In a way, Renu Mathew had an edge over the 11 other competitors when she won Olds' first ever Art Battle on May 10, held at the legion.Mathew teaches art at Olds High School. She's already used to painting in front of others and doing it quickly. That experience made it easy for her to work while close to 240 people in attendance circled her easel.“It wasn't a lot different in the end,” Mathew said. “I thought it would be really stressful but it wasn't. I was in the zone.”Still, being declared as the first Art Battle champion was unexpected for her.“It's kind of shocking,” she said about winning. “I was up against a lot of brave artists. They're local. So it's nice to get recognized but everybody did fantastic jobs.”Art Battle is a nationwide competitive painting event. During the Olds circuit, 12 artists competed in heats of six. Through audience voting, the top two were selected from each 20-minute round to compete in the final.The winner was also chosen by audience vote.As champion, Mathew will advance to a regional competition in either Red Deer or Calgary.The national championships take place in Toronto in July.During the event, easels were set up in front of the stage in the banquet hall. As the painters worked, those in attendance were invited to meander around, observing their creations. Many held up cameras and smartphones to capture the action.In the first round, Mathew did what she described as a floral painting. In the final, she painted a boat in a field.“I try to do something that people can relate to or recognize and appreciate. I like doing abstract things but people don't really necessarily like abstract,” she said.That was her strategy, along with using a large brush to fill her background quickly, she said.According to Debbie Ohlhausen of Different Strokes, who applied for Olds to host Art Battle, many of the artists were taken out of their natural habitat.“It's a lot of pressure. It's incredible that you can complete anything in 20 minutes, especially in front of a group of people,” she said. “It's not easy because a lot of artists like to paint in the quietness so they're all being pushed beyond their limit here.”The evening also featured both a silent auction and a live one, where the top four paintings from the competition were put on sale.All profits from the Art Battle went to benefit two causes: the Olds Emergency Shelter and the Olds and District Hospice Society.“The hospice is very dear to my heart because of past issues in the family and I know how important it is to have a hospice for families and for the people who are suffering,” Ohlhausen said, explaining why she picked those two charities. “And the emergency shelter is also very close to my heart because there's so many people in the emergency shelters that are children and that just really tugs at my heartstrings.”In total, the Olds Art Battle approximately $5,000 from ticket sales and auctions.Additional money is expected to come in, as artists have chosen to donate back their share of the painting sales.This Art Battle was also the first to be sold out. Ohlhausen credits the feat to the community in town.“I think that it shows that Olds has got a real sense of community and art. We had all local artists, everyone knew the artists that were here,” she said. “I think that made a big difference and I think it made a huge difference … that the profits are going to the hospice and the emergency shelter.”The top four artists in the Olds Art Battle include: Renu Mathew, Jim Brown, Cindy Boffy and Amy Braun.Other participants include: Marj Vetter, Dr. Dick Wray, Doreen Curniski, Theresa Potter, Elsie Archer, Diana Steer, Osi Cruz Lahtinen and Jane [email protected]
