"Bridges" in Calgary!

The Alberta Society of Artists is celebrating 85 years with a special exhibit, entitled "Bridges" -- and two of the featured artists are SAQA members from Alberta: Barbara J. West and Ilse Anysas-Salkauskas.

September 1-30, 2017

Calgary Central Library

 616 Macleod Trail S.E., Calgary.

Reception: Thursday, September 7, 2017

An informal guided tour begins at 7:30 p.m.

If you have an opportunity to visit the library in September, do be sure to take in this special exhibit!

Alberta-based SAQA Artists Now on Exhibit in Lacombe!

In my previous post, I mentioned that the TREX (Travelling Exhibit) from the Alberta Society of Artists was coming to Lacombe.  I had a little bit of time there Saturday evening, on my way to the theatre, so stopped in for a look and took photos.

I found myself having to dodge some children who were running around in the area (the gallery is in a wide hall on the main floor near the ballroom, where a wedding reception was beginning), so please excuse some of the angles and a bit of blurring.  (I am a 'point and click' photographer and was using a Canon Power Shot A2600.)

There are only three artists in this exhibit, and two of them are SAQA members: Margie Davidson of Edmonton and Diane Duncan of Calgary.  This exhibit remains at the Lacombe Memorial Centre till December 7...so I hope to get back again to view it more slowly and carefully.

Perhaps these photos will entice SAQA members -- especially those in Alberta -- to do so too. (NOTE: The exhibit moves to Belgravia School in Edmonton thereafter, showing from December 14 through January 18.  School venues are a bit more challenging to enter, as you need to contact the school to confirm your visit, and during this period of time in particular, remember that schools will be closed for the "Holiday Season".)

First, from Margie:

Tom's Ties - 2016
Machine pieced and quilted

A Sampler - 2016
Hand-painted, stamped,
hand-stitched, machine quilted

And a trio, together entitled "A Sense of Place", in a seasonal palette:

Backyard Ferns - 2016
Sun-printed, machine quilted, hand-stitched
(Winter)

Canada Maple Leaves - 2016
Sun-printed, machine quilted, hand-stitched
Autumn

Edmonton Elms - 2016
Sun-printed, machine quilted, hand-stitched
Spring/Summer

Now, from Diane:

Grandma Bella - 2016
Assemblage, fabric collage, quilting,
crochet, embroidery

Granny Alice - 2016
Assemblage, fabric collage, quilting,
crochet, embroidery

Mom Evelyn - 2016
Assemblage, fabric collage, quilting,
crochet, embroidery

Dad Ernie - 2016
Assemblage, fabric collage, quilting,
crochet, embroidery

Please note that in the second floor gallery of the same venue, Margaret Blank's Mark on the Body: Honouring Those Who Live with Type 1 Diabetes is up through Wednesday.  If you are in Lacombe before November 17, you can see both exhibits in the same venue, at the same time.

Artists' Visit a Hit at St. Albert the Great School, Calgary

Three artists who contributed to The Burgess Shale Exhibit were able to share their passion for textile art with the students of the Art 7 class at St. Albert the Great Junior High School in Calgary on Friday, May 9.

When Margaret Blank arrived, she found the class well under way -- lead by the enthusiastic duo of Leslie Barnes and Deborah Bray.  Carolyn Lutz, the Art 7 teacher, and Caroline Loewen, the Manager/Curator for TREX Southwest (Alberta Society of Artists), were in on the excitement and the learning that went on all morning.

The chosen project?  Fabric postcards of the Burgess Shale critters.  Most of the students hadn't handled a needle and thread before, or cut up fabric, or worked with buttons and trims, irons and fusible web. The photos from the day say it all...

Caroline L. irons the fusible

Stitching away...

Stitching suggestions from Leslie -- or Deb?

Working in sketchbooks

The challenge: thick thread!

Deb works on a piece

Crazy-patch critters!

Choia sponge interpretation

Sponges I

Sponges II

Finished Collection

In the end, twenty-eight pieces were ready for the students to display at the school's up-coming Art Walk.  The artists left behind a ton of fabric scraps and bundles of embroidery floss as a memento of their visit -- and an invitation to have another go at textile art.  They came away with a greater gift -- the energy of 28 students -- girls and boys aged 11-13 -- who set the class-room a-buzz with their enthusiasm, their creativity, and their eagerness to learn.

The Burgess Shale Exhibit left St. Albert the Great School yesterday and will open next at the following venues:

• Millarville Community Library, Millarville, AB - May 21 - June 18;
• Beiseker Station Museum, Beiseker, AB - June 25 - July 23; and
• Sundre Municipal Library, Sundre, AB - July 30 - August 25.

Should you live near one of those venues and want to arrange an Artist's Visit, contact Co-Rep Margaret Blank, who will put you in touch with Caroline Loewen at TREX/ASA.   While most venues would welcome a visit from a participating artist, not all require or expect the artist(s) to provide a hands-on project.  The artist(s) might be called on to do an artist's talk about the exhibit and/or his/her own work and process.  Making a visit requires only that you have a passion for your work, and an ability and willingness to share this with viewers.  Go for it!

Still More to See (Part II)

Diane Duncan of Calgary is another of our members who currently has work in exhibits beyond the SAQA umbrella (and yes, she has a piece in both "Meet the Best of the West" and "The Burgess Shale Project").  She joins Ilse Anysas-Salkauskas and Wendy Klotz (and others?) in Surface Design Alberta's first show, "What's on the Surface?" -- closing April 29! -- at the Atlantis Framing and Arts Studio, 4515 Manhattn Road S.E., Calgary.  (I first posted about this exhibit as it was preparing to open - click HERE.)

Diane has shared these photos of her piece from that exhibit:

The Lure of the Open Road - Diane Duncan, 2014

The Lure of the Open Road - Detail

In addition, Diane has a piece in the up-coming Alberta Society of Artists Exhibit, "Self-Portraits: Within the Artist", which opens May 5 at the Northern Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton:

We are the Sum of Our Past - Diane Duncan, 2014

Information about this exhibit can be found at the above link, but Diane kindly sent along a copy of the poster:

For those of you in Southern Alberta, it's scheduled to travel to the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium for dates in June and July.  Wherever you are in Alberta this spring and early summer, you have an opportunity to take in this exhibit.

Looking at the work of other artists can be an inspiring and motivating experience.  If you have a piece in an up-coming show anywhere in Western Canada, please share the information with the rest of us -- and even if you don't, when at all possible add an exhibit to your plans for Artist's Dates and shop-hops.  You won't be disappointed!  Please contact Margaret at margblank AT xplornet DOT ca with your exhibit information so it can be posted here on the blog.  Thank you for your support!