Moose Jaw Art Guild preparing for annual winter show

The Moose Jaw Art Guild has been gathering in Moose Jaw since the 1920s, sharing their common interest in art and all its forms. 

For the 52nd year, the Guild will be once again sharing that interest with the community through their annual Christmas exhibit at the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery, which is actually the longest-running annual exhibition at the gallery.

This year’s theme is Reflections and will feature work from all 14 of the artists who are currently members of the Guild. 

Each artist was tasked with using the theme in their work, interpreting it however they chose. For some, ‘reflections’ evoked an emotional response of memories, while others took it more literally, like reflections in the water’s surface. 

Guild president Karen Walpole is a painter and shared how she interpreted the show’s theme as a look back on her own memories, specifically a photograph of her grandson at the Toronto Aquarium through the display’s bubble. 

“There is this area where you crawl through the tunnels and then you can look up through a bubble to see all the fish above. And so there was a photograph of my grandson there,” said Walpole. “And so my painting was of him looking at these fish, kind of up close and personal.”

The Guild chose the theme because of its versatility, and how open it is to interpretation. 

“The Reflection theme, we thought would be excellent,” said Walpole. “We just chose a theme that we thought was nice and simple, and there were a lot of ideas we could get using Reflections.”

The show will feature mediums of all kinds, such as watercolours, oils, acrylics, sculpture and basket weaving, from a number of familiar local artists: Patrick Hall, Jerry Kaiser, Lee Fast, Cathy Sinclair, Beth Crabb, to name a few. 

Many of the artists featured in the show are long-term Guild members, and some are new to the group, but Walpole feels that they are all excited to take part in the exhibit. 

The Art Guild is always welcoming new members, especially with the new programming they have begun to put on. 

Last month’s meeting featured a discussion of Vincent van Gogh’s work "Wheatfield with Crows,” where the artists met and discussed the work before embarking on creating their own piece reminiscent of the famous painting. 

The Art Guild has a regular display of their artwork in the back room of the Uptown Cafe, on Main Street, where they share their new work all year round, but Walpole explained that there’s something special about hosting this larger exhibit each year. 

“It is wonderful, just to give us the encouragement and for people to come out and see our work,” said Walpole.

The Art Guild hopes to see a great turnout again this year, as they have always had much support in the past.

The Reflections exhibit will open on Nov. 14 with an opening reception at 7:30 p.m. It will remain at the MJMAG until Jan. 5.