A new Okotoks artist is pleased to be part of an annual holiday show.
Jerry Epp began painting two years ago and is participating in his second exhibition, The Spirit of Christmas at the Okotoks Art Gallery, which runs until Dec. 23. He first showed his work publicly at the Art Walk hosted at Lineham House Galleries in September.
“I’m fairly new at it and getting my name out there, so this was a nice opportunity at the Okotoks Art Gallery,” said Epp. “It’s a nice venue.”
With a preference for realism, scenery and landscapes, he has a series of small winter-scene originals in the show, as well as greeting cards and prints of the same.
Epp got his start while semi-retired from WestJet, after a visit to Canmore with his wife on the hunt for a piece of art to hang in their bedroom. They didn’t find anything they liked within their budget.
“I just said, ‘You know, I used to draw and things like that, I betcha I can do this,’” said Epp. “So my wife drove me down to Michaels and picked up some brushes and canvasses and that’s where it started.”
Painting is now Epp’s full-time retirement gig, and over time he’s found his skills grow and people are appreciating what he has to offer. In fact, a social media post of a barnwood Christmas painting he made for his wife resulted in 16 people ordering their own pieces for $100 each.
His passion for art and showing his work is growing now.
“I’m really enjoying it,” said Epp. “I look forward to what Lineham House and the Okotoks Art Gallery come up with in the late winter and spring, and hopefully I can be a part of it.”
Epp is one of more than 40 artists in the Spirit of Christmas this year.
The show is comprised of local artists’ work priced no higher than $200 to make it an affordable holiday market filled with handmade pieces.
“We’ve got everything from beautiful paintings, we have woodwork, jewelry, quilts, clothing, stained glass – you name it, we’ve got it,” said Katrina Lougheed, gallery specialist at the Okotoks Art Gallery.
In addition to its annual Spirit of Christmas exhibition, the Okotoks Art Gallery has also erected the Tree of Warmth, where donations for Magic of Christmas will be accepted.
The most-needed items this year include games and sports items for children, gift cards for teens, and warm outerwear or grocery gift cards for adults, she said. All donations must be new.
While the Magic of Christmas will pick up items around mid-December, no donations will go to waste, said Lougheed.
“If we get donations after their pick up, we will send them on to somewhere local like Rowan House, so all the donations will go toward people in need,” she said.
She said the community has been very supportive of the Tree of Warmth initiative in the past and it looks like this year won’t be any exception.
“People are very generous at this time of year, and this year especially people are really trying to support their community, which is nice,” said Lougheed.
The Okotoks Art Gallery is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
For more information visit www.okotoks.ca.
