There are exciting changes taking place at Art Alchemy! We have two new Alchemists, fresh paint on the walls, and are soon to launch an all-new, stylin’ website.
There is a downside for us, though. Whenever space opens up here at the studio, it means someone is leaving us. In this case it is the amazingly talented Lucy Schappy, one of the three founders of Art Alchemy. We will miss her happy smile, enthusiasm, inspiration and drive. She would be here early in the morning, pounding away at her huge canvases, always multiple works on the go. And though we are all sad to see her go, the move is a wonderful one for her. With the size of her new works, and the amount of paintings she goes back and forth from at the same time, she needed way more room. She has bought a home and studio in Tin Town, and has the most amazing space to create, as well as her own gallery space and a garden for displaying overflow during this beautiful summery weather. She is working on an exciting new series and we wish her all the best. She will always be a part of Art Alchemy in spirit.
Our new Alchemists, Sylvia Boss and Sharon Lalonde, are moving their stuff in this week and we can’t wait for them to begin creating, and to see their work on display on our pristine walls. As well as our new members, the other change is that Bill Kerr is moving out, to paint out of doors, and Diane Knight will be in residence in their shared space until the end of autumn. When our new website is up and running I will include the link on my links page. All our artists’ sites will be accessible from the Art Alchemy website.
Aside from transitioning, we are ramping-up for the Central Island Studio Tour. We will be open Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th, from 10 am to 5 pm each day. There are 66 stops on the studio tour this year – it just keeps growing bigger and better. 3 of our artists will be in Vancouver for Art Vancouver, a big art show that was unfortunately scheduled for the same weekend, but they will have work for sale and on display here as well. The studio tour is such a great event that you don’t want to miss it, even if Art Alchemy is the only stop you manage to make. With 9 artists represented, and 3 or 4 of us here hosting for the entire weekend, there is plenty to see and experience. It is so much more than an art show, because along with the art you get to see the set-ups where the magic of creation happens. Some of us will be painting on site which is always a bonus. There will also be selected works at special prices during the weekend and most of the artists will have smaller works and cards and prints available at affordable prices. And don’t forget the home baked organic fair trade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies!
I am currently working away to get ready for the studio tour and also finishing up the last few paintings for my upcoming solo show at the McMillan Arts Centre in Parksville. I will send out my next newsletter before the end of the month with all the information on this exciting event.