out here so people can see the process of some of what we do. It really attracts people to us, too and people like it,” Corbett said.
The show is part of the overall process and a program put on by the club that creates a constant mixing of skills and ideas.
The club holds regular workshops aimed at adding new influences to the scope and styles of its members.
“I’m an oil painter, but we had a workshop here and I did pastels and then we had another one I and I ended up doing a watercolour,” Corbett said.
“We’re always learning different things and then see what it’ll do. We incorporate different things into our paintings and go from there.”
From beginners to established artists, the group is always welcoming of new members.
Maureen Flinn is the club’s president and lists friendship, learning and appreciation of art as her keys for being involved.
“Anybody that wants to come and join is welcome, doesn’t matter the age,” she said. “If they don’t have the supplies we have the supplies they can start with.”
The club meets every Friday from 12-4 p.m. in the group’s gallery, upstairs at the Spirit Centre next to the Remax Room.
If you missed the show don’t worry, you can still see works by members of the club during their other exhibitions and at locations around town.
Members hang works at the library and the town administration building and then there’s the gallery at the Spirit Centre.
“We also hang at the hospital, on the x-ray wall and also the reception wall and artists take turns every two months changing the pictures out,” Corbett said.
