Shelley Eros, Olivia Kruk, Gail Penner and Roberta Vyse show an array of mediums and inspiration at November exhibit
The Gwen Fox Gallery in Selkirk has artists and volunteers putting on monthly exhibits that showcase the vibrant art scene in Selkirk and the surrounding area. Until Nov. 23, the Gallery is going to be home to Eclipsing Arcs an exhibit with works by local artists Shelley Eros, Olivia Kruk, Gail Penner and Roberta Vyse whose works contrast and complement each other making for a collection worth checking out.
Shelley Eros
Eros is showing some of her paintings in this month’s exhibit that utilize a variety of media including oil and cold wax, a variety of pastes including crackle paste, and the addition of many substances like coffee grounds or marble dust to add texture, to create mostly abstract work.
“Most of the pieces are non-representational. There will also be select florals and landscapes for diversity with the artworks combined with different medias,” she explained.
Eros, who is from Gunton, explained that her work is influenced by nature.
“Lakes in Manitoba and Ontario’s boreal forest and old growth forest. I spend so much time outside in my garden and hiking. It’s the outdoors that I get it from,” she said.
When she starts a piece, she says her initial inspiration comes from a feeling which leads her to a colour which prompts the beginning.
Eros says that she’s been making art since she was very young.
“I’ve loved art since I was probably in grade three. It was in my high school years in art class that (I learned) how to do different things, like drawing and all sorts of stuff. I always wanted to do oils, but really did not have the technique at that time. I also wanted to do abstract art that time, but knew I just wasn’t there yet,” she said.
After her time in school, she continued to have artistic pursuits in her life in many different ways from ceramics and sculpture, to flamenco dancing, to singing rock and blues music, but it was in 2020 after her husband passed away that she decided to try her hand at painting as he had been a visual artist.
“We’d talk about how to mix certain colours for example. Our whole life was art, and it was during that time and during COVID, because I was isolated, [that] what I had to see me through was painting,” said Eros.
Her advice for people on a creativity journey is to keep creating and don’t let anyone stop you.
“Sometimes in life, crises happen but hopefully those are short. Sometimes you don’t feel like creating either, but just showing up and doing just a small amount—a little sketch or doodle—can bring flow back with steady, perseverance,” said Eros.
She wanted to be part of the Gwen Fox Gallery because of the community of artists that have come together around it.
“It’s community-based and volunteer-based. You can be involved here and there are so many great exhibits. There’s so many opportunities to exhibit art,” said Eros.
She welcomes residents to stop by the gallery this month.
“It’s totally eclectic. The art is very well done. I think our combination of (the people in) the group that I’m in here, it’s all cohesive. Plus it’s November and close to Christmas, and good shopping in the gift shop, not only the main gallery,” said Eros.
You can check our Eros’s work online on Facebook at www.facebook.com or Instagram at @sheleros.
Olivia Kruk
Kruk’s art brings together elements of surrealism with a moody atmosphere and sometimes vibrant colours which brings out a nice contrast to the Gwen Fox Gallery this month.
“It’s very abstract, I would say, and it’s less of a process. My art comes in like waves,” explained Kruk.
Kruk is a Selkirk-based artist and her paintings are made using acrylics.
She explained that her inspiration is hard to put a finger on as she’s not sure what exactly sparks her creativity.
“Sometimes it can be little shapes that I see around the room. Sometimes it can be just brushing my fingers around the canvas until I see something, and then I just go in with what I see. It’s not a lot of planning or thought that goes into the paintings. I just use my hands and see what I see,” said Kruk.
As a younger artist, she decided that she wanted to be part of the Gwen Fox Gallery about a year ago because of the opportunities that it gives to local artists.
“I wanted to showcase my art to people. Maybe I could inspire them to do art that just forms in their brain, even if it doesn’t turn out exactly how they believe it will turn out,” she said.
Kruk explained that her artist journey began by creating art in school and drawing alongside her dad.
She encourages other artists who are younger to give the Gwen Fox Gallery a shot.
“The older folks are not as scary as you think. They’re really nice and they’re very supportive of the art that you do,” she said.
Kruk encourages residents to check out this November’s show.
“There’s a lot of cool art and great people. The art that is shown in the show is very unique to each person. I think you can see for each painting, it’s very distinct to the artist,” said Kruk.
Gail Penner
Penner is from Landmark and is a multi-disciplinary artist with photography and reclaimed item pieces showing how creativity can come from very interesting places.
“I have photography in there, and my thing is rustic and rural, especially during winter storms,” said Penner.
Her reclaimed art pieces, though some contain other reclaimed items like chandelier crystals, are primarily made of old cutlery that have been turned into modern jewellery.
“I’ve got bracelets, pendants, spoon rings . . . and earrings. I use semi-precious stones for embellishing and I think I’m going to be bringing Christmas tree ornaments, angels, gnomes and wise men or wizards,” said Penner.
Her photography is inspired by the harsh winter that’s part of our landscape.
“I love photography. I was a teenager when I was first doing photography. I love winter because of the light and because of the moodiness that you get in the photography,” said Penner.
Her jewellery is a reflection of her love of handcrafting.
“The first thing I happened to see was a fork that had been bent into a grasshopper,” she explained.
She says that she enjoys the fun of using these reclaimed materials.
Her advice for other artists who want to start their artistic journey is to not stop at learning how to do one thing.
“Learn everything you can do. I think most people, they have a hard time settling into one thing. So, I think most people are going to be learning and learning many different disciplines,” said Penner.
Penner advises residents to go down to the gallery because you never know when you’ll find something that you will love.
“Their shows are always really good and I think you just have to go and visit the gallery and see if there’s something that strikes a chord with you,” she said.
To check out Penner online visit Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/throughglassimages/and Instagram at @gailpenner.
Roberta Vyse
Vyse is a local painter who showcases the beauty and colour of nature with her more realistic styled works.
It’s “realistic, colourful and trying to make it really stand out and be bold,” said Vyse.
She explained that to create her acrylic work she has a two-step process.
“I use mostly acrylics for painting. Quite often, I will sketch something that I’m going to paint first, so I’ll use pencil and marker, and, when I’m finished, I’ll have two pieces of artwork. One is a sketch, and the other is a painting,” explained Vyse.
Her inspiration comes from landscapes but she doesn’t really know what the spark is that makes one landscape click with her over another.
“When I see something out in nature or I see something that I think would make a really nice picture, then I will take photographs of that and see if I can make it work into a painting. I don’t know. It’s just something sort of says, I think this would be good,” she said.
As a St. Andrews artist, she wanted to become a part of the Gwen Fox Gallery to see if her art could stand beside other amazing local artists and it definitely does.
“I always liked art. I dabbled in art when I was younger and later on just after I got married, that sort of thing, but never really took it seriously. A lady from Miami, Man., got involved in oil painting when she was in her late 70s. And I thought, if she can do this, maybe I can. I got involved in this because I wanted to test out whether or not I had any talent or ability,” said Vyse.
As someone who started taking their artistic talent seriously not long ago, her advice to people wanting to start is to take some lessons and get started.
“Get some art supplies and just get started, because it is a journey and you might not think you’re getting better, but as you stand back and look at some of your work from a year ago (you’ll see progress.) The journey is great even though you just make small steps,” she said.
Vyse recommends that residents come to this and future exhibits at the Gwen Fox Gallery.
“The times that I’ve been here and to the different shows, there’s some amazing art that people, I think, would be surprised to see the quality of it. And there’s diverse art, there’s quilting, felting, there’s all sorts of things. I think it’s sort of a gem in Selkirk that everybody should make a point of coming here several times a year,” said Vyse.
The Gwen Fox Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and late on Thursdays until 8 p.m. It’s always free to visit the gallery and to check out their monthly exhibits. This is the last exhibit of 2024 with December being an all members show.
