Elaine Clarke (left) and Sue Whittaker get ready to hang some art by children at Good Shepherd Christian School in preparation for the Osoyoos Young Artists exhibition that opens Saturday. All Osoyoos schools are participating. (Richard McGuire photo)
Aspiring young artists from town schools will be showing their work in an exhibition at the Osoyoos Art Gallery opening on Saturday.
Osoyoos Young Artists, an annual tradition, runs from Feb. 6 to Feb. 27, a bit earlier than in previous years when it has run in March.
Sue Whittaker, gallery curator, said she hopes families will come out on the Saturday of the Family Day weekend for the opening reception from 2 to 4 p.m.
“It’s something that people who stay in town can bring their kids to see,” said Whittaker.
The exhibition features work of children at Osoyoos Elementary School (OSE) and Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS), as well as students at Good Shepherd Christian School and those in daycare.
In previous years home-schooled children have also contributed work, but none have in the last couple of years, said Maureen Potter, a retired teacher who acts as a liaison between the gallery and the schools.
The art program at OSS with teacher George Mocci is limited to two years, Whittaker said. OSE students do art in their regular classes, she added.
Potter said she learned there was only one art class in the first semester at OSS, so there won’t be as big a selection of work from that school this year as in the past.
Nonetheless, between the schools, hundreds of pieces are produced, which the teachers and sometimes students narrow down so that the best ones make it into the show.
The calibre of the work can be quite impressive, said Whittaker, pointing to beautiful portraits done by some of the high school students last year.
“Sometimes we’re really surprised at what comes out from Grades 5 and 6,” she said.
Last year a teacher had students draw from a photograph of a famous canal in Venice to teach perspective.
“Some of the kids had taken that idea and changed all the stores and everything,” she said, noting that they had added incongruous elements like a Chinese restaurant to the classical canal scene.
Works will likely include a mix of drawings, paintings, pastels and crayons.
“There could be watercolours, there could be acrylic,” Whittaker said. “We just have to wait. It’ll be a big surprise.”
Last year some students worked with the Osoyoos Potters Club to produce some pottery for the show, but Whittaker doesn’t think that occurred this year.
The gallery has stipulated that it wants art rather than crafts this year, she said.
“We would like it to be drawing, painting, pottery, pastel and that kind of thing where you actually have the children trying to learn some concept of drawing or painting, not just sticking stuff on paper,” she added.
Potter said she’s been acting as the liaison with the schools for about five years. Initially she shared the responsibility with retired teacher Sue McKortoff, but she took it all on herself when McKortoff, now mayor, got into politics.
“I let the schools know when the art show is going to be taking place,” Potter said. “It used to be that we had themes, but we decided that was too constricting for the young artists.”
While some teachers devote time in class to producing work for the show, others just collect pieces from the entire school year, Potter said.
Potter, who taught art as well as Kindergarten to Grade 3, believes the show stimulates an interest in art and gives children confidence.
“A lot of kids approach art with, ‘I can’t draw,’” she said. “It’s neat for them to be able to enjoy this process and come out with a product that they’re proud of.”
The Osoyoos Art Gallery is located at 8713 Main Street and winter hours are Tuesday to Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
