The Estevan Art Gallery and Museum’s annual exhibition of local artists opened over the weekend as the EAGM’s Member Show opened along with the Estevan Art Council’s Adjudicated Art Show.
The member’s installation is in Gallery 2 and features 10 artists from the area, along with a mix of painting, sculpture, photography and fabric works.
EAGM curator Ali King noted the submission process is loose, requiring only that artists are members of the gallery and limiting the submissions to two pieces. She said it’s a great way for the art gallery to showcase their members while encouraging new membership.
The curator added the open forum also allows people to bring work in progress. Not everything must be polished for public consumption, opening a window into the artistic process of some of the artists.
“It’s just to see what people are engaged in right now. What’s great is we’ve got quite a few people in the show who exhibited last year, but they’re exhibiting new works. It’s nice to see how people are progressing in their work and how they’re doing,” said King.
But there is a selection of artists not only new to the Member Show, but relatively new as artists themselves.
“I’m thrilled,” said King. “Jayne Himsel and Jo Ann Fahlman, they’re two brand new artists.”
Himsel and Fahlman both hail from Weyburn, and the EAGM Member Show includes artists across southeast Saskatchewan. King said she stumbled across Himsel’s work at the Art Farm, an open artist collective held near Weyburn annually.
“We don’t always see submissions from other communities but we’re always very, very happy to see them,” noted King.
“Jo Ann’s a really interesting artist. She just started painting a year ago, and she’s self taught. She hasn’t done it in any serious way (before). She’s extremely prolific. She has produced a lot of paintings, and she’s learning all the time, so her style has changed a lot. It’s wonderful. She has just really discovered this passion she has.”
Fahlman has a show upcoming in Saskatoon, noted King.
“She has a lot of exciting things going on, and all this, from one year ago.”
On piece by Alyson Haukeness deals with her and her family’s experience with flooding.
“It was obviously a tragic and difficult time for them, so it’s quite an emotional painting for her,” said King.
Aaron Salamon, whose sculptures last year won him recognition at the Adjudicated Art Show, has another couple of pieces on display at this year’s Member Show.
Salamon said since the show last year, he hasn’t had that much time to prepare new works, but the two sculptures featured in the Member Show are examples of what he has been up to.
“This is pretty much it,” he joked. “I’ve done a few smaller ones, but this is about all I’ve done in the last year. Next year’s going to be much better.”
He said he has to devote more time this year but is excited about the prospect. His work will be featured in an upcoming exhibition at the EAGM in 2016.
“It sounds like a long ways away, but for the hours it takes to do these, it’s a pretty tight schedule,” said Salamon.
He sculpts from stone, and selects the type of stone that specifically suits the final piece. An eagle he is exhibiting, a piece called Freedom, he said came from a stone that was already the proper shape.
“You could say, it wanted to be the eagle. The beak was already sticking out. I just had to form it a little bit and clean it up, take off some defects,” he said.
“He is an emerging artist, who again, hasn’t been practicing long,” said King. “These are people who have no formal training but are interested in doing something creative with their time, and this is a great platform for them to show their work.”
The Member Show will run in Gallery 2 until Dec. 19.
