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Maple Ridge art club’s annual show features original pieces for holiday shopping

The Garibaldi Art Club’s annual Fall Show and Sale takes place Nov. 17-19.
9365642_web1_Araucaria-Araucana-by-Soledad-Avaria
(Contributed) Araucaria Araucana by Soledad Avaria.

Get your holiday shopping done early at the 58th annual Garibaldi Art Club Fall Show and Sale this weekend.

More than 200 original paintings will be for sale at the show plus pottery by two members of the club.

The club has been around for more than 50 years and artistic levels range from the very young who haven’t been painting for too long to those that are painting at the professional level.

This is a non-juried show meaning that all members of the club get to hang at least one piece.

“That allows everybody to have the experience,” explained pastel and mixed media artist Soledad Avaria.

“It depends on how much you volunteer. If you are a new member and you haven’t been able to participate much in the club you get to show one painting,” she continued.

But the more artists get involved in the club by going to club dinners, participating in plein air outings or volunteering at meetings, then the artist is allowed to hang up to six pieces depending on the size or the works.

Avaria is a 16-year member of the club and is going to be showing six of her pieces that range from pastels to a combination of acrylic and pastel.

“Most of my paintings are about trees. Many, many. I love florals and I love trees,” said Avaria.

“I cannot explain the connection I do have with trees. To me they have personality and they have something extremely appealing to me in general. With leaves, without leaves, I love them all,” she said.

The artist also loves to paint paths and trees embracing those paths.

“That has always been appealing to me since I was a kid. I spend a lot of time outdoors. As a child and always,” Avaria said adding that she also enjoys painting little bouquets of flowers.

Avaria enjoys combining the mediums of pastels and acrylics because she says it gives great depth to a painting.

“The acrylic space in the background gives you depth. Then when I use the pastels on top of it, the pastels seem to float on top,” explained the artist.

Avaria wants people to know that this is a fun show. Visitors will have places to sit, talk and look around. Artists will have art cards for sale.

“That’s fun because then you see the work. You can’t show all the time everything that you have, in the art cards you can see the variety of things people do,” she said.

There will be matted, unframed pieces and framed pieces for sale. There will also be miniature paintings for sale.

“I mean they are really small cutie-pies, little treasures. So if people want to buy a little piece of art they have the opportunity,” said Avaria adding that in many cases the artists in the club become well-known.

“It’s an opportunity for people who want to collect art to get them at this point before they become very famous and expensive,” laughed Avaria.

Two baskets filled with works of art and chocolate will be given away as door prizes. There will also be free refreshments of tea, coffee and an assortment of sweets.

Avaria says that if there is anyone in community who is thinking of joining an art club, the Garibaldi Art Club is great to learn not only about painting techniques but also to make connections.

• The Garibaldi Art Club 2017 Fall Show and Sale takes place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 17, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 18 and 19 at Fraserview Village Hall, 22610 – 116th Ave. For more information, email information@garibaldiartclub.com or go to www.garibaldiartclub.com.

Admission is free.

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Autumn Path by Soledad Avaria. (Contributed)


Colleen Flanagan

About the Author: Colleen Flanagan

I got my start with Black Press Media in 2003 as a photojournalist.
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