At the Golden Beach At Show - seeking shade!

At the Golden Beach Art Show.

At the Golden Beach Show - Brenda Sullivan - potter.

Spirit Of The Hills Tries Art Show And Sale At Golden Beach Car Event

During last weekend, we went to visit the art show and sale put on by Spirit of the Hills at the huge annual auto show at Golden Beach. The show was organized by Beth Rhind and was regarded by her as a bit of an experiment. The weather was a problem on Saturday with pouring rain, but on Sunday it was sunshine and very warm temperatures. All in all, 10 artists from the spirit of the Hills participated in the display attractively presented in a spacious tent.

We had a chance to talk to two of the artists. Perhaps their response could be regarded as typical of those who showed off their art at Golden Beach. "This is the first time that we have tried to be part of a car show, but in my experience, mixing art shows with other events does not work. I have been at the Shelter Valley Folk festival and jazz festivals and there the arts are a sideshow to the entertainment. Even arts shows and antiques shows don't mix. It's really tough to know your market place, but I still think that arts shows work best on their own.”

“Actually, we were hoping to see more Americans, because Americans tend to spend more.”

The other artist noted that "I have introduced myself to a half-dozen people who did not know me before and they may come to my studio. They took my card and I might just get a call. And you don't want to miss the opportunity either"

The candid responses of the two exhibitors are a good indication of the difficulties that visual local artists face in finding a market for their art. Our visual arts organizations are constantly on the lookout for suitable venues to showcase their ‘products’. And like Beth Rhind, they have to be ready to experiment. As one of the Spirit of the Hills artists put it, "you never know until you try it".

Brighton Arts Council Show And Sale

So much to see!

Brighton Arts Council Show And Sale

Ron Waddling and rabbit friend.

The Ramblin Rose Report: Many Artists At Brighton Arts Council Show and Sale

With the skies opening up for the last day of spring rain Brighton Arts Council’s show and sale that was to be hosted at Proctor House was relocated to the King Edward Park Community Centre. BAC President Malcolm Schofield along with other members spent most of Friday getting the shows displays ready for the show.
A large representation of the over one hundred members of the BAC showed off their talents and artistic abilities. Painters are always a strong and colourful showing. With portraits and landscapes painters working in oils and acrylics inspired smiles and awe. The watercolours splashed colour on land and lane and washed away the grey skies outside.
The photographs and the prints show the local and the studied spaces with a well focused eye and an experienced hand. Fantastical fractals play graphically amongst traditional art of the hand. Decorative painters imbuing wood with traditional European images as animals grew out of carved wood to gather atop tables.
Janice Daniels and Kerry Burke demonstrated a fine hand at rug hooking and fibre spinning. Ron Waddling and his bunny friends set up a easel and posed and painted their cottontails off.
New faces and new talents were showing for the first time along with unique artistic crafts like decorative eggs and jewellery.
A barrel organ grinder entertained the artists and the adoring crowds of fans.
Brighton Arts Council welcomed the Brighton branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and the Brighton Horticultural Society as they would have felt at home at Proctor House their enthusiasm might have inspired some new ideas.
Brighton Arts Council will participate in several shows over the summer in Brighton and around Northumberland. RGG