BANFF – Witness art in the making at Canada House Gallery’s Art Live.
Previously known as Demo Day, Art Live has featured artists from all over the country, but this year, the artists that make up the lineup are all Alberta-based.
For its 15th anniversary, Jennifer Annesley, Sheila Kernan, Robert Lemay, Terry McCue and Kerry Langlois will be showcasing their artwork, as well as demonstrating their artistic skills for art enthusiasts.
“It’s really fun for everyone to get out and see so many different artists, kind of all at once and get a glimpse of the process and you can chat and speak with the artists as well,” said Langlois, a Canmore based artist.
Edmontonian artists Annesley and Lemay, each have their own unique art styles. Annesley’s precise brush strokes recreate detailed architecture and landscapes, while Lemay’s paintings depict vintage magazine covers and famous pop cultural cinematic scenes.
Then there’s Calgarian Kernan’s style, which presents colourful landscapes with somewhat psychedelic features.
McCue’s artwork depicts wildlife in his paintings and more recently, has touched on Indigenous issues like missing and murdered Indigenous women across Canada.
Langlois will be featured at Art Live, creating enchanting and vibrant landscapes with a minimalistic style that she describes as “mountain modern.”
“It’s all kind of nature inspired, but it has a little bit more of a contemporary feel," Langlois said. "I like to work with a minimalist palette to keep things very simple.
"Bold and moody is the esthetic I go for, but I paint a lot of pinecones, misty lakes, misty trees, mountains – more so the idea of a place than an actual place."
As art lovers get the chance to witness the live art demonstration and chat with Canadian artists, they also get the opportunity to purchase the artists’ pieces straight from the easel.
“All the artists are bringing work that they might have started that day, are finishing that day or maybe they kind of bring it half-way started, but if you like what the artist is doing and you can buy it right on the spot before it’s even finished, which is really exciting because it kind of gives you a little bit more connection to the painting and seeing it being made,” Langlois said.
Langlois’ most recent series is based on a salt water lakes around the world with one piece depicting the unique colours of Hutt Lagoon, a lake in Western Australia. Hutt Lagoon usually emanates an all-natural vibrant pink and transforms into different hues depending on the season and time of day. The high concentration of salt in the lake creates the vibrant colours.
“I use a lot of pink already in my work," she said. "I have a pink tree series where’s it’s just kind of misty forests … and once I came across this phenomena of naturally pink lakes, [it] made me really interested in real places with these insane colours. I made a few of those paintings for the show and I’m looking forward to seeing the feedback on those.”
Canada House Gallery presents Art Live on Saturday (Aug. 17) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m where the public can see these incredibly talented artists at work.
