Artistic talent showcased in weekend show

An Okotoks photographer keen to increase her exposure made the cut to showcase her talent in a DeWinton art show.

Professional equine sports photographer Kim Berlie was among 15 artists from the Foothills and Calgary chosen to exhibit their work in the Art Works Art Show and Sale in the DeWinton Community Hall Oct. 21-23.

"It's really tough to find places that show photography," said Berlie. "It's hard for people to visualize photography as art. Everybody has a phone and snaps away.

"This is what I do for a living and this is what I do for fun."

Berlie, who attended the Art Works Art Show and Sale as a spectator in previous years, says she rarely has an opportunity to get creative with her final products because the majority of her photographs are captured on the Internet and in magazine pages.

"A lot of my work is digital because it's sent to publications," she said.

"Having the opportunity to actually print your work and think about how to display it and how to present it is really a challenge because I'm so used to having my shots go off to a magazine."

The rare opportunities Berlie has to exhibit her work include exhibitions through the Professional Photographers of Canada, of which she is a member, and the few pieces displayed in the Evanescence Gallery in High River.

Berlie will show local landscapes, highland cattle and a series of images taken with her infrared camera this weekend.

"In university I used to do infrared photography as a hobby with film," she said. "You can't get infrared film anymore so you have to convert a camera to do that. Only a few places convert digital cameras."

Berlie sent one of her cameras to Colorado to be converted and ever since, whether they be plants or animals, the image she captures is a surprise.

Unlike normal photography, Berlie seeks her subjects at high noon to get as much contrast as possible.

"What infrared does is it actually captures the light off of living things like plants and animals," she said. "It catches details. A lot of times it will look like hoar frost on trees, but it's actually the light energy emitted from that living thing that gives it a different feel. It looks like snow and frost, when in fact it's green in high sunlight. It's always a surprise to see what you get."

Berlie will talk to those browsing this weekend about her photography and how she captured the images.

"I get to stand in front of my work and talk to people about it," she said. "It's a rare opportunity that photographers don't get very often. For a photographer it's a super opportunity."

Art Works Art Show and Sale is organized by Okotoks painter Angie Denovan, who spearheaded the event to feature local artists and their work.

She began with an event featuring just 10 artists, but has since expanded it to include more artists and mediums of art.

"Our waiting list is getting huge so we thought we better pull some more people in," she said. "Now every inch of space is going to be filled."

Deciding which artists to showcase from year to year takes more than just looking at the order of artists on Denovan's waiting list.

"I will look at what we have on the waiting list and I might skip down to somebody if they have something unique to offer," she said. "I like to pick new ones that are very interesting and unique."

Showcasing a mixture of unique artists with varying mediums was the premise behind starting the art show in the first place, said Denovan.

"I wanted to have not just paintings but something that was all over the map," she said. "I think that's more inviting and more interesting for people. I'm really excited about this show because I don't think I've missed anything."

Denovan, who will showcase a mixture of her own multimedia work, said the event gives exposure to local artists and shows the community what talent the region has to offer while giving them a chance to visit with the artists.

Other Foothills artists featured at the Art Works Art Show and Sale will be oil painter Marg Smith of Okotoks, photographer and multi-media artist Edith VanderKloot of Millarville, painter Tina Winistok of Turner Valley, painter Ann Beswick and painter and glass blower Robyn Feluch of DeWinton.

Calgary artists include painter and sculptor Lucky Grodsky, painters Stan Phelps, Fran Porter, Lynda Vowell and Norm Nemeth, sterling silver artist Laura McIvor, pottery maker Beatrice Lefevre and painter and woodmaker Allen Wiebe.

The Art Works Art Show and Sale is open Oct. 21 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Oct. 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Source: Artistic talent showcased in weekend show