Second annual art show to build on its success

Posted Jul 5, 2012 By Stacey Roy

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Thanks to the support of local patrons, last year's Art in the Barn sold about $16,000 in art last year. Stop by this weekend, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lombardy fairgrounds to see some great original artwork.

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Thanks to the support of local patrons, last year's Art in the Barn sold about $16,000 in art last year. Stop by this weekend, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lombardy fairgrounds to see some great original artwork.

EMC Events - Last year's Art in the Barn show was an absolute barn burner and organizers are excited to do it again this weekend at the Lombardy fairgrounds.

More than 40 Rideau Lakes Artist Association members will be on site July 7-8 this year for a day of art appreciation and social interaction with art lovers.

"I really enjoy talking to the people. That's the best part," said Bernard Beaudry, an oil and sculpture artist who was very popular at last year's show.

Beaudry's unique bowling ball birds were a hit in 2011. The local artist has been creating his critters for about 20 years now and has pieces in homes around the world, including Iqaluit.

Beaudry enjoyed the barn experience for its large amount of covered space it offered to artists. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to tour the various art displays and speak with the artists about their inspiration, techniques and evolution in each medium. Nora Brown, member of the event's organizing committee and artist, said this is the strength of open art shows like Art in the Barn as conversations like these help to bring a piece to life.

"They want to connect to the artist on some level," Brown said.

The show is free admission with a focus on celebrating the arts and assisting area artists in selling their individual works.

Having such an open space that is full of natural light as the Lombardy fairgrounds barn goes a long way to achieving this goal.

Brown said the barn allowed for a circular set up along its walls with a singular row of tables down the centre making traffic flow a breeze for artists and visitors alike.

"That barn is fabulous to show in," Brown added. "I was ecstatic."

An endless variety of art mediums will be on display at this year's Art in the Barn show, including some never before seen pieces from artist Judith Versavel who will be bringing some jewelry along with her watercolour and acrylic creations.

DO IT FOR DARON

This year's fundraising focus will once again be the Do It For Daron fund that supports youth mental health at The Royal Ottawa Hospital. Last year the event was able to donate about $2, 000 to this cause and drew a lot of people from Ottawa for the day, including Daron's grandparents.

"They are really nice people," Brown said.

She credits the Richardson family with helping to bring teen suicide out of the shadows and transform it into a talked about issue by coming forward with their tragic lose in 2010.

"They were really brave," Brown said.

This year, 10 per cent of all art sales will be donated to the Do It For Daron fund, so why not stop by and be inspired from these one-of-a-kind pieces. All purchases are done with cash and cheque and admission into the show is free.

sroy@perfprint.ca