Guild hosts a gala masquerade

By Dan Hilborn
Published Oct. 21, 205


One of the most colourful events of the season will be coming to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts from Oct. 21 to 23 when the Burnaby Artists Guild hosts a Visual Arts Masquerade to kick off its annual fall show.

The event will feature works from the estimated 60 guild members, and the theme this year is masks.

Marjorie Wong, a member of the Group of Six collective, designed her own Venetian-style mask for the exhibit, along with about a dozen watercolour and acrylic paintings that will be in the show.

"Everyone was encouraged to use their own creativity to make a mask, and I chose a Venetian style - the kind you see throughout Europe," said Wong, who was first inspired to become an artist when she was just a young student in Grade 6 and won first prize in B.C.'s former MacMillan Art Competition.

Wong's mask was created on watercolour paper that was moulded with 'gesso,' an acrylic medium that mimics papier-mache. The technique is simple but requires a lot of painstaking attention to detail, Wong said.

After moulding the mask into the shape of her face, Wong then cut the main design and eyeholes. From there, the mask was decorated with ribbons, trim and sequins.

"I didn't have an actual design other than I wanted a Venetian- style mask," she said. "As I worked, I added, changed and painted and textured everything."

Wong's mask was chosen as 'the most original design in paint, paper and textile applications' from among all the entries to the show, and will join dozens of other equally colourful entries that will brighten up the gala opening ceremonies of the weekend-long event.

Although Wong has dabbled in the arts throughout her life, she did not take up painting in a big way until about a dozen years ago, when she started working in watercolours. She joined the guild in 1998. Today, in addition to her work with the local Group of Six, she is also a member of the Canadian Federation of Artists.

Wong enjoys landscapes, still lifes, florals and figurative paintings in both realistic and impressionistic styles. Her paintings have been shown at the Blackberry Gallery, New Westminster Arts Council and Creative Framing.

The Burnaby Artists Guild has been around for 35 years and provides support, workshops and opportunities for emerging artists to meet and exhibit their work.

"You can learn and connect with people with the same interests," said Wong. "They give workshops that help give ideas and support to build self-confidence and skill. Everyone is there to help you and we all have common interests, even though we all paint at different levels."

The featured artist at this fall's show is Susan Hargreaves, whose vivid watercolours portray landscapes, florals and still lifes. Among the other exhibitors are Gary Tees, Jane Appleby, Stephen ManFai Cheng, Zoe Clemens, Elizabeth Coupland, Shirley Hargreaves, Judy Loree, Susan Pereira, Ingeborg Raymer, Roxsane K. Tiernan, Elizabeth Wallace and Kathleen Susan Young.

For more information on the Burnaby Artists Guild, look for its website at www.myartgroup.com and search under 'groups.'