Photo: Valerie Kent
Valerie Kent of Cavan Art Academy and Gallery is launching the first “Plein Air” (outdoor) painting festival in the Township of Cavan Monaghan to coincide with Canada Culture Days on the weekend of October 1st. It is a painting competition of sorts, with $3,000 of prize money donated by Galerie Q on the line and winners selected by two well-known competition jurors, Marianne Broome and Doug Purdon.
Artists must register for the event on-line, and then check in at the Academy from 8 to 10 am on Saturday morning. They must come equipped with up to 5 blank, wired, gallery frame canvases or panels on which they produce their work out of doors in the township over the following day and a half. Artists may submit 2 completed works by 1 pm on Sunday, when they will be evaluated by the judges. The event is not just for artists, though; Kent has organized a series of events for everyone. Over the course of the weekend, artists at work will be spotted around the countryside and in town flexing their creative muscles inspired by pastoral settings and the quaint buildings in the area. The public is encouraged to approach the artists and watch the magic unfold as they create their pieces. Children’s activities are also planned over the weekend, including several hands-on craft activities at the Millbrook Library, the Legion and the Cavan Arts Academy on Saturday. Later that day, Kent is hosting a Jamboree from 6 to 9 pm at the Royal Canadian Legion in Millbrook featuring local musical acts including Don Tandy and Victoria Pearce’s Tribute to Patsy Cline.
On Sunday afternoon there will be a big “reveal” reception with light refreshments beginning at 2 pm at Galerie Q where the award winning works will be displayed and prizes awarded by Mayor McFadden. Come and see if you agree with the judges’ selection of the work which wins the $1500 top prize. Other pieces will be available for purchase at a “Fresh off the Easel” Exhibition and Sale from 3 to 6 pm. Visitors will have the chance to view all of the paintings and purchase one if they choose. They may even have watched the creative process of their work over the course of the weekend, adding to their appreciation of the piece.
Kent is naturally excited about this potential of this event, and expects it to become an annual affair. The area provides plenty of artistic fodder for painters, with the rolling hills and panoramic views of farms, fields, forests and streams in the countryside around Cavan and the town of Millbrook with its 45 designated historic buildings, the mill and the pond. She is confident the area will inspire wonderful artistic creations from the competitors, of whom there are already 40 registered coming from as far away as Calgary, and of course many from our immediate area.
For more information or to register, visit www.cavanarts.ca. KG
