ART AUCTION 2011
Iam very pleased to welcome
you, on behalf of the volunteer organizing committee, chaired by Patricia Trout; the Board of Directors of the Prairie Art Gallery, chaired by Grant Berg; and the Art Forever Council, chaired by Canadian Tire Grande Prairie, to the 31st Annual Art Auction, presented by Q99 and Canadian Tire Grande Prairie. Your support tonight will help us to continue our work of inspiring the community by exploring and preserving the best that the art world has to offer. The demand in this region for exceptional art exhibitions for everyone; for high quality art programs for schools, community groups, and families; for travelling art exhibitions for rural and remote communities; and for access to the visual heritage preserved in our permanent collection has continued to grow rapidly throughout our history, and, with your support, we have always risen to meet the challenges of that growth.
It is truly the support of the community, largely at this very event, which has made the Prairie Art Gallery the largest arts organization north of Edmonton in this province. We hope that this auction catalogue, which has been made possible through the generosity of Servus Credit Union, will serve as a lasting reminder for you of the difference that your support makes in the community. As you observe the growth and development of the Gallery in the years to come and the growth and development of the minds and hearts that it will touch along the way, we hope that you will take pride in the part that you have played in making both possible by supporting us here tonight.
– Robert Steven Executive Director/Curator The Prairie Art Gallery
Dennis J.A. Brown The Beach at Elliott Bay 2010 Acrylic 18” x 14”
Live Auction 1
I have a strong feeling for landscapes and this has been my central focus for many years. My approach is to combine elements from nature that will create an atmosphere of interest and emotion for the viewer.
Sheila Craipley Hay Bales / Kinuso 2011 Oil on Canvas 12” x 24”
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Local landscapes in oil and acrylic. Big skies, diverse scenery, and changing seasons are close at hand for subject matter.
K. Marjorie Henn Still, Still Waters, McNaught Lake March 2011 Watercolour 19” x 24” The inspiration of dynamic light, design shapes, wide vistas and the many moods of nature combined with my love of detail, perspective and design elements lead to the creation of my work in watercolour, oils or pen and ink.
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Marilyn Gourlay Hummingbird “A Mystery” 2007 Acrylic on Canvas 24” x 36”
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Painting as contemplation in my garden reflects a moment in time - once the brush touches the canvas there is no hesitation.
Shauna Hoffos Immersed 2011 Acrylic on Canvas 18” x 24”
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Always striving to challenge myself, I am continually using new materials and exploring different techniques. This piece is the result of my journey into ‘Gestural Abstraction.’ Here, acrylics are applied spontaneously in pours, layer after layer until the desired effect is achieved and “the focus is more about the process rather than the product.”
Kim Huynh Digit Seven 2008-2010 Lithography 35” x 27” Framed The pearl has a long history of being associated as an object of desire, a symbol of luxury and a rare commodity today. “Digit Seven” is derived from a print installation, “Burden of 4000 Pearls,” speaks of the interconnectivity of our personal desires of accumulation and its effects on the destruction of our environment, within a collective culture of capitalism and globalization.
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Carmen Haakstad Fir Trees 2010 Oil on Fir Panel 17.5” x 23.5”
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Looking forward to “Journey 2012” an exhibition by Jim Stokes and myself in January of next year and the opening of the restored Gallery. The show is forcing me to paint more which is very exciting for me. Finding the time is always the most difficult but when you love painting you can always find the time.
R.F.M. McInnis Alberta Landscape (1-10-10-00) 2000 Oil on Canvas 24” x 30”
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R.F.M. McInnis is a prolific artist whose work can be found in prestigious galleries in major cities, as well as in private and corporate collections. He has painted portraits of famous Canadians such as Margaret Atwood, Peter Pocklington, Maureen McTeer and Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin, among others. Yet after his more than 40 years of making a living as a respected and successful artist, he still has “stage fright” when faced with blank canvas.
Whitney Lee Hayes Rocky Ledge - Pipestone February 2009 Acrylic and Ink on Watercolour Paper 12” x 18” The only limitations to art is your imagination. The style I am presently working on is both challenging and detail oriented.
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Live Auction Tina Martel 10 Purple Rain 2008 Mixed Media 14” x 48”
Purple Rain is based on the traditional format of landscape, but is not a direct reproduction of any one place or time. Instead, it is a combination of paint and mixed media that illustrates a memory which is the sum of the multiple parts.
Linda Henderson Duckworth Street, St. John’s 2009 Acrylic on Canvas 24” x 36”
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Linda has been creating since 2002. In GPRC’s Visual Arts Program, she began experimenting with different mediums. She now paints in acrylic and oils. Linda’s work sometimes might be slightly abstract even though nature provides her inspiration.
Darlene Dautel Charlotte 2010 Encaustic on wood 24” x 24” The true magic happens in not trying to control the encaustic, but in discovering where it takes you. “Charlotte” came to life one dreary October afternoon amidst lots of fond memories, smiles and a tear or two.
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Suzanne Sandboe Outta Gas, Silverwood 2010 Watercolour 12.5” x 22.5”
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Art is an expressive connection between the viewer and the painter. A way of communicating one’s vision and understanding of life, place or situation. In my work I love to share my inspiration, to create a story and give the viewer something to think about and remember.
Carrie Klukas In the Garden (Triptych) 2009 Acrylic on Wood 3 Panels 24” x 8”
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This ‘Garden’ grew out of layers of paint. It is one of my few attempts at creating multiples that hopefully can be read as a singular image.
Leslie Bjur two March 2011 Brazilian Soapstone 18”w x 13”h x 6”d This piece of Brazilian soapstone resonated from the first chisel mark and there were over 90 hours of obeying the stone. I built a lot of muscle and it felt great!
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Cathy Stafford The Last Picnic February 2011 Oil 60” x 48”
Cathy studied Fine Arts at the Grande Prairie Regional College in the late 1990s and continues to create works of art.
Jim Stokes Landscape 2011 Acrylic on Canvas 24.5” x 40”
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Light, space and distance are very distinct qualities of our Peace Country landscape.
Peter von Tiesenhausen Flash Point 2011 Oil Paint, Clay on Board 11” x 13” flash point –noun 1. the lowest temperature at which a liquid in a specified apparatus will give off sufficient vapor to ignite momentarily on application of a flame. 2. a critical point or stage at which something or someone suddenly causes or creates some significant action 3. a critical situation or area having the potential of erupting in sudden violence.
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Live Auction Marjorie Taylor 19 Shapes in Shadows 2011 2011 Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas 18” x 60” Working mainly with a palette knife, limiting colour plus using mixed media to create texture, I continue the exploration of light and darkness. The shape of the canvas appears to lend itself to this endeavour.
Robert Guest Winter on the Wapiti, November Evening 2011 Oil on Canvas 24” x 36”
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I have always worked with different media but oil is my favourite: a robust medium for a rustic subject. I like natural subjects such as water, storms, clouds, forest fires and rising moons. These are important for my work.
Bibi Clement “ANGEL” (From the Series “Vigil of Angels” Exhibited in 2009 at The Prairie Art Gallery 2009 Porcelaineous Clay 30.5”h x 7.5”w x 3.5”d My work is deeply informed by the ancient traditions of Japanese ceramist especially the art and ritual of Anagama Woodfiring. The woodfire process symbolizes rebirth and the continual cycle of life. These pieces come from the earth and become whole through the riches of natural world-wood, fire, ash, air!
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Dan Arberry 22 Layers 2011 Pastel 9” x 9”
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This is a process of adding and subtracting the layers in my work. In the process of understanding the layers, I start to understand myself.
Ed Ashton Beaverlodge: A Memory 2011 Watercolour 16” x 20”
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Over the years, Ed has painted numerous grain elevator sites in the province of Alberta using the media of watercolour. Rustic scenes such as barns, fences, wagons and sheds are also of interest to him, as well as every day sights.
E. Ross Bradley Odelesque 2009 Conte on Toned Paper 25” x 19” A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and the University of Guelph, Ross Bradley has exhibited nationally and internationally for more than 30 years. His studio practice has focused on the human figure for the past twenty years, working in drawing, sculpture and photo transfer. He is represented in public and private collections across Canada.
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Silent Auction Cheryl Brown Flight of Fancy 2011 Jewelry; Sterling Silver/Lampwork Beads Necklace, Earrings, Bracelet
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This work represents a blend of many of my favorite media. The sculpted lampwork birds all have personality and the etched silver is subtle and looks to have come from a different time.
Eric Cameron Tangled Web #2 2011 Dipped Painting 3” x 4” x 7”
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“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” (Sir Walter Scott)
Kate Clifford Silent Watcher 2010 Watercolour 13.5” x 16.5” Watercolour is a medium with which I am free to explore all possibilities with spontaneous, unknown factors. Watercolour teaches me to touch wildlife with a brush of wilderness. It is this medium that forces me to go beyond my present abilities.
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Sue Cloake SITE 2010 Mixed Media Collage 12” x 12” SITE: Where something was, is, or will be; certainly a place of a significant event. In this artwork, the process of mixed media collage creates a sense of ambiguous structure and time through the use of translucent layers of rich colours, shapes and textures.
Leona Cochrane 99 Street 2009 Oil on Canvas 26” x 32”
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Familiar urban spaces interest me. In the evening these areas seem mysterious.
Calvin Cornish Muskox, “Defensive Stance” 2011 Acrylic on Canvas 16” x 40”
Calvin is a local artist working mainly in pencil drawings and acrylic paintings of wildlife and landscapes of western Canada.
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Deb Courvoisier Smouldering Stumps 2010 Seattle Black Clay, Raku Fired 14” x 4” / 13” x 3” / 12” x 3” Raku is a passion of mine. The uncertainty and surprise is what keeps me pursuing this artform.
Corinne Cowan Autumn Gold February 2011 Acrylic 16” x 20”
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Autumn is considered by many to be the most beautiful of the four seasons. The foliage of 2010 was particularly striking. “Autumn Gold” represents the yellows and golds of a poplar branch.
Linda Craddock Pam by Winter Window 2005 Oil on Canvas 24” x 12 “
This painting is one of an ongoing series called “Awaiting Memory.” I explore states of stillness through paintings of myself and other women. We may be waiting, observing our surroundings or pondering faint moments of intuitive knowing.
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Silent Auction Peter Deacon The Prime Elements #167 2011 Mixed Media on Watercolour Paper 7.5” x 11”
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The “Prime Elements” series is based upon those autobiographical and universal elements that are “irreducible” in nature. In these collage works references to the Continental Divide, prime numbers and personal history provide the content.
Janet Enfield Tiger Lilies 2009 Oil 20” x 16”
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Janet thrives to capture the energy of the subjects in her work. She creates from the inspiration she finds all around her. These tiger lilies are from her garden and are painted in oils, her preferred medium.
Jody Farrell Down on the Pond 2010 Oil on Board 12” x 10.5”
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Jody Farrell paints mostly landscapes and still lifes in oils and acrylics. Her style is loose and expressive.
Silent Auction Pam French Perfect Morning 2010 Photograph 16” x 20”
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Through the lens of my camera I see beauty everywhere. My joy is to capture that beauty and share it. This photo came from an unexpected moment on a perfect morning in Cabo San Lucas.
Katarina Gasko Where the **** is Spring? February 2011 Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 36”
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Katarina was born and raised in Slovakia. After high school she was accepted into the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts and Design, where she earned a Masters of Art. She focuses on acrylic painting and children’s illustrating. She illustrated many children’s magazines, such as R.E.A.L. Kids-Canada, Kids magazine Sun-Slovakia and Bee Magazine-Slovakia.
Lena Gilje Down Below October 2010 Photograph 16” x 16” On my first day of photography school each student was instructed to write down their dream assignment. I wrote that mine was to photograph great white sharks. In October 2010 off the coast of Southern Australia, 70 feet below the surface, 12 great whites, 1000 photos. Mission accomplished.
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Silent Auction Liz Gogal Cosmos in the Garden 2010 Acrylic 24” x 48”
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I have been painting for 20 years. Born in Alberta, love this province. I get my inspiration from the morning sun. My love of painting comes from the flowers in the garden and God’s creation of nature. I use watercolour and acrylic media.
Candace Gunsolley Blossom 28th February 2011 Sculpture (Paper) 22”h x 24”w x 9”d
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Candace is an artist and hairdresser. She started off making hair sculptures. She aspires to travel and learn more techniques in painting and sculpture from other artists in other countries to enhance her career.
Vicki Hotte Black Baldies Play 2010 Collage, Ink, Watercolour Pencil on Paper 12” x 15” This series was set in motion by a need to see the first green of spring.
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Silent Auction Ken HouseGo Explorer #4, The Big Harvest 2008 Pencil, Pastel and Charcoal on Watercolour Paper 16” x 16”
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My art contains the embers of a personal landscape that I leave behind for others to discover.
Melanie Jenner Shuffle 2011 Acrylic on Canvas 24” x 24”
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I truly enjoy working with paint and letting it be unpredictable. “Shuffle” was created by applying paint to the edge of the canvas and with one stroke smearing the paint, at the same time mixing the colours, to create results I cannot predict or repeat, making this a very exciting process.
Donna Kaut Tranquil 2008 Oil on Canvas 12” x 15” It gave me great joy to paint this peaceful scene which is typical of the landscapes found around Grande Prairie. It was exciting to try new colours and methods with satisfying results.
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Silent Auction Lynn LeCorre Summer Crops (Kleskun Hills, AB) 2010 Acrylic on Birch 8” x 19”
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When painting ‘en plein air’ a small format allows me to capture the fleeting light and striking colours of the land. It is the immediacy of painting the land in the moment that inspires and challenges me.
Catherine McLaughlin To the Upper Deck 2007 Black and White Photograph 10” x 8”
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I like to make photographs of the built environment with its lines and angles, light and shadow. My work is in the permanent collections of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the QEII Hospital Foundation and in private collections.
Mary Mottishaw Working for a Living 2009 Hand-pulled Collograph Print with Chine Colle 7” x 15” Mary Mottishaw is a Peace area painter and printmaker. She is inspired by the exploration of ideas and techniques; often starting with “what if....?”
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Silent Auction Helena Mulligan Three Faced 1994 Clay 8.5” x 6” / 9” x 6” / 9” x 5.5”
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I started making sculptures with plasticine as a child which eventually led to creating ‘Wisdom’ and The Invitation’ out of concrete at the Grande Prairie Regional College. ‘Three Faced’ is a group of faces that were created to show intense emotions.
Lorna Nordhagen Las Chicas 2011 Acrylic 12” x 12”
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I have always been intrigued by different cultures and their people. When I first saw these two little girls I knew I had to attempt to capture their shyness and beauty on canvas.
Mary Parslow In SPIRITation June 2010 Collograph Print 6” x 5.25” This collograph print was created as a title piece for a group show in Dawson Creek to celebrate the inspiration of the Spirit in our creativity. It displays the Holy Spirit coming to a group of disciples.
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Silent Auction Patricia Peters Copper Hills 2010 Acrylic 12” x 24”
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Scenes from the Rockies, Northern Alberta through to the Pacific has been Patricia’s greatest source of inspiration. She has travelled extensively allowing her to become acquainted in all seasons. She employs delicious colour and texture to give depth and excitement to her work.
Rod Peters D8 CAT February 2011 Oil 11.5” x 15.75”
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This is a picture of a Caterpillar working on the Alaska Highway during World War II. I found the picture of the Caterpillar in the archives at the Alaska Highway Museum. I thought it would make a nice painting.
Suzanne Sagmeister Mr. Swanny - A Ripple in Time March 2010 Photograph on Canvas 24” x 36”
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One of the moments I was privileged with during my friendship with Mr. Swanny, a wild mute swan off the coast of Vancouver Island, BC. Mr. Swanny passed in Winter 2011.
Silent Auction Todd Schaber Fire Flux #2 2009 Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas 36” x 36”
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Flux by definition means “to flow.” This piece called “Fire Flux #2” is part of the larger exhibition called “A Series in Flux” that consists of paintings depicting spheres of colour and energy flowing through apocalyptic landscapes of Earth, Fire and Ice.
Bernadine Schroyer Tree Studies: Under the Spruce 2008 Charcoal, Graphite and Acrylic Paint on Paper 32.25” x 40.25”
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This piece was created with paper wrapped around a tree trunk; the resulting painting is of the many views recorded onto the paper as I circled the tree.
Toni Schuler Pure Jazz 2011 Watercolour 21” x 29” Light does strange things to colour. It makes the colours dance. As a frequent concert goer, I often catch myself just watching with fascination; the colour effect that the stage lights have on the instruments, performers, and in the shadows. Due to this I almost forget to listen to the music.
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Gene D. Schultz Spring February 2011 Acrylic on Canvas 30” x 36”
The joy and excitement to paint is the pure act of painting, the ability to lose myself in the moment and the freedom it inspires. Everything can inspire a creative moment. Nature, colour and emotion all blend to create an experience. There are many moments in life to capture in a single piece of art.
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Tanya Sedore String the Blues 2011 Photograph 24” x 20” T. Sedore Photography (Tanya Sedore) has been a local photographer in Grande Prairie for the past 14 years. Her main focus is portrait and commercial work but in her spare time she enjoys the fine art side of things.
Jewel Shaw Gossip’s Bridle 2010 Archival Digital Print and Screen Print 6” x 8” As a print-based artist, my research includes drawing, traditional printmaking and more recently, digital media and screen printing. My ongoing research explores themes of identity, containment, restraint, memory and loss. I collect and draw from objects that relate to the land in Northern Alberta such as fences, traps, animal muzzles, farm tools, and remnant rusted scrap metals. I also draw from personal, cultural and historical narratives such as stories told by my grandmother
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Silent Auction Marian Jacoba Shilka Gestic 2011 Acrylic 12” x 4”
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“Most people look for the sacred in the unusual and often dramatic, supernatural experience. The irony is that the Divine mysteries are found in the ordinary, the mundane and the natural aspects of life - softly whispering to us” - Ted Andrews. It is from these divine mysteries that I am inspired to paint the inner landscape.
Laura St. Pierre 05.10 (Urban Vernacular Series) Artist’s Proof 2009 Archival Inkjet 15.25” x 9.75”
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This artist’s proof is from a series of photographs titled “Urban Vernacular.” The sculptural constructions are temporarily installed in the urban landscape and allude to shelters or dwellings made from trash.
Nan Swanston Late Afternoon Glow 2010 Pastel on Paper 20” x 9” Close-ups of nature and moments in time inspire my artwork. Light and shadow are what often attracts me to a subject and what I enjoy depicting in watercolour, pastel and batik on rice paper.
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Silent Auction Dale Syrota Roman Ruins 2010 Watercolour 14” x 10”
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“Roman Ruins” is a study of backlight and textural effects that just happens to be inspired from a trip to the Coliseum in Rome, Italy.
Leslie Webb Peacock 2010 Wax Resist on Ostrich Egg 6” x 4”
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“Peacock” is a slight variation from the traditional symmetrical design of Ukrainian Pysanky, but its still a treat, after hours of waxing and dipping, to see the wax come off and the vibrant colours emerge.
Dan Wourms Night Falling Over the Prairies March 2011 Oil 21” x 24” I believe the concept of art is just another word for creation, so I attempt to create my pieces in as many media types I can learn. I often work in oils one day and clay the next. Most of my work has been done in oils, acrylics and mixed media. I embrace any chance to challenge myself.
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Acknowledgements Event Title Sponsors Q99 FM Canadian Tire Grande Prairie Auction Committee Sharifi Houssian Carrie Klukas Brandi Martin Tina Nelson Rob Swanston Patricia Trout
Catalogue Design
Catalogue Design Coordination Rob Swanston
Catalogue Sponsor Servus Credit Union Honorary Sponsor Ken and Teresa Sargent Family Foundation Table Sponsors Kay McVey Smith & Carlstrom LLP Pizza Hut Friends of the Gallery AON Reed Stenhouse Inc. Fred and Ruth Estlin Mirage Holistic Spa Ltd.
Acknowledgements Music - The Strand Band Printing - Menzies Printers Gift in Kind Auctioneer - Dave Neale of Alberta North Auction Services Master of Ceremonies Ken Truhn Visual Presentation Joel Park Wine - Royal Spirits Transportation - Visa Truck Rentals Radio Advertising - Big Country XX FM & Q99 FM
THE PRAIRIE ART GALLERY FUTURE The Future is Upon Us We have succeeded in so many ways—co-locating with the Library, securing funding for construction, diversifying our operating revenues, renewing our governance and management structures, and most importantly, dramatically expanding the scope of our public exhibitions and programs—that the challenges that remain may seem small by comparison. But operating a facility The opening of the newly restored building in 2012 will be the culmination that will be more than two times its of nearly ten years of consistent efforts previous size will be a difficult challenge, no matter how well we by volunteers, members, and staff to position the Gallery for a secure future have prepared for it. in the service of this community. The completion of the restoration of the historic Grande Prairie High School building, home of the Prairie Art Gallery from 1985 to 2007, is now nearing completion. When it is completed, Grande Prairie will be home to one of the largest public art galleries in any city of its size in the country.
Parents know better than anyone
else the struggle and heartbreak that their children face as they are forced to mature from one phase of life to another, but parents also know better than anyone else the intense pride for the tremendous accomplishment of the child who makes it safely through each transition. In a similar way, the Gallery is struggling mightily through its current transition, uncertain of what exactly its future will bring, and unsure
whether it is ready for that future. But the future is here, and there will be no stopping it. We strongly believe that in the very near future, you, our supporters, along with the rest of the community will be intensely proud of what we soon will have accomplished together. Thank you for your generosity from all of us who love the Prairie Art Gallery.
Building a better world.
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