Local artists Shireen Douma and Michelle Vekved just might be looking at the opportunity of a lifetime, and it happens right here in their home town. They’ll be part of the ‘local element’ in the Mar. 12 Night of Artists show, which also features the talents of several other Alberta artists. Both are looking forward to getting their work ‘out there’ in front of an audience that is as big as it gets in Slave Lake.
“It’s the first time I’ve had any kind of a show,” says Michelle, who has been experimenting with a variety of art styles and media for a number of years. “When I see how people respond at this show it will help me focus on a particular style.”
Michelle and Shireen will join artists Lewis Lavoie, Mitchell Stuart, Vicki Myers and Phil Alain in showing their works at Night of Artists. The show includes a dinner and wall-to-wall music from a variety of performers. They include original music by Wendy McNeill from her new CD as well as Chris Wynters of Captain Tractor fame and the ‘jazzed-up’ duo of Lorna Wildgoose and Dawson Walker. The evening’s musical entertainment starts and ends with local talent. Carla Boisvert and Blair Kennedy kick off the show and the Boreal Chorus Croaking Frogs shut it down.
Night of Artists is the brainchild of St. Albert artist Phil Alain. Seven years ago he got the idea of showcasing music and art together as a way of getting people out to see his stuff. One-hundred-forty attended his first show. Now he gets 3,000 to show up at the annual Edmonton Night of Artists, which runs over three days and enjoys the patronage of the CBC among others. From humble beginnings, the show is set to enter Ontario, after conquering western Canada in a fairly short time.
There are about 60 artists involved – artists who make pictures, that is – in the shows, and any number of musicians who participate. Alain recruits people who are doing original work and looking for a breakthrough. The idea is to provide exposure to the artists, and Night of Artists seems to be accomplishing that.
“It gets people to go to an art show,” says Alain. “It opens peoples’ eyes up.”
Alain tells the story of how he used to only show his realistic sports pictures at the Grande Prairie Night of Artists, thinking that the farmers and oilmen who generally attended wouldn’t appreciate his abstract stuff. He was wrong, and he hopes to uncover plenty of appreciation for artistic variety at the Slave Lake show.
Vekved and Douma hope so too.
Douma – a Fine Arts grad from the University of Manitoba – says after moving to Slave Lake she focused for a while on painting wildlife scenes on animal hides, because it seemed a market niche that might bear fruit. In small towns, she says. “they measure talent on realism.” She reasoned that if you want to develop a reputation, you have to first show that you can do good realistic pictures before attempting to get other stuff across. That’s what she wants to do now.
“Being able to express my own voice – it’s what Night of Artists gives me the opportunity for.” Vekved grew up in Slave Lake and studied art under Helen Gall at Roland Michener School. She’s done a lot of realistic drawing and painting too, including quite a few portraits for people, and continues to experiment with styles. Like Douma, she’s interested in producing pieces that people want to buy.
“I never really had the confidence or direction to develop a style to be known for,” she says. She’s expecting Night of Artists to provide that direction.
The local artists will be joined by Lewis Lavoie – who does a 30-minute live painting, and another artist who slops coffee on paper. Mitchell Stuart then pins the coffee stained sheets up and asks passers by to say what they bring to mind. Based on what they tell him, he creates pictures around the stain in ink.
Myers does the body painting for which Night of Artists is renowned.
Vekved and Douma have been doing much more than just preparing a few artworks for the show. They’ve been out drumming up sponsorships, thus insuring Night of Artists is a financial success before it starts. Covering costs through sponsorship means more money goes to ‘Show Me – The Parent and Child Resource Centre.’ It’s a pre-school early intervention program designed to help kids and their parents deal with certain issues that might hold the kids back when they get to school age.
“Slave Lake is looking good,” says Alain – who is also in the middle of planning shows in Manning, Fairview, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and Vancouver. “The community has been incredibly supportive.”
Tickets to Night of Artists are available at the Northern Lakes College’s Workforce Development office or by calling 849-8625.

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