By David F. Rooney
The new exhibitions at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre — Townsfolk and Flourish and Flow: A joint exhibition by RAOP and Forsythe House — are sure to make you smile and reflect on life.
Townsfolk by local painter Cherie Van Overbeke consists of 16 portraits of local people painted in her distinctive style. These bright and vibrant paintings, which occupy the entirety of the main gallery, are quite good and will without a doubt elevate your mood when you attend the opening reception at RVAC starting at 6 pm on Friday, September 4.
I won’t say much more about that because I don’t want tho play the spoiler so you’ll have to attend the opening — or drop by The Centre before it ends on September 25 — to see for yourself.
There are 33 watercolours in Flourish and Flow that have been created by members of the Revelstoke Awareness and Outreach Program and residents at Forsythe House, also known as the Women’s Shelter. These paintings were produced with the assistance of Georgia Rayne Sumner who has been teaching them painting for several years. They are, for the most part, executed in a rather naive and engaging style. Of particular note are the series of paintings hanging in the Sophie Atkinson Gallery that depict pain. Some of these are quite mesmerizing and are certain to make you think about life.
Here’s what Georgia has to say about that aspect of the project: “When we learn how to put our mark on paper in a way that honours how water, brush, pigment and paper type come together, we recognize ourselves in the result. Using methods of meditation we reach our deepest pain, leaning how to express its intensity, its colour, its form, and where is resides in us. By putting pain on paper we learn to recognize it. Through a similar process we can create a place of release and comfort. During times of trauma it becomes our retreat. We also learn to recognize pain we did not know existed in ourselves and how to see and respond to pain in others.”
These are excellent and thoughtful shows.
Townsfolk and Flourish and Flow open at 6 pm on Friday, September 4, at the Visual Arts Centre located at 320 Wilson Street just behind the Days Inn. They are open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from noon until 4 pm until Saturday, September 25. For more information about the centre please click here to visit its website.
In the meantime, here are a few images from the show that I hope you’ll appreciate.
By Jackie Rose
Watercolour
By Corey Bergman
Watercolour
“I started to paint an angel of light but realized the painting was filled with darkness,” Cory says. “My mother’s side of the family has always been artistic. For years I wished I was as I watched them paint and draw. I figured I couldn’t do much more than draw a stick man. Then a few years back I was given an opportunity to attend an art class given by Georgia and to my surprise, found out that I could draw more than just a stick man! She is a fantastic and patient teacher and gives so much knowledge and encouragement. When my two aunts found out I was painting they also gave much encouragement. I have to thank my Aunt Esther for many gifts of artist’s tools and her amazing way of making me feel like I could really do this and never give up. Since I have started painting it has also helped me with my life. Some days I will turn out a good painting and others not, but I just keep going, knowing there is another good painting awaiting me.”
By Cory Bergman
Watercoloour
Cecliia Roebuck
Watercolour
“When I was younger I wanted to paint,” Cecilia says in her artist’s statement. “At thirteen years old, a famous painter came to our town in Mexico to teach for two weeks and I begged my mother to give me money to paint but she wouldn’t let me. A family friend offered to pay but my mother again refused. Until Georgia came I never had a chance. I feel good about it now. Sometimes my work isn’t good but when someone says that’s really good and I know that it is good, I feel joy in my heart.”
By Georgia Rayne Sumner
Watercolour
