![FINAL DAY: PRESENT, a qathet resident group exhibition at qathet Art Centre, took place above Powell River Public Library, beginning last November. January 10 was the last day. Artists who participated in the group exhibit had a chance to meet other artists and chat about their work at the gallery. [From left] Lund painter Monique Labusch, Val Schuetze, painter Doug Schuetze and artist Wild Kat all had art work up and for sale.](https://www.vmcdn.ca/f/files/powellriverpeak/images/people/2914_artists_gather.JPG;w=960;h=640;bgcolor=000000)
The opportunity for artists in the qathet region to exhibit together in a gallery is rare. But for the past two months, qathet Art Centre had more than 70 seasoned and new artists showing off their work on the centre’s walls and floor space.
Art council president Karen Kamon invited artists back to the centre on January 10 for a chance to talk about their art to other exhibition participants and meet the other exhibitors in person.
PRESENT, a qathet resident group exhibition, began with an opening reception on November 17, where patrons of the arts perused art works and/or purchased one-of-a-kind paintings, sculptures and multimedia works.
"To see all the different perspectives, it's so refreshing," said Kamon. "We sold about 10 per cent of the works."
Many of the artists at the meet and greet expressed excitement in meeting other artists in the region, and also seeing their work up on the walls. Some artists' names may sound familiar such as: Autumn Skye, bad karen, Joyce Furness, Janet Southcott, Theo Angell and Luke Ramsey, all of whom have exhibited in various spaces in town.
Folks such as Wild Kat, Craig Sibley, Roger Thorn and Bob Davey are either reviving their artistic passion, or exhibiting for the first time. Once again, qathet Art Centre is in transition for next month's exhibits.
"We are getting ready for a solo show, the Peter Gynd exhibition," said Kamon. "Theo Angell is still in transition in the library."
The centre controls the wall space inside Powell River Public Library, allowing for two or more artists to display works at once.
The art centre has a plethora of workshops coming up, including a beginner painting class with Kerensa Haynes, who also had a piece on display at the group exhibit.
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