The Cariboo Artists’ Guild’s group showcase is now on display inside the gallery at the South Cariboo Business Centre.
During the month of March, the gallery will feature 11 unique pieces from members of the artists’ guild with a focus on the theme The Divine In Art. The theme is always open to each artist’s own interpretation.
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, divine is often related to religion, more specifically God but the results are varied, involving religion, nature and animals.
“I think as artists we are all connected to something larger than ourselves,” said Artists’ Guild member, Katie Kidwell. “It (being art) allows us a chance to express that and sometimes that is a challenge. That is why they are all so different because we are different.”
Kidwell generally works with watercolour and occasionally oils. Her piece in the gallery is a watercolour painting of two women sitting on a hillside, gazing up at the stars. It’s titled Radiance. The idea came to her in a dream she had about two years ago.
“I saw these two women with their robes closely entwined. I began meditating on what it would be and that is what I saw,” said Kidwell.
Penny Bailey, another member of the guild, took the theme and used nature as her concept. The title of her piece is A Divine Moment. It is an acrylic painting on standard canvas. She captured a moment from a photo she took during one of her daily walks. Bailey said painting scenery is new to her.
“I was trying to think of what the theme Divine In Art, meant to me. I moved here a little over a year and a half ago, I have found it to be a very gorgeous country and to me nature is divine,” said Bailey. “I didn’t keep track on how long this painting took, but I had been working on-and-off over the last week on it. I feel like I might have over-worked it, but I wanted that intricate and intertwining confusion of branches, paired with the calmness of the deer.”
Bailey agreed that the theme felt like a religious connotation, but wanted to take it towards nature.
The Cariboo Artists’ Guild is a group of accomplished artists who look to one another for inspiration and encouragement. The gallery showcases three themed shows a year, where all members can feature their work.
