UPDATE: Corrected young artist's name in second-to-last paragraph.
Some of the winners for The Sunday Painter’s Exhibition at The Old School House (TOSH) in Qualicum Beach were on hand last week at a reception where they got to talk about the inspiration behind their beautiful work.
Recreational artists and students were invited to submit their best painting for inclusion in a juried exhibition.
A jury awarded ribbon prizes for three mediums; watercolor, oil/acrylic and pastel.
There was a separate category for high school students.
The jury was comprised of three professional artists and educators; Janice Bridgman, Sherry Mitchell and Martin Hill. The trio had their work cut out for them with 66 impressive pieces received, 15 of them from students.
The work submitted by the up and coming artists was stellar, particularly the submissions from the high school artists. Tosh Executive Director Corinne James said it was a strong show and everyone who entered should be very proud of their work.
Marjorie Green who lives in San Pareil said just walking through her neighborhood provides her with the inspiration she needs for her paintings.
Her painting of an old cottage on Shorewood Drive won her a second place ribbon in the pastel category. She said unfortunately the cottages that used to be prevalent in the area are slowly disappearing.
“It’s sad that the cottage is gone now,” she said but added there are many other things that inspire her to paint.
“I sketch on the beach in my Cape Cod chair. I am on the water so I have an inspirational view,” she agreed.
Greene who has been painting off and one for 20 years admitted her favorite medium is pastel.
Lisa Tremblay, an art teacher in the Port Alberni school district won Best in Show as well as first place in Oil and Acrylic category for her painting of her father in his fishing boat. She said her dad passed away a year ago this month and she is sure he would be happy that her painting received such an honor.
She said she has been encouraging her students to submit work to the Sunday Painter’s Exhibition for many years because she said TOSH is always nice to the kids and getting some recognition for their work is a big deal to the kids.
This year two of her students won ribbons in the juried exhibition including a first place ribbon for Erika Nelson and second place for Jessica Hawco. The third place ribbon went to 15 year old KSS student Angela Grymuza for her ink and water colour painting titled Believe. She said she was inspired by a dream and the message behind her flowing image is that when you believe…anything can happen.
Other first place winners included Sheila Hambleton in the watercolor category and Joan Wouter in the pastel category.