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'Artists in Residence' reach out across 'the pond'

(L) Instructor Zena Gardiner, Julia Warren, Katherine Moore, Margaret McKillop, Joan McDermott & Jean Dale

Port Elgin resident, Zena Gardiner, has been volunteering her time and artistic talents by instructing a weekly art class for the past two years with the residents of Kingsway Arms at Elgin Lodge in Port Elgin.

Her formal training and education in the arts has been an inspiration to local seniors who have created a variety of projects from crafting cards to watercolour portraits to clay sculpting.

Recently, while visiting her mother at Hill House Seniors' Residence in England, Gardiner came up with the concept of having the two facilities share their artwork and, at the same time, establish a pen-pal relationship.

Elgin Lodge art students sent their first package containing letters, photos and biographies of the students, crafted cards and samples of artwork to England last Hallowe'en.

Most recently, the art class created a collage that featured several ladies from the class dressed in Victorian attire.  The group enjoyed searching through many magazines and books to find their period outfits and then, by attaching their 'headshots', created a whimsical portrait of the class.  A beautiful watercolour background was then provided by art student, Margaret McKillop.

The collage accompanied by photos of the art students in class along with winter photographs of Port Elgin and a *knitted "Izzy" doll donated by Katharine Moore, a member of the Elgin Lodge Knitting Club, was recently mailed off to the group in England.

*Note:  "Izzy" dolls are knitted for the children of Haiti.  Last year, the Elgin Lodge Knitting Club sent 20 dolls to Haitian children.

 

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Monday, January 31, 2011