Karen Koehler was helping her mom, Glena Koehler, document the art she had done over the years. Afterwards, she commented, “I think I’ve been to an art show.”
Glena said, “that’s what led to the idea of a retrospective of what I have been doing over the years.” She estimates the two went through more than 1,000 works when doing the cataloguing.
She has rented the Stanhope Community Firefighters Hall for five hours Aug. 10 to showcase and sell decades worth of her work.
Glena got her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Concordia University in 1992 but has been making art her whole life.
“I was very interested in art from early childhood. I was captivated by a drawing of a woman in profile, elegantly attired. I drew and drew until I successfully replicated this image. At the age of 11, I submitted pen and ink drawings to a children’s page in our local newspaper, which was called The Flint Journal and won a few prizes for my drawings.”
Born in Flint, Michigan, Glena moved to Canada after meeting a Canadian studying in Flint. The couple settled in Montreal. She was a high school English teacher for a while. Then, after raising her son and daughter, Glena undertook her BFA over a period of eight years. After a stint in Whitby, she and her late husband, Ted, moved to Algonquin Highlands in 2002.
Asked about the genre of art that will be on display, the 82-year-old said drawings, paintings and ceramics.
But, she said, it all starts with strokes on paper.
“Drawing is so fundamental to creating works of art, whether it’s flatworks, such as painting, or whether it’s works in the rounds to get the feeling of depth and light versus shade.”
She added her art is “inspired by looking at things from life…I didn’t look at photos. I had to do it from life, including models.”
She has no idea how many pieces she will bring to the exhibit. However, she said they would lay on tables as many are not framed.
She is asked what it’s like to have a first-ever art show as an octogenarian.
“I just think it’s never too late to become expressive and hopefully doing this body of work will be stimulating for your own creative spirit.”
The show is between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and is cash only with art priced at $50 to $200. A portion of the proceeds are going to Brooksong Retreat and Cancer Support Centre. The hall is at 1095 North Shore Rd.
