Laurie Jones said this year’s salon exhibition at Rails End Gallery may be the most diverse collection in the 15 years the show has been open to the community.
Centred around the theme ‘Dream’, the exhibition features 67 pieces across a variety of mediums. Jones said submissions were received from renowned local artists and from amateur gallery members. The result is a spread she said people, “need to make an effort to see.”
‘Dream’ opened at Rails End Feb. 10 and will run to April 13.
“I like to give people a challenge,” Jones said, explaining the theme. “I felt it was something that is completely open to interpretation… there’s some wildcards. People have prepared pieces that are quite different, but you can tell they put a lot of thought, a lot of time, into their creation.”
Some familiar names include Greg Gillespie, a “world class woodcarver,” according to Jones. He submitted the carving ‘Unscheduled Departure’, featuring birds flying away from a snake, which took him around 1,000 hours to finish. Mixed media artist David Douglas is also featured, submitting his ‘Eurydice Hunting Antlers’ found art assemblage, made of chalk composite and an old lamp.
One of Jones’ favourite pieces is a political commentary submitted by Keith Rydberg titled ‘The Emperor has no clothes’, a wood carving with acrylic paint that focuses on former U.S. president Donald Trump.
Paintings from long-time contributors like Harvey Walker, Renee Woltz, Susan Hay, Ian Varney, and Deborah J. Reed are also featured.
Grethe Jensen is a first-time participant. After relocating to the Highlands in June 2023, she quickly discovered Rails End and has been an active member ever since. Her piece ‘All My People’ is an acrylic painting that focuses on people coming together.
“As people, we are gathering dreams all our lives. I was trying to portray the concept of gathering, that our lives are better the more connections we make,” Jensen said, noting she completed it in stages over a six-month period last year.
Coming from Toronto, where she was heavily engaged in the arts community, Jensen said Rails End stands out as one of the best galleries she’s been involved with. She believes the salon exhibition, held every year, is a great way to engage with the local arts community and showcase Highlanders’ talents.
“This gallery is an absolute gem here in the community. The fact we have a gallery that is so open and responsive to new things, that actually wants to promote people’s work whether they’re accomplished or not, I find it very welcoming,” Jensen said.
Jones said winter is an ideal time to stage the exhibit as it encourages artists to “get back on the saddle” after the holidays. It also helps drive traffic to the gallery during its quiet season.
“It’s a nice keynote to start the year. The artists seem to appreciate having something to do, having somewhere to stage their creations, and people get a real kick out of coming in and seeing all the different ways artists have interpreted the theme… it’s usually a very passionate, yet playful exhibit,” Jones said.
The gallery is open Wednesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Jones noted the public can vote for their favourite pieces to determine the 2024 People’s Choice award. The exhibit is also available to view online at railsendgallery.com.
Rails End Gallery curator Laurie Jones said this year’s salon exhibition ‘Dream’ boasts more than 60 pieces, including this wood sculpture by Greg Gillespie.
