On holiday Monday, Aug. 3, musician Joe Stanton crooned some roots favourites from his latest CD, while the audience gathered under the beer garden tents at Sechelt's Rockwood to beat the heat. Good Times Last Forever he sang, assessing the mood correctly while the audience lined up for jumbo dogs (funds to benefit Rotary projects) and enjoyed a brew (funds to benefit Habitat for Humanity). After Stanton finished his set, two vocalists from Shady Day, Susan Bear and Tracy Worner, took the stage along with a back-up band to sing some original songs and covers.
Once again, Sechelt spent the holiday weekend surrounded by music, stories and painting at the community's sixth annual arts festival. The previous day was for the kids - no beer garden, obviously, and entertainment from Kevin Crofton, the Wagon Tales story theatre and The Cook and the Mandolin Player, Gerardo Avila with Mike Beddoes. Saturday night's concert at Rockwood Pavilion offered a change of venue from the previous year's Hackett Park and Spirit Square locations.
"We're moving around a bit, to see what venue works," said festival organizer Leslie Aveling.
Aveling also fundraised for the festival, starting with seed money from the District of Sechelt and gathering momentum from 25 other sponsors including RBC, government and the local arts council. She declares herself happy with the support the non-profit venture has received, and she points out that it fulfills its goal: no one is turned away for lack of money from the workshops given by local artists or from the numerous concerts given by local performers.
On Monday, artist Doris Biddle greeted viewers at the Seaside Centre while still floating on a teacher's energy high. She had just finished leading part one of a portrait class for beginners 12 years of age and over that covered preparation and composition. She was elated by its success and said that her students would meet again that week to work on their own paintings.
"Most people know me as a painter of horses," said the hairstylist-turned-artist who enjoys painting people as well as landscapes. The portrait workshop was one of 25 free classes offered throughout the week. Most workshops filled up in advance and Aveling's only disappointment is that some who signed up did not turn out on the day.
The Seaside Centre gathered a good cross section of the work of Coast visual artists under its roof starting with a distinctive Ian Macleod abstract that grabs the visitor's eye at the entrance. Don Ewald's friendly dragon rendered in intarsia, a painstaking process in wood, is worth the visit in itself. Others of the many pieces on display include one of Maurice Spira's industrial landscapes, work from Harbour Gallery artists such as Nefri Lyske and Wendy Simmonds and the Gibsons School of the Arts flamenco dancer portraits painted by students. The show stays up through this Saturday and can be seen between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The last workshop takes place this Saturday with musician and songwriter Steve Wright focusing on Sound and Music. See www.secheltartsfestival.com for updates.
