A Foothills fall favourite art show returns Thanksgiving weekend.
The ArtWorks! Fine Art Sale, held every fall at the DeWinton Community Hall, returns Oct. 6-9, extending to the Monday.
“We’re doing four days starting on the Friday at 2-8,” said Kim Berlie, event organizer and photographer. “We’re actually doing two shows a year, it’s been successful and growing and tends to get a different following as well.”
The show runs on the Friday from 2 to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Running for over 10 years, the artist collective behind the show has aimed to highlight artists based in the region.
“One of the mandates is it is local artists, local being mostly outside of Calgary,” Berlie explained.
“Some of our artists have retired and moved into the city, but all artists coming in have to meet two criteria, that they’re in the local rural area, and that they do something different from what is presently in the show.”
That tends to give the show a wide range, Berlie explained.
“So we have one photographer, one ceramic or clay artist, one jeweller, one weaver, and then the painting is a different kettle of fish in that it’s different types of painting,” she said. “We have David Kitler who’s a photorealistic painter, we have some abstract artists.
“It really is very eclectic, so there really is something for everyone.”
While her own day-to-day work is more commercial imagery, the show gives Berlie a chance to show her own creative work, from landscapes to animals to the niche field of infrared photography.
"This show allows me to show the artistic side of photography, so I have some landscapes, some infrared photography,” she said.
“People are very interested in that; when they find out there is infrared photography, they ask me some great questions.”
That’s the other advantage of the show. While it certainly bears fruit for the artists there to show and sell their work, Berlie said they also enjoy the relaxed atmosphere which allows them to mingle with patrons.
“There’s a steady flow of traffic, but there’s time to talk to people,” she said.
“So that makes me, as a photographer, think about my art differently, and I think the other artists in the group feel the same way.
“Elizabeth (Ellis-Bassett) always has her loom there and will be working with it while people are perusing her work, they just love watching the process of her weaving – a lot of times people just don’t know how it's made.”
For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/ArtWorksSale
