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Central Alberta artists paint Eastern Slopes of the Rockies to raise ecological concern

The OUR West Country exhibit is on at the Red Deer museum starting Dec. 11
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This Susan Woolgar artwork can be seen in the OUR West Country show at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery (Contributed image)

Five central Alberta artists drove to the West Country last summer on a mission to paint, commune with nature — and raise environmental awareness.

Amid the natural beauty of the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains, Lynn LeCorre, Kate More, Larry Reese, Judy Sutter and Susan Woolgar set up their easels and worked in “plein air,” painting and sketching all that was around them.

They aimed to show how this picturesque region was more than just an area for prospective coal mining — the focus of much public controversy over provincial government plans in the past year.

The artists rendered pristine streams and waterfalls, diverse trees and vegetation and stony banks. Their goal was to make viewers consider the many opportunities the Eastern Slopes provide for mental and physical connections to nature.

Their exhibit OUR West Country: Plein Air Painting in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes is on display at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery from Dec. 11 to March 12.

Curator Pat Matheson believes the show touches on a topic that’s “as near and dear to many Albertans,” as it is to the five artists.

Reese said he’s been nature painting for decades, and is particularly drawn to the splendour of the mountains, which he feels is “constantly under threat of man-made irreversible harm and destruction.

“We need to pay more attention.”

Woolgar said she enjoys wandering outdoors, “and observing the nuances, the interplay of light on surfaces, the little surprises and gems hidden in plain view.”

She’s disheartened by environmental destruction, adding “to destroy an ecosystem for gain in the short term is appalling.”

LeCorre considers nature her muse, so believes in keeping its diversity and balance. “When I drive, I am inspired to just pull over … onto secondary highways, road allowances or any safe space that gives me the view I wish to paint,” she said.

More, who had stopped creating art for several years after the suicide of a beloved niece, felt that getting out into nature with fellow artists was best way to get re-started.

“This is a celebration of our West Country, and a reminder that we must be wary of politicians and lobbyists who do not recognize the true value of these sacred places,” said More.

An opening reception for the exhibit will be held Sunday from 2 p.m.



lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com

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