A special painting is welcoming people into the Porcupine Art Club’s latest exhibit.
The oil painting by member Evelyn Rymer was created in 1947, the year the club was founded.
Seventy years later, the piece has a place of honour for the group's Dark in the Light exhibit at the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre. The walls of the gallery are lined with the pieces from current members that range from abstract to portraits, using oil paints, acrylic and mixed media, and more.
Porcupine Art Club president Karina Douglas-Takayesu said the theme was chosen about a year ago.
Like many of the artists, she has three paintings included.
The biggest and most colourful is Burning Bright, a politically-driven piece referencing the final chapter of Fahrenheit 451.
“After the results of the election last November I was thinking a political edge,” she said, explaining that she didn’t want to use political figures.
The final piece features a book with its pages on fire in front of an open mouth.
A second painting reflects a trip to Hopkinsville, Kentucky, to get the best view of the eclipse.
“I took a little bit of liberty,” she said, noting the eclipse was painted larger to stand out on the canvas. “I based it on one of the photographs I had taken.”
The exhibit is also a celebration for the club’s anniversary.
In its 70 years, the group has hosted celebrated artists.
Douglas-Takayesu said in the early years, a member of the Group of Seven came for a workshop. George Cassidy, whom the local armoury is named after, also held a workshop for a small winter scene.
These days the club boasts between 35 to 40 people, which Douglas-Takayesu says is about the average membership over the years.
Members meet weekly from September to June for demonstrations or workshops and there is a monthly business meeting as well.
In the summer, members open the clubhouse doors at Roy Nicholson Park (at the corner of 8th Avenue and Pine Street North) to the public for an open studio.
The clubhouse doors are open to artists will all levels of experience.
“It’s basically open to anyone who has an interest in fine arts,” she said.
Douglas-Takayesu has been a member since 2009 and says she’s learned a lot of techniques — from watercolour to pottery — from the other artists.
For more information on the club, visit porcupineartclub.com or email [email protected].
