Anne Nolte won’t paint from photographs, she’d rather return to a scene a dozen times and tweak her work. The Oak Bay artist is even known to paint over a work if her perspective changes.
One work of a little yellow cottage captured the attention of her peers in the Victoria Sketch Club and they quickly alerted her not to paint over it.
That work appears in this year’s annual art show and sale, and is highlighted on the advertising poster.
“I live in Oak Bay and I walk down all the back lanes. There’s one where there’s a little house where she keeps plants and things. It looks like an old garage,” said Nolte, a 22-year member of the club.
Roses and other flowering vines cover the cottage, and the day she finally first stopped, the gardener had even added a perfect watering can to the scene. “I stood out there on a very hot day last summer and finally got it down. This one I worked on a bit longer, it looks a bit more finished. A lot of my paintings are more impressions,” she said.
RELATED: Victoria Sketch Club hosts 47th annual art show and sale in Oak Bay
Like many members of the club, Nolte joined after retirement.
“I really enjoy the Sketch Club. I like the people and there’s a lot of good artists. In the summer we have a day where we go and paint all day and take our lunches. I really enjoy that because I like painting outside,” Nolte said.
The oldest art group in continuous operation in Western Canada, the Victoria Sketch Club celebrates its 110th year with its annual spring show opening Tuesday, March 19 at Glenlyon Norfolk School.
“I think it’s become a benchmark or something because people come from all over,” Nolte said of the show that marks 47 years in the same location. “The local people know about this show so they turn up. People come in and have a look and then they come back and have another look, then they come back and have another look and maybe buy something.
“It’s always an interesting show because of the mixture of styles.”
The Victoria Sketch Club show runs March 19 to 24 at the Glenlyon Norfolk School junior campus 1701 Beach Dr. Opening night is Tuesday, March 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. with guest speaker Oak Bay Mayor Kevin Murdoch. The show continues Wednesday to Saturday, 10 a.m to 7 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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