Paintings, pottery, photography and plenty of riverside inspiration will fill the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre this weekend as its annual Art at the Pumphouse show and sale returns with more than just artwork on display.
The juried art show and sale will run Aug. 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the arts centre.
The event showcases original works in a range of media, including painting, photography, sculpture, glass, pottery, textiles and jewellery. Visitors can also browse an artisan marketplace, watch artists at work and take part in hands-on art activities.
Four Niagara artists are participating in the show for the first time this year: St. Catharines acrylic painter Peggy Brennan, St. Catharines photographer Laurie J. Morrison, Welland watercolour artist Lillian Pasqua and Lincoln mixed-media artist Dorothy Vandersteen.
Pasqua’s work combines her interests in illustration and the natural world through traditional botanical illustrations inspired by native plants, she said.
“My art is an intersection of my interests in both illustration and the natural world,” she said in a media release.
Vandersteen, who creates artwork using preserved moss, botanicals, glass and upcycled picture frames, said she hopes visitors discover a medium they may not have seen before.
“When viewers look at my work I anticipate an enthusiasm in seeing an art form that they have not yet experienced,” she said.
Returning artists include St. Catharines printmaker, painter and mixed-media artist Janet Horne Cozens, whose work has increasingly focused on Northern Ontario landscapes.
“I hope that viewers will see the beauty of nature and the Canadian wilderness through my eyes — full of vibrancy and colour, serene and isolated,” Cozens said.
Throughout the weekend, local artists will demonstrate techniques including acrylic painting, pottery throwing, stained glass and photo emulsion lifts.
The event will also feature musical performances by Niagara musicians, including John Claus, Selena Carlson and Gordon Cleland, as well as historical interpreters, pet portraits and activities for children and families.
Admission is $5, while children are admitted free. A virtual version of the show will remain available online until Aug. 9 for those unable to attend in person.
The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre is located at 247 Ricardo St.
