Vernisage ( definition) – Preview of an art exhibition, before the formal opening.
Saturday night we held our first vernisage of the art work of Nadine Cheney in the newly renamed Spotlight Gallery in the Janigan Studio ( located in the north lobby on the house-right side of the theatre). It was a great success with over 2 dozen visitors having a preliminary look at her exhibit which will be showing during the run of The Ladies Foursome Sept 18-25. The bar, manned by Josh, was open, refreshments were served and old and new friends had a chance to chat with Nadine who was absolutely beaming with joy surrounded by many of her fabulous paintings.
Nadine has been an OLT volunteer for many years working on quite a number of productions, as Assistant Director, Crew Chief, and Scenic Painter. Outside of the theatre she is a project specialist working on fundraising campaigns in the non profit sector. However her passion is truly being creative on canvas. She states that she never starts with a plan – especially with abstracts- and assume something will take shape and show itself as various layers are introduced. The works on display, which only represents a fraction of what she created, run the gambit of east coast scenes, to wildlife to various fantasy characters. My personal favourite was the large canvas of the elephant which focused on the face capturing the majesty, intelligence and a little melancholy of the enormous beast.
Originally hailing from rural Nova Scotia, Nadine has enjoyed drawing from the time she could pick up a crayon. A friend once called her a ‘collector of hobbies’ as there was always something new to try. Painting doesn’t allow for boredom, however, as there will always be new techniques to try, or a new medium to play with.
Her friend, long time OLT staple Val Bogan, told me that it is always a wondrous event visiting Nadine’s home studio bursting with all the brushes, paints and boards required to produce such eye pleasing work. Wandering around the studio one can catch a glimpse of the evolution of the artwork as it goes from an idea to something for the eye to behold.
All paintings on display are available for purchase. Please call or text Nadine at 613-276-3269.
A special thank you to Venetia along with Caroline and Albert for spearheading this new initiative, the Spotlight Gallery which is dedicated to showcase the talents of our volunteers, audience members, and donors in mixed media arts. More information is available on our website.
– Albert