Last Thursday was the Opening Reception for two shows at Port Moody Arts Centre.

Maggie White is a well-known Port Moody painter and a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. For a long time she specialized in water-colours. I remember the opening of a show of hers at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts in the late eighties, mainly because one needed to get there early to buy one of her local scenes. I was teaching wheel-throwing that night so was able to select a fine moody painting of our Noon’s Creek just before the show really opened!

Now Maggie also has become adept at acrylic painting as well. This show “Maggie White: Seeing Red, Feeling the Blues & Rockin’ It” is so-called because it features the bright red of Fall Sumac leaves in the Okanagan, predominant blues in images of Port Moody (and dare I mention the seventies Andres wine ‘Moody Blue’!) and painstaking paintings of rocks seen on beaches of Maggie’s favourite getaway, Long Beach and Tofino. I recommend taking a look at this latest of Maggie’s work.

In the 3D Gallery Otto Kamensek has a solo show to complete his year-long Artist-in-Residency in the Arts Centre’s Clay Department. At the end of this month someone else will inherit the little studio and the responsibility of the residency. (Get in touch with the Arts Centre to apply.)

Otto’s show is “Otto Kamensek: Shards, Bone Deep”. Otto started to attend the clay drop-in at the Arts Centre several years ago and I’ve been aware of his sculpture investigations. Now that he has had a full year to concentrate and focus not only on the skill required to create his ever larger and more complex sculptures but to delve into the idea of showing his audience exactly how his life has been affected by arthritis. Since childhood he has lived with and coped with a life-altering chronic disease. The pieces are shocking in that they clearly show the actual pain. I wouldn’t have thought it possible to sculpt pain. There are needles and heat, melting and unattached limbs, cartoon-like distorted fingers. Pieces depict anger, fatigue, frustration and hope. Do go and see these amazing sculptures. None of them are for sale. In his opening remarks Director Bruce Campbell says that the Arthritis Society would like to take the complete show on the road, and see it used as a teaching tool to explain in a visual way, the challenges of living with chronic arthritis. He also asked for offers to sponsor the tour and/or suggest where it might travel to.

For both artists Bruce asked that we not take photos. So now you really will have to go in to see them yourself. I was just able to take photos of the artists, of Maggie with some of her work, and Otto with a very proud mother and sister.

I’d also like to mention an upcoming show at Place des Arts. Long-time Fraser Valley Potters Guild president Pat Schendel will be showing her signature crystalline-glazed pottery, along with fellow Surrey potter Brandon Martin. The show opens on Thursday May 8th, 7-9pm.