Opinion: Before the Summer 2022 Fine Art Show
Editorial note: The following is a submitted overview of the upcoming Before the Summer Fine Art Show, written by the show’s organizers. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Kingstonist.
After two very disappointing cancellations because of COVID-19, the next ‘Before the Summer Fine Art Show’ is scheduled for Saturday, May 7 (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and Sunday, May 8 (from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), 2022, at the Firehall Theatre, located at 185 South Street, in Gananoque. The artists are very excited to be able to exhibit paintings that have been piling up in their spare rooms, and we have decided to add some sculpture, too, this year. Because it will be Mother’s Day on Sunday, we are having a special free draw for two tickets to a production of the Thousand Islands Playhouse Theatre for one lucky mother. As usual, admission is free, there is a cash bar, and there will be music in the afternoon. We hope to see you there to help us celebrate spring!
Artists discovering their love of the local, and hoping for travel in the future seem to be the recurrent themes this year…
Barb Carr, Kingston, Ont.
I’m an experimental artist, which means that over the years I’ve enjoyed working in watercolours, acrylics, collage, and printmaking, with some pastels thrown in for good measure! My latest adventures have been with oil painting. I’ve challenged myself to create a small oil painting each day since early January, and I’ve delved into my travel sketchbooks for subjects. I’ve missed a few years of traveling to Portugal, so many of my new pieces celebrate that country’s colours and sunshine. Maybe in 2023, I’ll be able to return there, with sketchbooks in hand!
Monique van Someren, Elizabethtown-Kitley, Ont.
With my spouse and our two rescue dogs, I live overlooking the mighty St. Lawrence River, which is a huge inspiration every day and every season anew. I am a Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts graduate and ever since I can remember I have been interested in painting, drawing and photography, resulting in decades of creativity and above all, a tremendous amount of fun and gratification. My passion is to depict nature’s astonishing beauty, but also the allure of those commonplace everyday objects that are so easily overlooked or taken for granted. With this, I hope my artwork will encourage and motivate the viewer to take a moment to be fascinated by the wondrous nature and all those seemingly insignificant little gems that surround us all. For my drawings, I use coloured pencils with a touch of alcohol marker and airbrush on drawing paper, while my paintings are mostly oil paint on canvas or wood.
Rachel Legault, Brockville, Ont.
Sometimes I don’t have to go very far to find inspiration. This painting came about after a walk through the woods just up the street from my home. It was a beautiful sunny day and the treetops were swaying in the cool breeze. The shadows they cast seemed to be dancing on the snow. I felt compelled to capture this tranquil scene on canvas.
Julie Davidson Smith, Kingston, Ont.
I am a multi-media visual artist whose work explores painting, encaustic art and sculpture. In this show, I will be exhibiting encaustic etchings and concrete sculptures for the garden. My love of nature, birds, yoga and the beauty of life’s simple pleasures are expressed in these works.
Martha Stroud, Kingston, Ont.
This past summer I spent a lot of time exploring the area around my cottage near Sharbot Lake, and walking along the Cataraqui River closer to home. The water is very calming, and it has been fascinating to see the variety of birds and animals (and people!) along the way. There is always something inspiring to paint wherever there are trees, especially in the autumn.
Betty Matthews, Gananoque, Ont.
I believe I have come to the end of my “old boathouses saga” and while I endeavour to paint local subjects of interest – surely I can find something different. Weather permitting, the great outdoors is available for inspiration. Out of my window, the Gananoque River provides river otters playing on the ice, swans swimming majestically by, and a wide variety of migrating waterfowl coming and going.
Margaret McLauchlan, Kingston, Ont.
When the pandemic first began, and we were pretty much just isolated in our own homes, I decided the one thing I could do every day was paint. It’s hard to worry about anything when you are surrounded by the magical possibilities of paint! I was so happy to find that Art Noise would deliver supplies to my condo so I could just keep painting. And even though I was inside my own apartment by myself I could still dream of those wide open spaces in my beloved Arctic and see them in my mind’s eye and know that one day I will be able to travel there again.
Other artists who will be exhibiting include Belia Brandow, Barbara Patrick, Carolyn Huff-Winters, John Sorensen, Kitty Kelly, Helma Gansen, Ingrid Schmidt, Rachel Legault and Solange Leman. Check beforethesummer.com to see more work from all the artists above.