First solo show for Aquadeo artist

The Windows Salon at the Chapel Gallery is the venue for an Aquadeo artist's first solo show.

Anne Sather was born on a small farm near Ituna, and started painting in high school. She enjoyed it and, wanting to learn more so went to classes at Emma Lake and Cypress Hills and took some university classes as well.

Now a retired teacher, she and her husband began "going south" in the winter, and there she took more workshops and classes, and has evolved through different styles and media to arrive at watercolour.

Sights and Sounds is the current exhibition of her work at The Chapel Gallery. It is a collection of paintings in watercolour, oil, pastel and acrylic that "depict the hidden elegance of the world around us."

Sather has chosen watercolour as her main media, although she also works in acrylic, oil and pastel, and has included some in her show. Watercolour became her favourite when "going south" with a fifth wheel prompted her to solve the problem of having no where to store big canvases.

"So I thought, paper!" 

It may have grown out of convenience, but Sather says, "I think you can do anything you want with watercolour."

Ann's style is dissimilar to most watercolourists.

"The true watercolorist is very soft … but that's not me, that's not my style."

She says some of her pieces start off that way, but she can't resist turning up the intensity.

"I may start off gentle and nice, and the next thing I know I've put on plenty of colour."

She may have a favourite media, but she doesn't have a favourite piece. She likes to quote Margaret Atwood when asked if she has a favourite. Atwood said she wouldn't say which was her favourite because she might offend the other books.

She does most of her painting during the winter, when home is Parksville, B.C. In the summer, Aquadeo is home, but she doesn't get much painting done there. She's too busy golfing and socializing.

"I do have a very nice studio in Aquadeo, and it's perfect to paint, but summer's just too busy," she says.

This is Sather's first solo show, although she's shown her work in group exhibitions at a variety of galleries in western Canada including The Gallery on the Roof in Regina, The Godfrey Dean Gallery in Yorkton and The Old Schoolhouse at Qualicum Beach, B.C.  She has also shown her work at galleries as far away as Texas.

About a year ago, she approached the Chapel Gallery about having an exhibition.

"I thought it's time I had a solo show."

She brought some pictures in to former curator Michael Brokop, left them with him, and in two weeks time he said, "Your show is on." She went on the list for the Windows Salon, the area of the gallery usually reserved for local artists.

Current curator Leah Garven says, "She has quite a large body of work. A lot of artists who get this space don't have this substantial quantity and quality of work."

"And there's a lot more at home," laughs Sather.

Sights and Sounds is on until Nov. 3.