The
festive holiday season brings much to celebrate, and for West End Gallery, there is even more to commemorate
— the gallery’s 36thanniversary. To mark the occasion, the gallery is showcasing its new Winter Collection,
an exhibit that features the multi-faceted works of its Canadian artists.
“It’s a chance for us to hang one piece from
every artist. It features the most recent and up-to-date works out of the artists’ studios and is a chance
for clients to see how each has progressed throughout the last year,” says Dan Hudon, co-founder of West End
Gallery. “The variety of colours, shapes and sizes creates a unique exhibition where everyone can find
something to love.”
Hudon
co-founded the Edmonton gallery in 1975 with his wife, Lana. Since the very beginning, the gallery has
striven to showcase the works of leading Canadian artists, including painters, sculptors and glass artists.
The couple’s son Matthew also works with the gallery as general manager.
In 1994, the
Hudons expanded the gallery to Victoria. Although most of the artists’ works are represented in both
galleries, the expansion has allowed West End Gallery to cater to the specific art needs of its clients in
both western provinces.
“Edmonton
features the artists who capture the vastness of the Prairies and rugged nature of the Rockies, while
Victoria features the artists who depict the diversity of the wild West Coast landscapes,” explains Hudon.
“Clients looking specifically for one or the other needn’t worry as both collections are featured on our
website and paintings can be requested for transfer to either gallery.”
The Hudons recently developed an interactive app for iPhone and Android users to help stay connected to their
clients.
This year’s Winter Collection exhibits art from
Montreal painter Robert Savignac, as well as internationally recognized artist Claude A. Simard, whose
paintings are described by Hudon as “lavishly rich, brilliantly hued and discreetly playfully painted
canvases bursting with flavour and love of life.”
The work of photo-realist Glen Semple will
also be on display in the exhibition.
“His exploration of the visual interaction of colours, light, shapes and textures along with his highly
controlled application of colours and paint has earned him the title of Canada’s premiere photo-realist
painter. His works add depth and dimension, as well as a conversational piece, to any room — ‘Yes, that is a
painting and not a photograph!’” says Hudon. “A collection leaning towards a painterly style can benefit from
a different style to add variety, such as may be found in [Semple’s] works.”
Closing out
the exhibition is the gallery’s recent addition, contemporary artist Annabelle Marquis, who is known for her
colourful abstract canvas works.
“Her mixed
media and collage-inspired canvases are both striking and unusual, delicately capturing a graceful balance
between fragmentation and beauty. This modern approach is captivating, and easily included into various
collections as these paintings hang well even with more traditional artworks,” says Hudon.
The Winter Collection is on display now until Dec. 23
at West End Gallery’s Edmonton location.
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westendgalleryltd.com •
Photo Courtesy: West End Gallery
