Looking at the paintings on the wall, anyone can see why two different painters belong together in the Sense of Place exhibit.
Humboldt resident, Bob Pitzel, included 10 of his original watercolours along with Watrous painter, Bryce Erickson, who included seven of his original oil paitings.
Pitzel says that the two bodies of works are very similar because they both lived in the same environment.
The two were available for questions about their work at a reception on Sept. 8.
Both Pitzel and Erickson had short comments for the crowd. The bottom line says Pitzel is “we both do something that we love. That’s the bottom line.”
Pitzel was a little nervous about opening the show, laughs the Humboldt resident, since he was sure he saw some people bring in tomatoes.
The Sense of Place show is all about forgotten places, especially those in Saskatchewan small towns. Included in Pitzel’s work is Humboldt landmarks, like the CN Station.
“I paint what I know. I have to represent the world around me and my thoughts about my environment.”
Discipline is large parts of painting with watercolours and has made him concentrate on preplanning, says Pitzel.
“You have to be satisified with what you put down. You can’t erase, you can’t cover up.”
Given the opportunity, Pitzel says he would constantly readjust if he started using another medium.
Working with oils, Erickson says that he has a day long window between the time he puts something on the canvas to the time when he cannot remove it.
“I can look at it, come back a couple hours later, and I can change it...Having the luxury of being able to change my mind, scrap the wet paint off, I need that.”
Erickson is confident in his technique but sometimes the translation onto canvas is not to his liking. He does not know that until the paint is on the canvas.
The show is part of the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils Arts on the Move program sponsored by Connexus, with the
Humboldt Arts Council sponsoring the Humboldt show and has previously been on display in Watrous, where it was also very well received.
Pitzel was also really impressed with the Member Show and Sale that was going on along side Sense of Place and all the local talent that submitted work.
