Tired of winter? The Parkside Gallery has a solution for that.
The art gallery’s newest exhibit is a group show under the theme Spring into Spring.
The gallery is awash in colour, with greens and bright colours driving out the gloomy winter colours.
The gallery accepted submissions from artists all around the South Cariboo on the springtime theme.
“It’s a little bit of a dreary time here. The snow doesn’t go fast enough and you are waiting for spring and this helps people get over this,” says Claudia Ring who organized the show.
The exhibition opens on Saturday, March 18 with a reception from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ring is one of at least 12 local artists in the show. She has a number of felted pieces on display: flower-decorated lanterns, spring coats and bird houses all in deliberately bright colours.
The exhibit showcases artists in a number of mediums, clay flower pots are in one corner, oil and acrylic paintings with images of sheep and trees in another. Flowers grace some of the walls, wooden birdhouses await the spring migration and jewelry featuring butterflies and dragonflies fills a display.
Everything at the exhibit is for sale.
“It’s all made here and it’s unique, you won’t find anything like this again,” says Ring. “You support local artists and you are giving something to the community, to the artists, and to yourself.”
Valerie Knowles is showcasing some of her bead and wire jewelry in the show. She says jewelry started as a hobby for her, then it expanded.
“It got out of control and here I am,” she says.
Fabrics, food (like chocolate and cherries) and nature inspire her creations, she says
“It’s fun to display your stuff. It helps a non-profit organization and people like it. That makes you feel good,” she says.
Neil Pinkett, who says spring is his favourite season, has ten of his acrylic and oil paintings on display. The paintings feature soft greens of new grass and leaves in their portrayals of trees or sheep.
He encourages people looking to chase away the winter blues to come to Parkside.
“It’s going to be so positive. It’s going to lift people’s spirits and we want to do that,” he says. “People are craving spring — we know everyone secretly is — and they should come to the show and enjoy it and support local artists.”
The exhibition will run until April 15.
