Artists Joan Ewonchuk, Jodi McGill, Gail Penner, Eliza Shanahan, and Patti Simko fill the gallery
This month, five artists are showing their paintings, photography, pottery, and more at the Gwen Fox Gallery. Joan Ewonchuk, Jodi McGill, Gail Penner, Eliza Shanahan, and Patti Simko will be showing their view of the world as artists and the subjects that inspire them. The show runs until July 25, and the artist’s reception will take place on July 4 from 1 to 3 p.m.
The Gwen Fox Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free for anyone who wants to stop by.
Joan Ewonchuk
Joan Ewonchuk
Joan is an acrylic artist who creates vibrant paintings that pop on the wall. She doesn’t just keep the paint on the canvas, however, as she has also brought some of her painted skates depicting winter scenes into the gallery for viewers to enjoy.
She describes her art as colourful and nature themed, and at this month’s gallery show, you can see many of her wildlife pieces along with florals and landscapes.
“I’m trying to show people the colours and beauty of the Interlake,” said Ewonchuk.
She said that her art journey started when she was a teenager.
“I always wanted to paint, so my parents got me lessons for Christmas one year, and so I painted for a couple years there, and then I had kids, and that paused things, and then when we moved out here, I got inspired all over again, and I just started painting,” explained Ewonchuk.
She is from St. Andrews and has been part of the gallery for about 6 years. She enjoys being part of the gallery for the community.
“What I love is the networking with other artists and learning from each other, and just making friends at the opportunities that arise from knowing the other artists,” said Ewonchuk.
Many different artists at all stages of their art practice are part of the gallery. Ewonchuk’s advice to artists who are just starting out is not to be discouraged on their journeys.
“There’s always an ugly phase in your paintings, and the more you paint, the better you get, and I am an example of that. I had never done animals before. I just started a year ago,” she said,
Ewonchuk has now gotten so proficient with her animal and bird works that she does commissions of pets for those who want to have their fluffy or feathered friend immortalized.
You can connect with Ewonchuk on Instagram at @ joan_ewonchuk_art to see some of her pieces, but there’s nothing like seeing art in person.
“It’s a beautiful show. Come for gifts. Just come for a look to see. Come for inspiration. There’s stuff for the cottage, there’s stuff for your home, and there’s gifts for your family and friends,” she said.
Jodi McGill
McGill is a multi-media artist who uses her curiosity to her advantage in experimenting and creating an eclectic selection of pieces.
In the gallery this month, viewers will be able to see her watercolour and acrylic pieces alongside a new medium for her, pottery, which she’s been taking classes in, through the gallery.
Her inspiration comes from the environment and whatever she is feeling that particular day. You can sense that emotion and flow when you look at the about 30 pieces that she has in this month’s show.
McGill explained that the theme of this month’s show, Escape through an Artist’s Eyes, can be interpreted in different ways, but that she feels that all five artists’ work tell stories.
“I think that from what I’ve contributed, and then what all the other artists have as well, you can look at each piece and go and make a story,” she said.
As for McGill’s own work and stories, she isn’t afraid to experiment in how she expresses herself, which may come from her own personal story.
She comes from a very talented family, and so art and creativity were all around her growing up.
“Both sets of grandparents were talented in their own ways, and I think I kind of gleaned a little bit of all of that from each, and then my mom and dad as well, so then it just kind of carried through,” she explained.
McGill explained that she didn’t do as much art in high school, but then came back to it when she had her own children and wanted to do art with them.
“That’s how I got my creative outlet, but as the kids got older, I was able to tap into my own thing again and realize that, hey, I need to do this just for my own health,” she said.
McGill explained that she’s been part of the gallery for two years now, and she’s stayed for the people.
“I’ve made friends, and it’s just always been a welcoming group to come and hang out with,” she said.
As for newer artists who are just starting out, McGill suggests that they have fun.
“Play every day with it. Just take five minutes and doodle. Set aside time to do it. Be intentional about it,” she said.
You can follow McGill online on Instagram at @jodiellen.studio.
She hopes that anyone wanting a chance to be inspired takes the time to visit the show this month.
“If you’re in Selkirk for whatever reason, don’t miss it, because there’s a lot to see,” said McGill.
Gail Penner
Penner is an artist with a great deal of scope. From jewelry making to photography and even mosaic work, she’s brought a lot of her talents to the gallery this month.
“My photography is rustic and rural, especially during winter storms,” she said.
She described her mosaics as more abstract, and her jewellry pieces are cleverly made out of old silver cutlery bent into shapes to form pendants, rings, keychains, and more.
As for her inspiration, Penner is not quite sure where it comes from, describing it as an “I just do (it)” type of process, however she is quite inspired by bad weather in her photography.
“If it’s raining, if it’s snowing, if it’s bad weather, that’s the time to do photography,” she said.
Her art journey began when she was very young, and she started with handicrafts. From there, after obtaining degrees in science related fields, she took a photography course in Winnipeg. She saw some success with her photography, selling quite a few photos in a Starbucks when artists used to be featured on their walls. Then, she saw a fork bent into a grasshopper, and after learning how to do that craft, incorporated jewellry making into her art practice. She’s now created her own cutlery designs, some of which are in the gallery this month.
She also, at one point in her journey, discovered mosaics and stained glass and actually teaches classes in those subjects.
Look out for a mosaics class from Penner coming to the Gwen Fox Gallery this September, and if you’re in the Gimli area, there will be another one there at the beginning of October.
Penner has been part of the Gwen Fox Gallery for ten years now and continues to be part of the community because she likes the structure that the gallery brings to her. She also mentioned the kind community and, in particular, Patricia Johnson, Brenda Hedberg, and Garth Palanuk, who each give so much to the local artist community.
Her advice to beginner artists is to just go for it.
“Learn as much as you can and surround yourself with good people,” said Penner.
She hopes that visitors make their way to this month’s show.
“We’ve got a huge variety of art, and there’s some really nice stuff in here,” said Penner.
If you’d like to check out Penner’s creations online, you can see them on Instagram at @gailpenner. She’s also available to make group mosaic classes happen, and you can connect with her at gail.pennor@yahoo.ca for more details.
Eliza Shanahan
Shanahan is a newer artist to the gallery, but her pieces pack a punch. They are vibrant and add a touch of whimsy to the gallery’s spread.
This month, she mostly has landscape work in the gallery. She works in both oil and acrylic, and you can’t miss some of her larger scale pieces, which tie nicely into some of the smaller work by the other artists.
Shanahan explained that her inspiration for her pieces comes from nature. Though she doesn’t paint in nature, she described her process as taking photographs and using them to create her compositions.
“No matter how bad your day is, if you go for a walk, it seems to just get better being out with nature,” said Shanahan.
She explained that her art journey started as a teen.
“I’m an Alberta girl by birth, and when I was a teenager and started by doing a couple of displaying demonstrations for St. Patrick’s Day of lace making,” Shanahan said.
She said that she’s always been interested in textile arts, but with her job, watercolour was a very mobile art, and then she’s also evolved into more areas of art over time.
Though she hasn’t been a local to our area for long, as she was a military chaplain before her retirement and was most recently stationed in Nova Scotia, her work fits into the gallery seamlessly. She found out about the Gwen Fox Gallery after joining the Gimli Art Club.
“There were ladies from Selkirk there, and they were checking out what the artists were doing in Gimli as a little outing. One of the ladies invited me and my sister to join (the Gwen Fox gallery). It was like, ‘Why not, we’ll check it out.’ We came in and checked it out, and I thought, ‘Well, this is such a lovely place.’” said Shanahan.
She also complimented the gallery’s volunteers, whom she described as kind, inviting, and full of great advice.
Her advice for artists trying art for the first time is to not give up.
“The world is full of people who are so diverse in their likes and dislikes, and while you may have something that is a gem. It may not be in that location a gem. You’ve got to have faith in yourself and keep going at it, keep improving your art, keep doing art every day, even if it’s just doodling,” said Shanahan.
She encourages residents to stop by the gallery this month.
“There’s something here for everyone when you look, whether it’s pottery or jewelry or painting or a card. It’s air conditioned. Why not come in, escape the heat and the mosquitoes, and just get lost in a moment of taking time for yourself,” said Shanahan.
Patti Simko
Simko is an artist with a vast array of talents when it comes to art. It’s been two years since her last show at the gallery, and she still has some beautiful landscapes that are more realistic on display but her landscape style has evolved, including more surreal and impressionist elements in some of her more recent pieces.
“In the last couple of years, I’ve been playing more, and I’ve been creating for myself. I’m not worrying about marketability anymore and whether somebody likes it or not. And so, a lot of these are multimedia. I’m mixing watercolour, with acrylic, with pen, and then throwing some sewing and some beads on it,” she said.
Simko’s pieces are fun, vibrant, and sometimes make a statement, while other times they are simply beautiful.
“Mostly, I’d have to say my inspiration starts off with a colour. And, I’ll look at my wall at my tubes of paint, or whatever I have handy, and whatever grabs me at that moment is what I usually start with,” she explained.
Her art journey started after a major illness.
“It was at my daughter’s insistence that I start painting. As like a kid, everybody has drawn or painted, but she encouraged me to start again. And then, when I did start, I realized that even for brief moments at a time, I wasn’t thinking about myself, and it allowed me to have some peace that eventually grew,” said Simko.
Simko has been part of the Gwen Fox Gallery for about six years at this point. She has kept up with the artist community because it really packs a punch.
“The quality of art in this area is incredible. There’s some really good art and art shows that happen in this gallery. And, I love the way the gallery now incorporates young people, new artists, and emerging artists, there’s a lot of mentoring that goes on. There’s many reasons why I keep coming back to the gallery, and I think it’s mostly (that) the camaraderie is really good. Artists tend to learn from each other. There’s a lot of mentoring and a lot of collaborating,” she said.
Her advice for artists starting out is to not care what others think.
“Just get in there, make a mess, don’t expect perfection,” she said.
Simko welcomes everyone to the gallery for this month’s show.
“There’s so many different mediums, having five artists, and the skill level is really high. There’s a lot of different sizes of art, a lot of different price points, and it’s just a really good, solid art show,” she said.
You can catch Simko online at www.pattisimkoart.ca as well as on Instagram at @pattisimkoart, and she is also a frequent art teacher at the St. Andrews Community Club and St. Andrews Heritage Centre, so check them out regularly to see if you can catch one of her adult or children’s classes.
