Canmore’s The Avens Gallery will feature a tribute to local artist Zelda Nelson – sharing and celebrating her life through her artwork and her longtime contributions to the Bow Valley and the international arts community as a whole.
Nelson is a longtime resident of the Bow Valley. Originally a Saskatoon girl, she moved to Canmore for inspiration and opened her own hair salon, which she ran for many years.
Later, she had a paradigm shift in life and decided to sell her business to join the arts community full time. She just “had to paint.”
“Zelda Nelson has put in the hours to perfect her lifelong passion for painting,” said artist and friend Shirley Chinneck. “What a magnificent legacy she is leaving for her family and the community.
“Equally important is the example she has shown us in how to face adversity (cancer). I am proud of you Zelda. I cherish our painting times together and am grateful to have shared part of your journey.”
“After having painted outdoors for nearly 20 years, the only time I came across another artist in the wild was at Gap Lake,” said Doug Swinton, Calgary artist and friend.
“If you have ever been to Gap Lake, you know it can be windy in that valley. On a sunny, windy day I drove down into the park area. I knew of a nice spot to hunker down and get some shelter that had a view.
“When I got there some one had already staked their claim. Zelda was set up and trying to get some work done. Upon discussing how we have never run in to anyone else in the bush in all these years painting, we decided it was too windy and drove back to Canmore to have a beer inside.
“We got no painting done but we had a fabulous time sharing brewskies and talking about how famous we were going be some day.”
The Avens Gallery celebrates 40 Western Canadian artists. It was established in 1986 and represents local and regional artists.
