Oliver Art Gallery Grand Opening May 25

The Oliver Art Gallery, located on Oliver’s Main Street,  holds its Grand Opening on Wednesday May 25 from 1 to 7 p.m.

The gallery is run as an artists’ co-operative. Artists include  Sandra Albo, Shannon Ford, Barb Hillier, Brad Hillis, Michael Arne Jorden, Dale Matthews, Arlie Richards, Jane Scheffler, Denise Soule (left), Steve Staresina, George Traicheff, Roger Ulasovetz, Ivanna Zita,  pen and ink artist Sandy Boblin, and photographer Paul Eby. 

The art gallery provides exhibition space for local artists from Summerland to Osoyoos, and an inviting place for art lovers to visit and enjoy. The location takes advantage of highway exposure on Oliver’s busy main street. Artists hope the colourful venue will catch the eye of motorists and summer strollers, both tourists and locals.

Artist Steve Staresina, a driving force behind the establishment of the new gallery, rounded up a group of like-minded artists who put their time and energy into creating a beautiful space with new paint, tile, walls and lighting.

“This really is a group effort,” maintains Staresina. “It is all of the artists working together that is making this possible”.  Staresina (left) teaches regular art classes at the Quail’s Nest Art Centre, and together with Leza MacDonald, painted the mural at the Oliver Kiwanis Market.

“The arts make up over 30 percent of Canada’s GDP,” says Staresina, “and I am determined to bring that into the open in this community that I live in.”

 

The Grand Opening includes appetizers, beverages, and entertainment. The artists  invite you to experience the relaxation and pleasure of being surrounded by original artwork (such as that of Shannon Ford, left), which will delight and draw you in with the imagination, colour and the imagery of each piece.

Oliver Art Gallery 
34848 – 97th Street, Oliver, BC
Email: office @ oliverartgallery.ca
Telephone: 778 439 3320
http://oliverartgallery.ca

Artist Michael Jorden Donates “Main Street” for Fund Raising

Osoyoos artist Michael Jorden has donated a new work to the Oliver Community Arts Council for fund raising purposes. He painted this imaginative view of Oliver’s “Main Street” during the Federation of Canadian Artists exhibit: “For the Love of Art” at Handworks Gallery in July. Jorden set up his easel on the sidewalk outside the gallery as part of a public demonstration of how an artist works from blank canvas to finished artwork.

Can you see the blurring of reality and fantasy in Jorden’s painting?

Take another look. Look hard.

Notice that the far side of the street is an early 20th century depiction of the town. The foreground is Oliver in the present day. The natural background of course, is timeless.

Jorden is well-regarded for artwork that captures the western lifestyle of the late 1800s and early 1900s. This blending of time periods is  a very special Jorden work indeed. 

Jorden’s “Main Street” captures another historical moment in Oliver’s history: the recent fire that destroyed the Mesa Hotel, originally the Hotel Oliver. The blaze occurred only short weeks before this painting was created, razing one of Oliver’s historical landmarks, its architecture largely unchanged for almost one hundred years.  The tragic event lends real nostalgia to this new work and makes it a painting to treasure.   

“Main Street” can be viewed at the upcoming Fall Art Show and Sale. Although the theme of the 2010 exhibit is titled “Those Were the Days”, Michael has chosen not to enter the piece  into the competition. Instead it will form part of the fund raising portion of the event.  The Oliver Community Arts Council reserves a bid of $400 on the piece, but higher offers are welcome. The OCAC advises that similar Jorden pieces command prices of $600- $800.  Please bid generously, and remember the council can issue the purchaser a charitable tax receipt.

Also part of this fund raising sale is “Lazy Days of Summer”, a watercolour depicting  an RV camping scene near Osoyoos Lake by John De St. Denis Smythe, water color, $250 reserve bid.

Contact olivercac@gmail.com if you are interested in placing a bid on either of these fine works, or visit the information table  at the Fall Art Show and Sale.

Please note: Jorden’s painting sold at the Fall Art Show and Sale. Thank you to  Michael Jorden, and to the generous purchaser. Watch for an article coming up featuring the donated work, “Lazy Days of Summer”.  (editor)

Artist Michael Jorden Donates "Main Street" for Fund Raising

Osoyoos artist Michael Jorden has donated a new work to the Oliver Community Arts Council for fund raising purposes. He painted this imaginative view of Oliver’s “Main Street” during the Federation of Canadian Artists exhibit: “For the Love of Art” at Handworks Gallery in July. Jorden set up his easel on the sidewalk outside the gallery as part of a public demonstration of how an artist works from blank canvas to finished artwork.

Can you see the blurring of reality and fantasy in Jorden’s painting?

Take another look. Look hard.

Notice that the far side of the street is an early 20th century depiction of the town. The foreground is Oliver in the present day. The natural background of course, is timeless.

Jorden is well-regarded for artwork that captures the western lifestyle of the late 1800s and early 1900s. This blending of time periods is  a very special Jorden work indeed. 

Jorden’s “Main Street” captures another historical moment in Oliver’s history: the recent fire that destroyed the Mesa Hotel, originally the Hotel Oliver. The blaze occurred only short weeks before this painting was created, razing one of Oliver’s historical landmarks, its architecture largely unchanged for almost one hundred years.  The tragic event lends real nostalgia to this new work and makes it a painting to treasure.   

“Main Street” can be viewed at the upcoming Fall Art Show and Sale. Although the theme of the 2010 exhibit is titled “Those Were the Days”, Michael has chosen not to enter the piece  into the competition. Instead it will form part of the fund raising portion of the event.  The Oliver Community Arts Council reserves a bid of $400 on the piece, but higher offers are welcome. The OCAC advises that similar Jorden pieces command prices of $600- $800.  Please bid generously, and remember the council can issue the purchaser a charitable tax receipt.

Also part of this fund raising sale is “Lazy Days of Summer”, a watercolour depicting  an RV camping scene near Osoyoos Lake by John De St. Denis Smythe, water color, $250 reserve bid.

Contact olivercac@gmail.com if you are interested in placing a bid on either of these fine works, or visit the information table  at the Fall Art Show and Sale.

Please note: Jorden’s painting sold at the Fall Art Show and Sale. Thank you to  Michael Jorden, and to the generous purchaser. Watch for an article coming up featuring the donated work, “Lazy Days of Summer”.  (editor)