Exhibition openings last Friday were a game winner for art lovers

By David F. Rooney

There might have been a Stanley Cup game on TV last Friday but that didn’t prevent scores of art lovers from attending the opening of three shows – IN/side/OUT, Wednesday Inspiration and Through My Eyes – at the Visual Arts Centre.

These were three very different shows but they were all, in their own unique ways, quite inspiring.

IN/side/OUT was Jeweles Smith’s first solo show and featured 11 oil paintings that are actually interpretations of CT and MRI scans of her brain.

“I was struck by the images I could see within the scans,” she said in an artist’s statement that accompanied her show. “Surreal and reminiscent of Rorschach inkblot tests, the images explore my medical and personal journey in recent years. These 11 paintings document dreams, heartbreak, medical frustration and the anxiety inherent in the process of diagnosis determination.”

Wednesday Inspirations showcased the work of Coreen Tucker, Joshlynn (better known to most people as Joanne Stacey), Mieke Blommestein, Sharon Kelley and Toni Johnston. Working in ceramics, with textiles and other media these five women, all members of the Wednesday Meditation Group, produced a range of works that truly stimulate the imagination of those viewing their works.

The third show that opened on Friday was Through My Eyes, a collection of works by members of the Revelstoke Self Advocates, who are all clients of Community Connections. Although most of their works would probably be classed as child-like some of  it is surprisingly sophisticated.

The three shows are on exhibit at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre at 320 Wilson Street until July 1. Call 250-814-0261 or go to www.revelstokevisualarts.com for more information.

You can get a clear sense of the scope of these exhibits through these images: