September is often a time of change. Children go back to school, new (or forgotten) fitness routines are adopted and many West Shore residents spend more time indoors as the weather transitions to those rainy days the region is notorious for.
In the spirit of that, the Coast Collective is hoping to inspire the artistic side in West Shore residents looking for a new hobby or a release from their daily routines.
“For people that haven’t discovered us, it’s the perfect time of year to stop by,” said Cindy Moyer, the arts centre’s executive director.
With their fall lineup of classes and workshops just around the corner, the Coast Collective gallery, 103-318 Wale Rd., will be showing Discover starting today (Aug. 31) and running until Sept. 11. Discover is an exhibition of work by some of the Coast Collective instructors who teach and inspire budding artists each year.
“There’s a lot of talent there and a lot of really great people too,” Moyer noted. She added the exhibition will showcase a nice cross section of work, and while most are two-dimensional, many different styles will be utilized. “It really is a prestigious offering.”
Coast Collective offers current and prospective students a chance to meet some of the instructors outside of the classroom at a special reception this Friday (Sept. 2) from 7 to 9 p.m.
“We (also) have regular demos that take place in our shop every day we’re open,” Moyer said, adding the demos and admission to the gallery are free.
Two special demonstrations will take place during the Discover exhibition. Ken Campbell, who is offering a new drawing series in the fall, will present today from 1 to 4 p.m., while Shawnigan Lake-based artist Angela Pistrucci will share her skills on Saturday, Sept. 3, at the same time.
Pistrucci has just returned from a year abroad at Rome’s prestigious School of Art in Medalmaking (Scuola dell’Arte della Medaglia), where she was the only international student accepted. The school specializes in engraving and bas relief modeling, a category of carving or sculpture in which the figures are raised above a flat background to give a three-dimensional effect, such as on coins.
Moyer noted that Pistrucci’s demonstration will be a free teaser for members of public looking to get a glimpse of what she’ll teach in her upcoming workshop on bas relief sculpting on Sept. 17 and 18.
For more information on the gallery and all that the arts centre has to offer, go to coastcollective.ca.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com