Orangeville Art Group ends 52nd Annual Art Show and Sale with well-attended reception

September 19, 2024 · 0 Comments

Show and sale took place from September 4 to 15 at the Alton Mill Arts Centre

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Orangeville artists displayed amazing artwork at a recent show.

From September 4 to 15, the Orangeville Art Group (OAG) hosted its 52nd Annual Art Show and Sale in the Pond Gallery at the Alton Mill Arts Centre.

On the September 15, a reception was held so guests could meet the artists participating in the show, and many people came out to enjoy an afternoon in the gallery.

Michele Taras was one of the artists featured in the show. Her artistic journey started long ago with photography; she began with family portraits and moved on to become a fashion photographer who got published in major magazines.

Six years ago, she began painting.

“My whole life I wished I could draw, but I always thought I couldn’t do it, I was missing the confidence,” said Taras.

One day, she bought her first canvas, and gave painting a try. She posted the resulting painting on social media, and someone ended up buying it. It was an affirming moment and Taras has been painting ever since – and loving it.

Taras encourages anyone interested in painting to give it a go because it has been an amazing journey for her.

“You have to just trust what’s coming from within you,” said Taras. “I think that’s the whole essence of art.”

Taras’ paintings that were on display at the OAG’s show featured very vivid colours. Taras explained she achieves this effect by painting her canvas with a base layer before her subject(s). For example, in one of her paintings, she painted the whole canvas a bright orange before beginning anything else. Layering paint is also great for making colours more vivid, Taras added, as is painting without blending paint colours.

“In all my paintings, I like to put stories, but also make them in such a way that as a viewer you can imagine your own story,” said Taras. “I’m all about imagination.”

Margo Young was another artist featured in the show. Now 73, she’s been an artist since she was a child.

“On a Sunday afternoon, my father used to put something on the coffee table and say, ‘see if you can draw this’,” said Young.

Young has been following her creative passion all her life. In addition to painting and being a part of the OAG, she’s a musician who plays in the Caledon Concert Band and an interior designer.

“If you’re creative, you’re creative… it comes out in everything,” said Young.

Before painting, Young draws what she’ll be creating and makes a plan for the direction her painting will take. Young loves to paint with all types of paint, partcularly watercolours, oils, and acrylics.

Young likes to include texture in her work. In one painting of women in elegant dresses, Young added glitter. In another of a vase and two plants, she added moss.

Young said the OAG’s show was amazing.

“There’s a lot of talent here and it’s so varied, I feel privileged to be a part of it,” she said. “As artists, we like to come together.”

Michelle Hudson was another of the artists showcasing their work at the OAG show. She’s been painting as long as she can remember as a way to express herself.

At the OAG show, Hudson displayed a set of watercolour wildlife paintings made with organic pigments.

Many of Hudson’s exhibited paintings were of foxes and owls, animals she feels a deep connection to. She shared a story of visiting her aunt in British Columbia and painting her a picture of an owl while there as a gift.

Hudson’s aunt said the painting looked exactly like an owl that visited her property every day, an owl she believed watched over her. When Hudson came back to Ontario, her aunt shared with her that the owl in question came to her property and died while sharing its last moments with her.