From colourful canvases and live music filling the air to the quiet rhythm of a spinning wheel, Ladysmith’s First Avenue was alive with creativity on Sunday, Aug. 24. The 27th annual Arts on the Avenue festival transformed the downtown core into a bustling, pedestrian-only gallery.
“We’ve got over 70 juried artists from across the Island and Gulf Islands, live music, food trucks and even a youth art zone. It’s a little bit of everything in one place,” said Francesca Reside, communication and marketing coordinator for Ladysmith Arts, the organization which organizes the event.
This year’s featured artist was Nanaimo-based painter and interior designer Patti Ransom, whose bold abstract works reflect a lifetime spent exploring colour, texture and design.
“I’m used to being by myself and working in my studio,” Ransom said, laughing at the shift to painting in front of a steady stream of curious onlookers. “It’s a big stretch out of the comfort zone, but people have been very lovely. And I think the more we’re out and about, the more people become accustomed to abstract work.”
For Ransom, whose career has woven through dressmaking, makeup artistry and nearly 40 years in interior design, painting is a natural extension of a creative life.
“I’ve been able to create a life and a career doing what I love,” she said.
For some artists, the festival’s reputation was a key draw. Pille Kapetanakis, a Qualicum Beach potter known for wheel-thrown stoneware, said she had heard about Arts on the Avenue for years before applying. She was honoured to be chosen to participate in the event.
“Because it is a juried event, not everybody can get in,” she said. “I think people know they can come here and find quality.”
Demonstrations added another dimension to the day, giving visitors a chance to see artisans at work. Among them was Dave Woodall of the Tzouhalem Spinners & Weavers Guild, who drew steady crowds fascinated by watching him and his spinning wheel.
“People seem to be really enjoying the chance to talk about spinning,” he said. “It’s not a dead art at all — it’s very live and vibrant. For me, it’s peaceful. There’s no tension, no fighting. I can be incredibly selfish and lazy and still be productive,” he added with a grin.
Woodall, who has been spinning for more than 50 years, said the craft fosters a deep sense of community among those who practise it.
“Because the craft is so tactile and so involved, the people who do it are equally as tactile and involved with each other,” he said. “If you’re in difficulty, they’ll help out. That’s pretty normal.”
In addition to the artists’ booths, festivalgoers could take in live music performances on two stages, visit food vendors and join in hands-on activities such as a community banner project in the youth art zone.
The popular one-hour paint competition also returned, challenging three emerging artists to create 30-by-30-inch canvases based on the theme of “natural elements.” Molly Stefiuk, Christine Lockwood-Lee and Charlotte Hegler were given one hour to complete their paintings, working in the centre of the event and surrounded by onlookers.
The street was packed with families, art lovers and casual strollers alike, soaking up the sun and the creativity. For organizers, the energy was exactly what they had hoped for.
“It’s about people being able to connect with the artists,” said Reside. “Having people being able to experience art from all over the Island in one location — that just makes my heart sing. The artists get the opportunity to meet people they might never meet otherwise, and visitors get to go home with some really neat art. It’s beautiful.”
