Ginger 9 Studio Gallery and Café’s November and December lineup of guest artists features three thought-provoking and diverse exhibitions to contemplate while enjoying chef Marilyn Veronneau’s holiday culinary creations. All works are available for purchase, some with more caloric impact than others.
Local contemporary acrylics artist Martha Ponting will have two shows that book-end an exhibition entitled “More Than Human” by North Island College/Emily Carr University students from the Bachelor of Fine Arts photography course taught by Sandra Semchuck.
Ponting has become known locally for her eclecticism and her eagerness to experiment. Many of her works suggest spiritual undercurrents. Her first appearance at Ginger Nine runs from now to Nov. 29. It contains works in her colourful and symbolically rich “intuitive” style which has struck a particularly responsive chord with women. Also included are her soft depictions of cedar boughs – works that take the viewer to a place of serenity and calm.
Ponting’s return engagement – Dec. 10-31 – will contain different paintings that focus on some of the same themes, along with landscapes (realist and semi-abstract) and other abstracts. A sampling of her collages and other works is interspersed throughout both shows.
The show by the six student photographers runs Dec. 2-9 as part of a multi-venue exhibit. The public is invited to an opening reception from 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 2 to meet the students and sample chef Marilyn’s delicious appetizers.
The student work is described as “a photographic project acknowledging wilder communities”. It ranges from intimate macro images of local waters to the sanctuary of fishing holes for returned soldiers and ultrasounds of motherhood experiences. All seek to address the question of how we come to know ourselves as a part of larger, more-than-human communities. Viewers will find subtle themes of being and belonging in relationship to the local scene.
Located at 463A 5th Street in Courtenay, Ginger Nine is an art gallery café where staff takes pride in being creative with food and space, in part by supporting local artists. Ginger Nine offers food that is unique, local, and inspired by comfort foods. Its menu also includes various items that are ‘paleo’, gluten-free, dairy-free, or free of refined sugars. Ginger Nine is an art gallery/café located at 463A 5th Street in Courtenay, open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be found on Facebook.
