By Stephen Lebovits
Effusion Art Gallery
Light Up is upon us and with that comes Effusions annual Christmas fundraiser.
Now in its fifth year, gallery owner and resident artist Heather Cuell has gathered a contingent of her creatives to hand paint one-of-a-kind Christmas ornaments for the holiday season. Selling for $35 per bauble, each piece is unique, coming from artists across Canada.
This years proceeds are again being donated to the Invermere Summit Youth Centre, whose raison dtre is to offer the valleys younger residents a safe, fun place to meet and hang out, as well as a variety of planned activities throughout the year.
Initially started in 2010, the ornament fundraiser has kept people coming back for more. The gallery receives calls from those who wait for each new batch to arrive.
We have had a few early inquires as to when they would be available. This is a very positive response from our community, one we are very happy to have initiated. Our artists are all quite busy, so to take time out from their schedule to do this is quite something. The ornaments are small, round and delicate not an easy surface to paint on so its nice to know that their work is appreciated, explains Ms. Cuell.
Along with the fundraiser, the gallery is excited about the upcoming holiday season as several new artists will be unveiled while updated work from existing artists is also expected.
We are looking forward to seeing something new from artists we have been watching from afar. And, we are also hosting our third annual small painting exhibition, which was quite eye-catching last year. The holidays are fun at the gallery, so people should check us out if they are around and it all starts during Light Up, adds Ms. Cuell.
So, dont forget to drop by the Effusion Art Gallery + Glass Studio during Light Up to take a peek at, or perhaps purchase, one of the ornaments, have some warm apple cider, and take in some great work from across the country. Happy Holidays et Joyeuses Ftes!
