A glimpse through the FOG reveals that there are many artists new to the Sunshine Coast.
The Friends of the Gallery (FOG) is an annual show at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre that invites members of the arts council to bring in one piece of work to exhibit in the gallery in January. The result is an entertaining hodge podge of artwork with flashes of brilliance from 83 local artists.
Figurative art is prominent this year. Margery Lambert's acrylic As Medea portrays a striking figure, a dancer poised for performance. Hanging beside this work is Jennifer Ettinger's rendering of Cyclone Taylor, the hockey player, in acrylic. Jen Drysdale's Man in Plaid takes on the torso. The viewer sees only the chin and a blue plaid shirt. Junco Jan's (Janice Williams) photo of Dan Bouman captures a relaxed look from the Gibsons councillor. The irony here is that Bouman is usually the one on the other side of the camera, taking portrait photos.
Both Penny Allport and Eileen Berczik chose horses for their portrait subjects.
Maurice Spira startles with his Hub-Bub, an acrylic painting of a fat fellow (corporate profit?) in a cityscape with a grotesque wolf slathering at his side.
Coastal scenes are also popular.
Nefri Lyske uses her oils to depict Forest Cathedral while Ken Symons' acrylic is simply titled Sechelt.
Dougald MacDonald takes the viewer up Mount Thompson in his lifelike rendering of high slopes. Gertrude Pacific's distinctive style uses mixed media to portray a Forest Scene.
A personal favourite is Hiroshi Shimazaki's watercolour Campfire. It tells many stories: a rain cloud threatening a wilderness camper? Or the last rays of a sunset over the beach?
Elaine Seepish shows another powerful piece - a mixed media painting of houses seen dimly through the snow, titled Cold Comfort. It rivals Elaine Hunter's dramatic Beautiful Storm, a photo that contrasts rich warm golds with black clouds and green mist.
For a taste of the unusual, Jen Frisk uses mixed media to depict birch trees on a repeating panel, giving it an abstract feel.
Look two or three times at the photo by Marleen Daniel titled Vision in Reflextions. It's startling.
More zen-like is Eleanor Mae's Crossover photograph that depicts stepping stones in still water.
There's always room for the unusual in the FOG show.
Anna Banana displays her binder of bananology, research materials she has gathered about banana culture. Tim Runkle explores felt pen on canvas in his Aunt Fritzi. (Remember Nancy, the cartoon character?)
Alanna Wood makes a visual pun with her Magritte Updated in acrylic. The famous apple of the surrealist painter Rene Magritte now sports an Apple logo. Marilyn Marshall continues to grow as an artist with her Ladybug Pupa in acrylic. It's weird and disquieting, but fascinating.
A limited amount of three-dimensional works are on show. It would be good to see more. Weaving by Deanna Pilling and Yvonne Stowell features their Coastal Prisms hand-spun silk. Elaine Futterman and Mike Allegretti show their pottery. An interesting piece that catches the eye is a paper clay, fabric and paint sculpture by Franca Tesloreanu titled Arlecchina.
In all - a show worth seeing. Get on over to the Arts Centre before Feb. 9, Wednesday to Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. or Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. at 5714 Medusa at Trail Ave in Sechelt.
