Artists from Airdrie and Rocky View County have joined forces to bring artwork into rural communities.
Airdrie Artists on the Road came to life when nine artists began exploring different ways to exhibit their art.
Afshan Khan, a painter and texture artist, said they couldn’t find a big enough facility in Airdrie for a gallery, and then they stumbled upon an opportunity to bring their art on the road to the Badlands Community Facility in Drumheller this December.
Drumheller will be the group's first stop in what Khan hopes is a continuous tour of bringing art to different communities.
“It's a really beautiful venue and we can exhibit our work over there,” Khan said. “We're planning to exhibit our art at different places if [we find] facilities big enough.”
Khan hopes more people will join the nine existing artists in the future.
“We have a variety of artists, myself I am a visual artist, I do mostly landscape,” Khan said. “We have sculpture art and there's an artist who used to be a tile setter, so he breaks up pieces of tile and he does that kind of art. There's painters, visual artists, sculpturists, portraits and so on.”
Once the group has mounted their work and is organized for their Drumheller show, they plan to schedule more events.
The Drumheller show will open with a special reception on Dec. 9 and run on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until Feb. 29.
The public can meet the artists to discover the stories and inspirations behind the art and browse through their work.
“I might even bring some work and if I have time I could work on a piece or two,” Khan said.
As pieces of art are sold, artists will replace those pieces with new creations, she added.
“Everybody is welcome there,” Khan said. “We have young artists, we have experienced artists, and we're willing to help each other out.”
She said the group has provided a sense of community for her that helps and supports each other.
Khan became part of the group while searching for a sense of belonging as an artist, she said.
“We just moved to Rocky View county a couple of years ago and I'm becoming more active with my art as my children are growing up,” she explained.
She connected with some Airdrie artists via Facebook and soon she was participating with others in galleries and studio tours.
Khan’s work mostly consists of landscapes and is inspired by Alberta’s nature, she said, like mountains, trees, snow, and the changing seasons.
“I love textures and bright colours,” she said. “Because we live on an acreage, I see a lot of snow and I will start painting deer as well. I love them, I see them in groups.”
She said whatever resonates with her is an opportunity to explore and learn new techniques.
She mostly uses textured art by working with a palette knife, but also paints with brushes.
Khan’s work will be featured at the Festival of Crafts in Calgary’s BMO Centre and at a visual arts Christmas market in Cochrane.
Other artists part of Airdrie Artists on the Road include Sam Duguay, Christina Gouldsborough, Anna Golnikova, Keith Gorham, Elizabeth Hall, Marni Koelln, Jerry Lohan, Vicki Wearmouth, and Khan.
Airdrie Artists on the Road can be found on Facebook and Instagram. While admission to their Drumheller show is free, tickets can be reserved on EventBrite.
