Artists draw inspiration from beautiful St. Andrews, N.B., in pop-up plein air painting festival
A new pop-up plein-air painting festival in the seaside town of St. Andrews, N.B., aims to connect creativity with nature, as artists take inspiration from the scenic community.
The festival is called Ecology Interrupts Me and is being hosted by the Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre on Water Street. It runs two weeks and will see local artists head outside to paint and create.
"It's basically to help promote our local artists," says operations and gallery assistant for Sunbury Shores Florence Smalls," and also begin the conversation of plein air, what's the relationship between artists and nature … it's all about that connection."
On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, local artist Simone Ritter had set up her easel in the shade along the busy Water Street stretch as part of the festival – capturing a picturesque scene on her canvas with the weather on her side, but that's not always the case.
"Whatever comes, comes," says Ritter, "sometimes you have to tip the canvas forward because the rain is going on it … or mosquitos are biting so I've got my mosquito repellent. With me – it's all good – it's all part of the experience."
It's a process that artist Theresa MacKnight, also of St. Andrews, describes as a "very rich experience" and one that's much different than creating inside of a controlled environment like a studio.
"For me – it's not about what I'm seeing, it's about the whole space and the experience of the space – the sound, the wind, the weather, the light – the changing light," says MacKnight.
"The challenge of trying to capture all of that in a painting language on two dimensions."
The painting festival runs until Aug. 28 and they are still accepting artists who want to take part.
For more information visit the Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre website.
You can also see who will be painting on a particular day and where by visiting the gallery or on their Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.