School students and working adults will appreciate a new set of fine art classes beginning this fall at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.
Instructor Steve Staresina hopes the Thursday evening lessons will appeal to those busy during the day. Each class includes a 45 minute lesson, followed by up to an hour and 45 minutes of creative time. Paint, draw, or sketch among other artists in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Beginners will benefit from supportive coaching from the instructor as well as the more experienced participants.
Instructor: Steve Staresina, Oliver Fine Artist Media Taught: Oils, Acrylics, Pastels, Charcoal, and Pencils Subjects: Landscapes, Portraits, and Still Life
Dyeing for their Art: Fabric Artists Kick Off Summer Studio
Colour is not something seen with the eye, but something spun, woven, and dyed. Colour becomes three-dimensional under the talented hands of the Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers. The Guild is eager to demonstrate the richness and variety of their craft during the first week of Summer Studio, July 6 -11, at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.
Summer Studio, a series of weekly displays, workshops and demonstrations of local art and craft, opens July 6 and runs into August. Art comes alive in this Oliver Community Arts Council program. The program operates like a studio rather than a gallery. In addition to viewing finished pieces, visitors can watch art in progress as artists demonstrate their techniques.
Every Summer Studio week opens with a public reception on Mondays 6 – 8 p.m. The casual receptions have become a popular venue to bring house guests and friends to enjoy a relaxed evening of art, food, and music. Public displays and demonstrations run Tuesdays to Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Desert Sage Spinners and Weavers will be demonstrating a variety of techniques during their week. Nuno felting, a Japanese art form, will be demonstrated on Tuesday July 7. As Guild member Gail Erickson explains, “The Nuno technique felts loose wool onto a silk or gauze background. We experimented with this skill earlier in the year, and are ready to demonstrate it to the public.” On Thursday July 9 the guild will be busy wet felting, and on Friday and Saturday will be up to their elbows in natural dyes. “These aren’t just demonstrations,” says Erickson. “It’s all hands on! We encourage the public to come out and try it for themselves.”
The popular Wednesday Kids’ Days encourage children to experiment with that week’s artistic medium, but geared to children’s skill level and interest. The Spinners and Weavers are considering two crafts for their Kids’ Day on July 8: weaving on cardboard looms or some form of dyeing activity. Programmed Kids’ Day activties run 10 – 12 noon Wednesdays, but children are welcome to visit any time. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Upcoming displays include the Oliver Sagebrushers, a fine art club (July 13 – 18) and The RipOff Artists, a multimedia artists collective who interpret famous works of art (July 10 – 25). in past years, the RipOffs have exhibited their interpretations of Van Gogh’s “Cypresses” and Gustav Klimt’s “Emilie Floge”. The RipOffs will be inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s painting “Pink Tulip”.
All opening receptions, displays, demonstrations and Kids’ Days are free and open to the public. The Quail’s Nest Arts Centre is located just west of the Oliver airport at 34274 – 95th Street. For more information about Summer Studio, call arts council rep Penelope Johnson (498-0183), the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre (485-0088), or check the weekly Chronicle ads.
For the month of July, Handworks Gallery in Oliver is featuring the work of fibre artist Carole Grant (pictured at left) .
Titled “Soft Expressions” the show will be of special interest to textile artists and quilters. Some of the pieces are award winners and have been widely toured with other exhibits. for a sample of her talent, take a look at some of her artwork below.
Please come to the reception on
Saturday, July 4 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Handworks Gallery35648 – 97 St. Oliver, BC250 – 498 – 6388
The 26th Annual Fall Art Showis set to go. It is slated for October 3-4, 2009 held in conjunction with the Festival of the Grape at the Oliver Community Centre. The theme for the show this year is “Autumn”.
October 3, 20093:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. : Public Viewing
3:00 – 8:00 p.m.: Public Voting and Silent Auction
6:00 p.m. : Opening Reception and Entertainment
9:00 p.m. : Announcement of Category Winners, Best Interpretation of the Theme, People’s Choice, and Artists’ Choice
October 4, 200912 noon – 6:00 p.m. Viewing and Silent Auction
Admittance with your Festival of the Grape ticket
Calling All Artists!
The 2009 Fall Art Show theme is “Autumn” .
Categories:Painting, Fibre Art, 3-D, Photography, New Media, and Emerging Artists (age: under 19). Work must have been produced since January 2008.
Deadline:September 11, 2009
Cost: Entries are $10.00 each, maximum two entries per person.
The Oliver Sagebrushers, a fine art club, meet regularly for painting and drawing classes and workshops in many media (charcoal, pen and ink, watercolours, and oils). They also organize exhibits and contribute their talents towards many community projects. Outside of designated classes and workshops, the club meets weekly for idea and technique sharing, socializing, and simply painting together. Both beginners and advanced artists are welcome, as are drop in visitors and snowbirds. Classes are taught at all levels, and seasoned painters teach and encourage newcomers. Formerly known as the Oliver Art Club, this organization is one of Oliver’s oldest arts groups.
Oliver Sagebrushers Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noonSeptember to JuneStudio Building, Quail’s Nest Arts Centre34274 – 95th StreetOliver, BCInfo: 250-498-0104Quail’s Nest: 250-485-0088
Club activities run from September to June. In October, members participate in the Oliver Community Arts Council’s Fall Art Show , run in conjunction with Oliver’s Festival of the Grape. Sagebrushers host a booth in November at the Arts and Crafts Sale. During Arts and Culture Week (third week of April) and the Meadowlark Festival (mid-May), the club holds exhibits and open house. Weekly classes conclude with a plein air painting picnic in June. Sally (above) and Hazel (left) enjoy the warm sunshine and lovely views in Val’s peaceful garden retreat at last year’s picnic. One week of every summer , the Sagebrushers display and demonstrate their artwork at the Oliver Community Arts Council’s Summer Studio at the Quail’s Nest Arts Centre.
Register now for an upcoming workshop with Calgary-based oil painter, Robert E. Wood. Robert is inspired by the South Okanagan, and visits here yearly to paint. He is known for capturing the Okanagan’s distinctive light and heat on canvas. Here, Robert poses with his painting “Ponderosa Shadows” and Sagebrushers president Sally Franks.
The Oliver Sagebrushers present“Painting in Oils”withRobert E. WoodMay 4, 5, and 6, 2009Studio Building, Quail’s Nest Arts CentreTo register, call Sally at 250-498-0104
Also inspired by themes of the Canadian west, are two Sagebrushers, Cameron Ogilvie and Michael Jorden:
Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned painter, there’s lots to learn and enjoy with the Oliver Sagebrushers!250-498-0104Annual Membership Fee: $50Semi Annual Membership Fee: $25 (payable in September and January)
Photos by Penelope Johnson