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Residents get inspired by art gallery outing

December 3rd, 2019

When residents of Points West Living Athens Creek received an invitation to visit the Penticton Art Gallery, they jumped at the chance. Not only did they get a guided tour of the gallery’s current exhibits, they got to try their hand at a new painting technique.

Surprise art lesson

Four residents were joined by recreation coordinator Ellie Bertrand (left) and General Manager Donna McBeth (centre) on this November 29 outing, which started with an art lesson – a welcome surprise for the residents.

“Our gallery contact Carla showed us a painting technique called alla prima,” says Ellie. “This is wet paint layered on other wet paint strokes.” The blending of colours is done on the canvas itself rather than on a palette. “It was a new technique to all of us, and each of our paintings turned out as unique as we are.”

Exhibit sparks wonder

“As our paintings dried, Carla gave us a tour of the two exhibits on now at the gallery,” says Ellie. “The first was an under-$500 exhibit where the gallery showcases up to 3 pieces from various local artists. The second exhibit, Stylistic Empathy, was created by a Vernon-based artist, Julie Oakes. This mixed media exhibit (painting, ceramics, glass, print making, and video) sparked wonder in us.”

Food and finish

Following the gallery experience, residents chose to go on to lunch at Theos, a local Greek restaurant. “Over lunch, we talked about the gallery visit, and shared a few favorite dishes and memories,” says Ellie. “Even though many of us have lived in Penticton for years, we realized that only one of us had ever visited the gallery before.”

“To cap off the meal, Hanne Stanfield (right) shared a plate of baklava, a treat she remembers from her travels to Turkey in her youth,” says Ellie. “The atmosphere and company made for a perfect end to our outing.”

Photo from left: Ellie Bertrand, Donna Schellenberg, Donna McBeth, Jessie Smythe, Gail Kemp and Hanne Stanfield show off their alla prima paintings, done during a visit to the Penticton Art Gallery on November 29.

More photos at Flickr: Residents get inspired by art gallery outing

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