Check out works by artists Joan Ewonchuk, Barb Hoffmann, Shirley Lawrence, Gracie Kars Plouffe, and Patti Simko
This month the Gwen Fox Gallery is playing host to Through Our Eyes a Visual Journey. The five artists in this show – Joan Ewonchuk, Barb Hoffmann, Shirley Lawrence, Gracie Kars Plouffe, and Patti Simko – each use different mediums and styles but all interpret the world in a unique way. Join them in the celebration of perspectives in this month’s exhibit.
Joan Ewonchuk
Ewonchuk describes her work as inspired by nature and involving vibrant colours. The paintings that she is showing in the gallery this month are acrylic and she is showing mostly landscapes and floral works.
“[I’m inspired by] my experiences camping and travelling and my yard and gardens. When I was younger, we went on a lot of road trips and I used to look at fields and forests and say, ‘Oh, I would love to paint that’,” she said.
She started taking art lessons when she was 17 years old. After doing that for a few years she took a pause when her family life required her attention but came back to it five or six years ago.
Now she works in acrylics and has tried pencil crayons and watercolours as she enjoys experimenting with mediums.
Her art style is influenced by her interpretations because she envisions colours brighter than they are. This allows her to create vibrant canvases that pop from the walls.
She advises people who have taken a break from art and want to return to it to start slow.
“I’ve taken watercolour classes and I did a couple of paint nights. And if you think it’s ugly, just keep on going. You have to keep going,” said Ewonchuk.
She recommends people check out her and the other artist’s work this month.
“If you want to get cheered up with this rotten last bit of winter [weather] then you should come down,” she said.
Barb Hoffmann
Hoffman says that she tries to show the sunshine and brightness that allows people to see the best of the world through her art.
“I have a really strong spiritual connection to this beautiful world we live on. It’s shown through my art. I’m a glass-half-full kind of person so I see the best of everything. So that’s pretty much my art,” she said.
Hoffmann says that she brought a little bit of everything to the gallery with works in graphite, acrylic, watercolour and pastels to see.
“My inspiration comes from other artists, and basically just the world around me. I’m constantly looking at nature while I’m walking. I tend to see the little details everywhere,” she said.
She says that her journey as an artist started from the time she was young.
“I couldn’t even write my name yet and I was drawing horses and dogs and houses and picket fence. It was my mom that helped me see that my perspective was off and from four years old, I remember striving to get that perspective right,” said Hoffmann.
As a self-taught artist, she says that people creating art should know that there are many free resources available online that they can use to learn skills.
She encourages people who are interested in creating their own art to come out to the gallery.
“Come on out and check out the artwork for inspiration. There’s always an artist available to talk to if you have any questions. Thursday evenings are great because we are creating art as well as keeping the gallery open, so you can see work in progress and get tips and tricks,” she said.
If you want a sneak peek of her art before making your way to the gallery check her out on Instagram at @babaralynnart.
Shirley Lawrence
Shirley Lawrence
Lawrence is a carver who uses hand tools to create sculptures that are inspired by nature.
She most often uses butternut wood because it has a grain that she finds beautiful but she also has pieces made in different woods in the gallery this month which bring a fun variety of colours and textures to see.
She says that her work is often inspired by nature and that’s reflected in the pieces that she’s showing this month. Residents will be able to see many birds including ducks and an impressive grouse performing its dance. She also has a variety of sculpted shells that she’s created a home for on a beach-like backdrop. She has even incorporated the world of florals with a bouquet of tulips that can be enjoyed any time of the year.
Lawrence says that her process starts in different ways. Sometimes, she explained, the wood itself tells her what it wants to be. Other times she decides what she wants to carve and finds a variety of inspiration sources that she can draw from to make the sculpture look realistic but also unique.
Lawrence explained that she got her start in carving after volunteer work with Ducks Unlimited brought her to a decoy-making class.
“I looked at them and I thought, ‘I think I could do that. I’d like to try that.’ I’ve always liked wood. It smells good. It’s warm. And so, that’s where it started. I took a little six-week class,” she said.
Lawrence says that her work is made using hand tools like knives and gouges as opposed to machine tools. There are many different ways to carve, however, and she encourages residents who are interested to keep an open mind.
“There are many, many things you can do with wood that are called carving. Even if what I’m doing is not something you would particularly like to do, you could certainly look in other directions and there are all sorts of different kinds of things you can do with it. Just jump right in and go for it. Don’t be afraid that you can’t do it,” she said.
Lawrence says that the Gwen Fox Gallery is a great place to visit because of how often the shows change and new work comes in.
“Come and have a look. You’ll be amazed at how many great pieces have come into this place,” she said.
Gracie Kars Plouffe
Plouffe is an oil painter and photographer who has many large pieces in the gallery this month.
Plouffe’s style of art is one of discovery. When she takes a photo and feels that it looks good she will paint it.
Most of her inspiration comes from animals which is visible in the polar bear, pelican, and eagle paintings that are on display this month. Residents of Selkirk will also notice that Selkirk’s downtown is taking a place of prominence on one of the gallery walls.
Her artistic journey started when she was very young. She remembers her mother not being impressed by drawings that came to be on her wallpaper but Plouffe says that the real spark that got her into art was taking home a prize from an art contest when she was in seventh grade.
She welcomes residents to come to the gallery this month.
“Come look and try something different. Come in to see the pictures and the art of Selkirk. If you’ve got some spare time, come in,” said Plouffe.
Patti Simko
Simko is an artist of many talents. Residents will be able to see her two distinct styles of art in the gallery this month. She has both a realistic traditional side and a side that she where she creates surrealist pieces for the fun of creation.
“I like to use deep, rich colours. I’m not a pastel kind of painter,” she said.
She says that inspiration, for her, comes from a variety of sources one of which is colours but also familiarity plays a part.
“I tend to gravitate back towards subject matters that I used to draw as a child. I think maybe a lot of artists do that but I have a lot of rural pieces. I grew up in the Interlake and so a lot of my pieces are that subject matters the barns and fields and hay bales and things. That is probably a big inspiration,” said Simko.
She started her journey into art in 2018 when inspired by her daughter to try she decided to give it a go.
“I started painting and it just took off from there now it’s a major part of my life. It’s almost meditative for me but that was my jumping-off point, my daughter’s encouragement,” said Simko.
She encourages people who want to make the leap into art to start off with a smaller jump.
“Think small, looking at big canvases can be overwhelming. Go back to that subject matter that you’re familiar with. Go slow. Realize that most paintings can’t be started and finished in an hour. Take your time, and don’t be so hard on yourself because art is very subjective,” she said.
She explained that it takes a lot of courage to paint because like writing or creating music you are showing a little bit of yourself to people when you show them your art and that can be scary.
Simko hopes that people check out the show at the gallery this month.
“It’s such a good show. I’m watching it all come together right now and there’s there are a lot of really good solid, quality pieces of art. Lots of colours, lots of different styles, lots of different mediums. It’s a really, really good show and I’m very proud of it,” said Simko.
She also wants people to know that the art is quite reasonably priced. She says that sometimes people can be intimidated coming to a gallery because they think it might be out of their price range but that’s not always the case so people should feel free to check out the show whether or not they intend to make a purchase.
Residents can also meet Ewonchuk, Hoffmann, Lawrence, Plouffe, and Simko at their Meet the Artists afternoon on March 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. To view the exhibit stop by Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays this month from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
