If you want to buy local art this holiday season, stop by the Gallery
The Gwen Fox Gallery always ends the year with an incredible show. This season, they have 36 artists participating in their December All Members Show, showcasing a variety of art mediums and styles. This show is on now until Dec. 20, and in addition to the main gallery offerings, they’ve set up their holiday market with cards and smaller holiday-inspired art pieces, which would make a great addition to a stocking or wrapped under a tree.
After the Gallery closes on Dec. 20, the hard working volunteers will get a bit of a break from their posts as the gallery takes the month of January to reset after the busy season. They will be back in a big way in February, however, as the Large Format Show will open at the beginning of the month.
Some of the artists participating in the December show are:
Dilpreet Kaur
Dilpreet Kaur
Kaur is primarily a photographer, but this month she has some nature inspired collage work that she’s showing in the gallery.
“I mostly like capturing nature. It’s very visual. It’s something you can feel. It’s something you can connect (with). And I like to capture colours, so it has to be really bright and eye catching. And mostly I do scenery and landscapes,” she said.
The artwork that she created for this show is a bit out of Kaur’s ordinary wheelhouse, but it keeps to the same subjects that inspire her other art. She went outside and collected leaves as they changed colour this fall, pressed them, and then held them in place using a picture frame. Because the frames are the only things keeping the art together, they are now permanently part of the art.
“It was not something I mainly do. It was just something that came along the way, and I was like, Well, I’m going to put it in a show, because they just look so pretty,” she said.
Her inspiration for her work comes quite clearly from an appreciation of the world we live in.
“I see so many beautiful views and such beautiful things that I noticed when I’m walking. These have to be captured because you never know if you’re going to see the same thing again or not. I probably look like a crazy lady walking down the street and picking up leaves here and there. But it’s just fun. It makes my heart happy,” said Kaur.
Kaur started her art journey, which she calls a passion, when she was in school.
“We had an option to do a photography course, and it was just something I signed up to do with my friends. It was just an I’m just going to go there, see how it goes (kind of thing),” she explained.
She is a recent addition to the Gwen Fox Gallery, having been part of the community for about a year at this point and starting as a volunteer.
“The first time I came to Selkirk, on my first day, I walked into this gallery, and I’m like, I’m going to sign up for a membership, because this is one of the wonderful things that I want to do in town,” said Kaur.
From a position as a volunteer, she was inspired not only by the art but also by the other members to showcase her work.
“I was inspired by everybody who works here, and they were saying even if you’re not a professional, even if it’s just the beginning, you’ve got to put your art out there. You’ve just got to start doing it, and then you’ll get criticism. You’ll know what’s good and you’ll know what’s bad, and then you get more inspired,” she said.
Kaur’s love of the community that the Gwen Fox Gallery has created around it is also quite clear.
“They’re very helpful, and they’re like, ‘You’ve got to try everything and find out what you like.’ (I enjoy) basically, just being part of the family here, and connecting with people and learning from them,” she said.
As a beginner artist, she knows what it’s like to be at the beginning of her journey, and her advice to others is to follow their heart and create.
“Even if you don’t want to do it professionally, that’s no big deal, because you’re going to do what makes your heart happy. If you’re doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, it’s all right,” said Kaur.
She hopes that residents find their way into the gallery this month.
“Come here, look around. Even if you don’t want to buy anything. You’ll be inspired,” said Kaur.
Melanie Shumilak
Shumilak is a talented artist who is passionate about our local art scene in every form. This month, she is sharing her paintings at the All Members Show, but she’s previously had pottery at the gallery.
“My art is eclectic. I like it to be a little bit whimsical and abstract. I’m still very much learning and developing a style. I have different styles that I like, and I’m in love with watercolour,” she said.
In addition to using her time to create art, she contributes to our local art and culture by being the visual arts coordinator for the Selkirk and District Arts Festival and was an actor in the recent production of On the Air put on at Selkirk United Church. She’s also previously directed local stage productions.
At the gallery this month, she’s got two of her watercolour pieces on display.
Her inspiration for creating visual art comes from a place of needing to let her creativity free.
“It was a lifetime of denying myself the joy of it, and not believing in myself and not thinking I was good enough. So as I was approaching retirement, I picked up a paintbrush and went out on a limb. And now I just say, everything is practice,” explained Shumilak.
Her art journey started in 2017 on vacation.
“I brought some very cheap acrylic paints and found some paper, and went on YouTube and painted an oak tree. That oak tree is still up in my studio. And I went, ‘Wow, I can do that.’ And so, then it was just practice and experimenting from there and trying all different kinds of styles,” she said.
Shumilak got into watercolour on a different trip that she took to Mexico a little bit later.
“I stayed in a campground in Mexico. There was a free watercolour class. I was always scared of watercolour, because I know it’s a little more complicated. A fellow by the name of Scott Wilson taught a bunch of us how to do some watercolours. And I went, ‘Wow, I can do this too,” she said.
It was about 18 months ago that she ended up joining the gallery and has enjoyed being part of our local art community.
“It’s a wonderful forum for people to play with art and show off their art. The Gift Shop is, it’s so local, and you can buy a card cheaper here than at Safeway. I think people need to know that,” said Shumilak.
Her advice for artists just starting on their journey is to grab some cheap paint and give it a try, as you might be surprised at what you can do, especially with online resources that are available for free. Then she says, once you’ve moved past that, you can take some local lessons as well.
Shumilak encourages residents to take advantage of the gallery this season to check out some great local art.
“The Gift Shop is very reasonable, and they expand it for Christmas. (Gifts are) always a little more meaningful when it’s a local artist,” she said.
Kristina Zabawa Ryan
Zabawa Ryan is an artist who, in addition to bringing a painting to the Gwen Fox Gallery, for the first time has brought caribou tufting to be viewed.
“Caribou tuftings are very unique. It’s a Northern Canadian craft that I learned from a friend who lived in Churchill, Man. for many, many years. She learned it from a lady by the name of Myrtle deMeulles, who is a fantastic artist,” said Zabawa Ryan.
She explained that her work is inspired by her love of the way light and dark contrast, and nature.
“I love shadows and the outdoors. Although I have a lot of allergies, I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors, but I love trees and valleys and flowers and things that appeal to people,” said Zabawa Ryan.
Her journey as an artist started when she was a child.
“I’ve been drawing since I could hold a pencil. I always took a lot of classes. My parents were very good at allowing me to attend all the classes I wanted in the galleries and privately. I never did go to university for it, but I probably did as many hours in classes as a university degree would take. I like to try different things. I do fractal wood burning, I do stained glass and furniture refinishing, home renovations, I take on anything,” she said.
Zabawa Ryan is from Winnipeg and is a recent addition to the Gwen Fox Gallery.
“I wanted to expand my horizons and meet new people and try new venues for my art, see if it would be popular here too, with the caribou tuftings, especially,” she said.
Her best advice for new artists is if you’re inspired, give it a try.
“Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, because sometimes those mistakes turn into beautiful pictures. You can start a painting or a drawing and leave it because you’re not happy with it, and look at it again in six months and say, ‘Oh, all it needs is a couple of brush strokes,’ and it’s perfect,” she said.
Zabawa Ryan hopes that residents visit the gallery this month.
If you’d like to catch up with her on social media, she’s at https://www.instagram.com/kristina1133/?hl=en on Instagram.
If you’d like to take in some inspiration or take advantage of the gallery’s Gift Shop. The Gwen Fox Gallery is open this month until Dec. 20. Their hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m., and they are open late on Thursdays until 8 p.m.
