Artists will be taking to the outdoors on Saturday for the annual En Plein Air event with their work being donated to the annual Penticton Art Gallery fundraising auction.
Both of the events have some exciting twists to them this year. Glenn Clark, art preperator at the gallery, said instead of opening up the En Plein Air event to the public to roam at a specific location — last year it was the Summerland Ornamental Gardens — it is up to the artists to now find where they want to set up.
“The subject is Skaha Lake and I wanted to get a bit of new life into the event and see what artists can do if they were given their own range and instead of having assigned sites, they have more variety. We aren’t exposing the artists’ paint sites as we had in previous years,” said Clark. “There are about a dozen or so spots that really stand out and I suspect if people really want to find the artists they will be able to drive around and find them.”
About 30 artists from the Okanagan and beyond will set out on Saturday, given until 4:30 p.m. to return to the Penticton Art Gallery with their work.
A selection of pieces will then go in frames and be up on display in the gallery until the June 27 fundraising auction which also has undergone changes for this year. The event, Pandora’s Palate: a celebration of community, will be held at the gallery and in the Ikeda Garden, modelled after the highly successful Soup Bowls fundraiser.
Ten to 15 of the finest local chefs have been asked to create colour-themed hors d’oeuvres.
Each guest will be given a painter’s palette and will be invited to taste the various colours offered. Wine will be provided by the Naramata Bench Association, there will be live music and silent auctions.
“The entry price is half of what it was last year because we wanted it to be more accessible to more people. We have been doing this event for 23 years,” said Clark, adding that they chose the Ikeda Gardens as the perfect party spot. “We want it to be a lot of fun and bring that key word of fun, in big capital letters, back into the auction.” Artwork can be previewed from June 7 to 27 at a special exhibition at the Penticton Art Gallery.
Tickets are $40 for members and $45 for non-members and can be purchased at the art gallery. The fundraiser takes place from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on June 27. For more information visit www.pentictonartgallery.com.