GRAND MANAN – The Grand Manan Art Gallery is presenting a three-artist show, which opens Aug. 21.
The show, which begins at 1 p.m. that day, will be open to the public until 6 p.m. Sept. 9. Featured artists include Anna Hergert, a fibre artist based out of Parrsboro, N.S., local watercolour artist Chris Williams, and animal portrait artist Debb Ferris Bates, from Fredericton.
Hergert was born and educated in Germany where handwork was part of the school curriculum and, along with her grandmother’s tutelage, lead to Hergert obtaining London City and Guilds diplomas in art, design, contemporary embroidery, patchwork and quilting.
She has exhibited internationally as well as across Canada. She is a passionate artist, teacher and lecturer. Her exhibit in the main gallery is entitled Liquid Scapes: A Deep Dive into the Enveloping Properties of Water. This work was inspired by the carelessness with which people treat water juxtaposed with the natural beauty of the landscape.
Williams, a resident of St. Stephen, is well known to the gallery from his participation in previous Square Foot and Island Art Shows. In fact, his piece Last Light at Swallowtail was the third-place winner in the 2021 Island Art Show.
Williams has lived in all of the Maritime provinces and has a background in marine biology. He is a self-taught artist who works with acrylic and watercolour. He has recently begun adding sea salt to his watercolour compositions. For this collection, Williams harvested sea salt from the Bay of Fundy by allowing water to evaporate from a water sample, leaving the salt residue. This salt was then sprinkled on the wet medium, creating unique patterns.
His exhibit at the gallery is entitled Beyond the Beach and is a collection of watercolour paintings highlighting the local marine life of Grand Manan.
Ferris Bates is a popular returning artist who has participated in the Square Foot Show and the Island Art Show in the past, as well as being part of a group show (The Palettes) in 2019. In 2021, her piece, Acceptance, was voted the most popular entry in the Island Art Show.
Ferris Bates has won many awards and honours, and is recognized locally, nationally and internationally. As Artist in Residence at the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame since 2012, for example, she creates portraits of the six new inductees chosen annually.
This year, her solo show is entitled Allure: Beauty in our Backyards. For this show she has created a series of paintings of animals, old vehicles, and flowers that can be found in our backyards.
For more information about these artists and the gallery, visit www.grandmananartgallery.com.