Recent History – 2003
March 28, 2003
By Kelly Harris, Daily News Staff
Woodland scenes hang next to portraits, horses and pottery at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery exhibit of local senior’s art. In what the gallery calls its biggest show of the year, ‘Exploring Art’ kicked off Wednesday evening. The show combines paintings and pottery taught to area residents during Time Out for Seniors.
“The seniors’ show is the biggest turn-out of the year,” said museum curator Ellen Corea. “Hundreds have gone through this program.”
The program has two instructors — Inez Demuynck teaches pottery while Edna McPhail instructs on acrylic painting. Both have been teaching area seniors the joy of art for the past 16 years through the gallery.
Myrna Gardner, an acrylic painting student, said McPhail had to work to bring art appreciation to this year’s class, but the product was proof of the teaching.
“I’m sure when Edna started this class years ago she said ‘I can teach anybody to paint’,” Gardner said. “She never thought we’d try her patience so much.”
Student “Smitty” told the large crowd at the gallery that she never thought she’d be able to do pottery until she took the class.
McPhail reserved her comments to congratulation for her budding artists saying they’ve done “extraordinary work.”
The collection hanging on the walls could be best described as eclectic. Portraits hang next to space shuttles and cars adorn the same walls as woodland scenes. Scattered throughout the gallery are pottery works from snakes to vases.
In total 170 pieces hang on the walls of the gallery or are on display throughout the showing. The original intent was to teach seniors art, but over the past few years of the 18-year-old program younger art lovers have taken up the challenge.
“We are starting to get a lot of younger people,” Corea said. “There are more and more requests for people to join.”
Many of the works are for sale, with others preferring to keep their creations. The show runs from March 26 until April 13 at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery.