Although the weather outside is frightful, Uptown Gallery is simply delightful.
Uptown Gallery opened its newest exhibition on Nov. 18, called Sparkle and Shine: Flashing, Flickering, Shimmering Art.
The exhibition features four Waterloo Region artists; Supria Karmakar, Deborah Pryce, Laurie Spieker and Ted Spieker, who were chosen for their individuality, dedication and professionalism in the field of fine art.
Each of the artists featured in the exhibition utilize different forms of media in their artwork.
According to the gallery’s website,“Supria Karmakar uses encaustics, mixed media and altered books to explore her musings about life’s journey. Karmakar’s artwork unfolds with depth, intrigue and vibrancy.” “I love being able to make a statement with my artwork,” Karmakar said. “But what I think really tops that all off is when people look at the work and it really resonates with them. Something about my art speaks to them in their own way.”
Deborah Pryce has been with Uptown Gallery for almost six years. “I’ve been a freelance artist for over 20 years. I’ve done a real variety of things. I started off doing architectural pieces, working for interior designers and architects, and then I moved into theatre set painting and I’ve illustrated a couple children’s books. Now I’m having fun at Uptown Gallery doing fine art and experimenting with acrylics, mixed media and photography,” Pryce said.
Laurie Spieker sparked her husband’s interest in fused and stained glass when she opened her own studio in 1996.
“I’ve only been doing it for about five years now,” Ted said. “I do glass fusing pretty exclusively, bowls or other sculptures.”
As for Laurie, she fell in love with the qualities of glass. “Stained glass and glass fusing is my passion. I find all glass very interesting because there’s always so much going on. In just a couple inches of stained glass you have grain, texture, translucence, opalescence. It’s a beautiful art material. It pleases my sensibilities to further form and manipulate glass. I enjoy the whole process,” Laurie said.
Uptown Gallery is a collective of local artists that was founded in 2006. The gallery has since moved to a new location in Waterloo Town Square near the atrium.
There is a variety of art on display including watercolour, sculpture, photography, textile and fibre art and stained and fused glass, all which can be purchased.
According to its website, the gallery’s mission is “to provide a friendly environment in which to view, discuss and purchase fine local art and an interactive lively opportunity to learn a variety of creative artistic processes.”
The exhibition will continue until Jan. 14, 2012. For more information, including the gallery’s hours of operation, visit www.uptowngallerywaterloo.com.
