Like the light from a Central Alberta sunrise, Cottonwood Sky, the multimedia art exhibit created by local artists Theresa Potter and Lorene Runham, keeps growing and growing.
Like the light from a Central Alberta sunrise, Cottonwood Sky, the multimedia art exhibit created by local artists Theresa Potter and Lorene Runham, keeps growing and growing.
For the first time, the complete version of Cottonwood Sky, a collection of 50 to 60 pieces depicting rural Alberta’s natural land and sky-scapes, is on display in Olds at the Mountain View Museum.
Although the artists have presented the show in Olds before—most recently in the spring when Potter was the featured artist and again in the fall when Runham was the featured artist—the exhibit only contained fragments of the whole show.
Now, Potter and Runham said their entire vision is on display for the community, even though they promise to keep adding to the collection.
"We were very excited that we saw it for the first time, all the pieces together," Runham said.
Once the show at the museum wraps up on Feb. 28, the artists plan to showcase Cottonwood Sky in various venues throughout Central Alberta in the next two years.
While they haven’t determined where the show will pop up after its run at the museum, Runham said they are working with an artist advisor from Red Deer to determine where to take the show next and how to tailor the show for a tour.
Potter and Runham have created art together for eight years and Cottonwood Sky had its genesis when the pair was inspired to collaborate on a collection after attending a show in Red Deer put on by another pair of artists.
"We thought, why can’t we do that?" Potter said.
Working with a number of media, including her "first love," chalk pastel, as well as stained glass and acrylic, Potter said her inspiration to capture natural scenes such as sunsets and sunrises comes from what she sees every day on her acreage in Red Deer County.
"Every morning I’m walking down my lane looking eastward at the sunrises and I’m just so inspired by them," she said. "They’re just so majestic, they’re breathtaking."
Runham, who lives in Olds, said she also uses mixed media for her art.
"That means whatever I can put together to create an image that pleases me, then I’m going to give it a try," she said, adding she has focused a great deal on gold leaf in the last year along with using watercolour in a "non-traditional way" by attaching watercolour papers to canvases and sealing them.
The artists said they hope people who see the show will come away with a stronger feeling about the amazing nature of rural Alberta.
"Don’t we live in a wonderful land?" Runham said.
Potter added that fans of the exhibit can rest assured she and Runham will continue to add to Cottonwood Sky.
"Cottonwood Sky is part of us, it’s part of who we are. So we will continue to be inspired by our Alberta landscapes and majestic skies."
The museum will hold a reception for the show on Feb. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m.
[email protected]
CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK!
