Join Us For ‘ART IN THE PARK’

JOIN US FOR ‘ART IN THE PARK’
JULY 9th and AUGUST 6th

Last year nearly 450 people enjoyed the visual escapades of ART IN THE PARK! It’s an event that started in 2009 and attendance swells each year.  This year, the 8th Annual – ART IN THE PARK – will be held on two separate dates.  The first date is Saturday, July 9th at the West Kelowna Rotary Park located on Boucherie Road and Carrall Road. The second event will be held on Saturday, August 6th at Quail’s Gate Winery at 3303 Boucherie Road, in West Kelowna.  The hours for both events are the same, from 10:00 am to 3:00 PM.

This is your opportunity to shop for authentic Okanagan Valley art while meeting the creators of art works including locally inspired paintings and sculpture. To impress your friends, the artist and most importantly yourself, here are some art terms you may want to familiarize yourself with.

Original Oils

Original Oils on canvas or wood are classic.  Oil paintings are timeless and often created with layers of paint which create a stunning visual richness in the right hands. Oils were the preferred choice of the great European masters. Painting with oils can be very demanding and is definitely a learned skill.
I select oil paint over other mediums when my clients want a painting that has a depth and natural subtle effects.  This can be created with oils, however, oils require some drying time in the studio between layers and upon completion.

How to recognize an Oil Painting

Oil painting is naturally textured.  If the piece you are looking at has noticeable brush strokes embedded in the dry paint or if there is an uneven overall texture, you are probably looking at an oil painting.  If, for example, you are purchasing historical art for investment value, you will likely want to look for artwork that was created in oils.

Original Soft Pastels

Soft Pastels are unique and like no other mediums. Pastels have been used by artists since the Renaissance and gained considerable popularity in the 18th century.  French artists popularized it and the colours are actually pure ground pigment as rich as paint colours with binders that hold it together.

How to recognize a Pastel Painting

You will recognize a pastel painting initially by its colour work and texture. The edges can be blurred or hard, because of this trait, they are excellent for portraits, as well as landscapes.

Contrary to popular belief this medium, when well protected from the sun, can last more than a lifetime. Pastel art works, created over 600 years ago, are in the archives in the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC.

Original Acrylics

Acrylic paint is a relatively new addition as a medium to the art scene as they became commercially available in the 1950’s. Popularized in the ‘60s and ‘70s they then lost favor. However, now it has a much stronger presence with bright arrays of colors and products.

Beginner painters to advanced artists enjoy this lively medium.  When a client wants a customize artwork quickly in their home without a significant wait, I may choose the acrylic medium because there is virtually no drying time and therefore little wait time for the client.

How to recognize an Acrylic Painting

These art works can more easily produce a crisp and vibrant look and are often used in abstract painting.  You may see larger canvas sizes created in acrylic paint.

Original Watercolours

Many first time artists believe that watercolour is thought to be the simplest of mediums. All you need are some paint color, a brush, paper and water.

But once you start to use it, you will realize that it is not that simple. This is because watercolors respond differently to different circumstances: changes in brushes, the amount of water used, dryness of the air, the type and thickness of the paper

How to recognize a Watercolour painting

With the delicate nuances and soft balances of watercolour, you usually do not see extremely large artworks in this medium. The artwork is usually matted and protected by glass.  Visually, it is a gentle, lighter look than oils and acrylics.

Giclee Reproductions

In the last ten years Limited Giclee Reproductions have become popular. I’m often asked “What are they?”

The French term (pronounced “Zhee-clay”), in the art world, is generally regarded as the highest quality of fine art reproduction available.  The giclee process uses an incredibly accurate and controlled print process to reproduce and apply the pigment to the canvas.  The artist and the technician work closely together to create the best possible reproduction of the artist’s original artwork.
Not all Giclees are created equal

Since not all Giclees are created equal, here is what you may want to look for:

• When the artist limits the copies of a specific artwork, for example 200, and all 200 are sold out, no more are produced. Consequently, once all of the reproductions are sold, and the demand continues, the existing, “limited run” copies may increase in value.

  This process also controls the distribution of the artwork, so it is not reproduced in bulk. After all, you do not want to see your valued Giclee artwork in the discount shelf at a box store!

• The artist’s signature and copy number is an assurance that the artist reviewed, verified the quality and approved the quantity of the art reproduction. Seeing the artist’s signature is important to preserve the value of your art.

• If, for example, you have purchased a limited reproduction giclee with the number 10/200.  You have purchased the tenth out of only 200 numbered giclees that were reproduced of that specific painting by that artist.

• Yes. Cheaper materials will more often result in a poorer quality of the reproduction images and most often will be reflected in the price.
• Usually I see this with unlimited reproduction copies of paintings also called “open runs” where no limits are placed on the number of copies reproduced and no evidence of an artist’s signature.

Our paintings should be appreciated – quite simply – for what they are. But our enjoyment of them can be enhanced by honoring the medium and process that was used and the skill and talent that went into creating it.

My advice is to ask the artist about the W5 (who, what, where, when and why) and How they made their Art … and you will learn, while being entertained, at the Art of the Park!!  Enjoy!