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Art show hosts top talents

According to Ponoka Art Club president Lyla Langford, the club’s show this year featured some of the best talent in years.
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Marilynne Magistad

According to Ponoka Art Club president Lyla Langford, the club’s show this year featured some of the best talent in years.

Featured artist Marilynne Magistad displayed a variety of her own work, from watercolors to pencil drawings.

“What I brought are the ones I had framed,” said Magistad. “It just happened to be those ones I liked at the time to frame.”

Being the featured artist, Magistad loved the opportunity to show a cross section of her artistic history displayed together for a new effect.

She’s used to seeing the art simply spread around her house, given as gifts or sold.

Although her favorite media is watercolors, Magistad found herself drawing more this year than she has in the past. “I just felt it was another area to broaden.”

“Since I started painting the last 10 or 12 years I find you look at things differently. You’re looking at things in composition . . . Is that going to make a good picture or can I make that a good picture?”

Some of Magistad’s favorite subjects are seascapes and white roses because of the challenges they present.

Unlike other types of paintings, watercolors are done from light to dark and white roses are not actually painted white because of the shadows needed, which have a blue, yellow or purple effect. “It’s a challenge to make them realistic.”

Magistad sees art as a form of culture. “It’s an expression of people’s feelings. It’s like music, it appeals to people’s senses.”

It was when she was in high school that Magistad began taking art classes for the break it provided from the regular high school curriculum.

For much of her adult life she was on an art hiatus and spent 30 years as a full-time nurse.

Although she was on a break Magistad never had a prominent yearning to take up art during that time. Over the years she collected photographs and drawings that struck her fancy in case she ever picked up a brush again.

“I didn’t miss it. I had another life besides that.”

The art club’s featured artist each year is a volunteer member of the club. “Members volunteer to be feature artist when they’re ready ... It’s a huge investment of time and energy,” said Langford.

Langford says Magistad is a dedicated member of the club who puts in a great deal of time supporting newer members. “She’s a kind and dedicated member for every artist in the club. She’s not a teacher but she’s always there for you to help you out.”