Osoyoos artists, both beginner and experienced, are being asked to think about participating in the community art show in January at The Art Gallery Osoyoos.
After two years of “Driven to Abstraction,” a show inviting local artists to create abstracts, the coming show takes a new twist. “Image and Text” invites artists to create works inspired by a written text, such as a poem or short piece of prose.
“It’s always a good idea to change things up,” said Sue Whittaker, curator of the gallery, who said she came up with the idea the way she often does – lying in bed sleepless at night.
“If you do the same thing over and over again, people stop participating,” she said.
“It could be a poem, it could be a prayer, it could be anything that’s written,” said Whittaker. “I’ve said to people think of something that you’ve read, somewhere in life that’s stuck in your mind. Maybe just a line of it or whatever.”
In the past two years, Driven to Abstraction attracted numerous participants from the community, including some not used to showing their work in galleries.
“We were really well supported,” said Whittaker. “People came out for the reception and there were people there that we didn’t know, people who were not that comfortable being in a gallery. They stood by the windows in the second room and never moved.”
The show is open to artists from Osoyoos and the smaller surrounding communities, said Whittaker. This includes people from Keremeos and Oliver, as well as communities to the east such as Bridesville and Rock Creek. It would not include people from larger communities with active galleries such as Penticton or Kelowna, she added.
Artistic works can be in a variety of media and aren’t limited to painting. It could be sculpture, pottery, wood or other art forms that can be tied to the written words. Unlike the last two years, works do not have to be abstract.
There is a $10 entry fee to help cover the gallery’s costs, said Whittaker, and the gallery will be accepting applications at the beginning of November.
Application forms will be available on The Art Gallery Osoyoos website or they can be picked up in the gallery.
Whittaker said the words will be printed on a card next to the artistic work and don’t need to be incorporated into the work itself.
The number of works submitted by an artist could range from one to three, depending on their size.
Work will be received from artists on Monday, Jan. 7. The opening with reception is Saturday, Jan. 12 and the show runs to Feb. 2.
The gallery is located at 8713 Main Street, Osoyoos, just west of town hall. Its website is at: osoyoosarts.com/groups/osoyoos-art-gallery/.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
