
March 15, 2019 · 0 Comments
By Brian Lockhart
It is an exciting time for the arts community as Headwaters Arts has premiered it’s new show at the Alton Mill.
Sixteen artists are represented around the gallery in a variety of mediums.
The Mill is the home base for Headwaters Arts with studios located around the rustic historic mill building.
The new show is called Vital Signs – leaving of course the interpretation of that theme up to the artists themselves.
“As artists we believe that when you think about vital signs, it is something that keeps you alive,” said gallery coordinator, Agata Wisniewski. “So that’s where we came up with the idea of keeping you alive. As an artist you have passion for the creation of art. The passion is what keeps us alive and basically drives us forward. We can’t live without it.”
As an artist, Ms. Wisniewski works with oil and canvas producing some astounding work with vibrant colour.
“When you ask about my type of work, there is a lot of illumination and light shining through the physical fabric of existence. A lot people say there is a lot of illumination coming through my work. I have painted in oils all my life and that’s just the medium I know. I allows me to use the techniques of layering. It something I’m used to working with and it works well for me.”
Many of the artist were present during an opening reception at the gallery on Saturday, March 9.
“We have a gallery here. It’s our own gallery and we run shows throughout the year. This is a non-profit, member-run group,” explained Headwaters Arts president, Steve Hertzberg. “We have 16 artists represented here. We also have our artists over at the Millcroft (Inn) and our artists show their work on their walls as another venue to get art into the community. It provides them with art on the wall, which is for sale, and as a result, some of the art sells. It’s another place for the art to be seen. One of things we rely on, in addition to our volunteers to carry on our events, is corporate sponsorship in order to pay for activities we do to support our arts.”
There are currently over 90 artists involved with Headwaters Arts and they are currently seeking new members.
“We send out an artist call to artists we know and we have specific parameters whether is sizing or theme and we ask for submissions,” said Ms. Wisniewski of putting together a new show, adding “we choose submissions based on the theme, and that’s how the art show happens. We have six or eight shows per year. We have different types and we also have open shows.”
Featured artist is the Vital Signs exhibit include, Gail Backus, Kasia Charko, Ed Clark, Angela Coleman, Marnie Cooke, Andrea End, Fiona Evans, Mary Lou Hurley, Jolanta Jung, Jim Lesley, Deb Menken, Sherry Park, Marion Plaunt, Susan Powell, Martina Skuce, and Suzanne Walsh.
The Vital Signs exhibit will be on display at the Alton Mill through to April 20.