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Local talent on display at art show

Art in Central Alberta is alive and well and Ponoka will be represented by six artists at the ninth annual Lacombe Art Exhibit and Sale April 18 to 20.
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This watercolour painting by Ponoka artist Sandra Bingeman captures a Ponoka News box on one of the rural pickups around Ponoka. Bingeman and other local artists will be featured at the upcoming Lacombe Art Show.

Art in Central Alberta is alive and well and Ponoka will be represented by six artists at the ninth annual Lacombe Art Exhibit and Sale April 18 to 20.

The show started off with 20 artists and this year there will be more than 60 artists and they are expecting more than 1,800 people at the Lacombe Memorial Centre.

Sandi Stewart the community recreation coordinator for the Town of Lacombe recreation services says that the show has three main goals, they are to promote established and upcoming artists, promote local talent and encourage young artists. She feels that the show is a very important chance for the artists to showcase their work.

“It gives them a venue to show off their hard work. It is a fairly reasonable entrance fee for the artist and the public. We really want to promote arts and culture in Central Alberta,” said Stewart. “We see culture as improving the quality of life. You will find communities in the world that thrive have a huge cultural component.”

From Ponoka are Sandra Bingeman, Dee Poisson, Larry Dewald, Inge Sijbrandi, Kimberly Badari and the Ponoka Pottery Guild.

Stewart says the content of artists from Ponoka really benefits the show and she is glad that they are going to be there.

“We are looking forward to them coming to our show. They are all first rate artists. We are really happy to have them all here. The Pottery Club and Dewald both add a whole new dimension to the show.”

Bingeman works in watercolour and acrylics and says that she likes the challenges of watercolours the most. She won the People’s Choice Award at the Alberta Community Art Clubs Association central zone shows in 2000 and 2006. In 2002 she won the Jean Stephenson award in the province-wide show.

Poisson also works in watercolours and acrylics, she describes her work as multi-faceted, multi-genre and multi-media. She has drawn dogs for the Police Canine Units for the past 10 years and most are commissions for the Calgary CPS K9 members but she has also done work across Canada. Poisson has won the provincial award with the Alberta Community Art Clubs Association and the Orchid Society of Alberta. She is also a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists both in the National and Calgary Chapter.

Dewald creates wood turned bowls and started wood turning as a hobby five years ago. He has created bread and fruit bowls, as well as cremation urns. All of his products are finished in either beeswax or a natural oil finish. He has also won second place at the Ponoka County Fair.

Sybrandi moved to Ponoka in 1995 after emigrating with her parents from Holland. She started drawing in high school and works in pencil art. She started showing her work at the Ponoka Stampede in 2005 and in 2007 put out a calendar with pictures of the cowboy culture with proceeds going to the Alberta Cancer Foundation.

Badari is a Grade 8 student at Diamond Willow Middle School and has created some wonderful pencil art at a very young age.

The show is sure to offer a lot of different mediums and an experience for any art lover.

“It’s a great experience overall and there are so many great mediums. If Ponoka residents are interested in anything arts and culture it will be well worth it,” said Stewart. “I see Ponoka and Lacombe just 15 minutes apart and we are both in central Alberta and we are all one big family,” she said. “I am looking forward to a lot of people from Ponoka coming out to the show.”

For more information on the show contact Stewart at 403-782-1266 or via e-mail at recreation@lacombe.ca.