Linda Anderson Stewart art exhibit reception to be held on Thursday

9 of the 100 canvases on display
T. Lucas photo

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

A two-part exhibition by Twin Butte artist Linda Anderson Stewart features one hundred eight inch by eight inch canvases.  Each is a lovely landscape alone, but like a puzzle, there  is a bigger picture implied.  This exhibit is being shown at the Lebel Mansion from September 17 through November 2,  presented by the Pincher Creek Allied Arts Council.   There will be a reception on Thursday, October 10 from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm with the artist in attendance.


Exhibit schedule:

• September 17 – October 8: Part I
• October 10, 7 – 9:00 pm:  Reception, artist in attendance
• October 10 – November 2: Part II

"I want people to be puzzled. 'The puzzling landscape' is the subtitle and is part of the play of the whole thing," explained Anderson Stewart.  People are puzzled by what is going on.  I am playing with puzzle pieces. There is all kinds of plays on words that can go with that, so it's just all part of what I am doing."

She plans on putting the pieces into a final configuration during the reception.  None of the pieces are for sale until that point.  "After the 10th, after it changes for the last time (they will be for sale)," she explained.  "Yes, the work will be available for sale and it will make sense at that point, let's put it that way. It is evolving towards being more recognizable.  If you want to be part of that change then you have to come to the opening."

"There has been a pretty steady stream of people coming and people are loving it," said Anderson Stewart.  During the current phase of the show she has been coming into the gallery regularly to make changes as she deems necessary or desirable.  Some visitors to the Allied Arts Gallery have noticed the changes.   "A lot of people have written to me and said 'I want to move them around myself'.  So I slapped their wrists and said 'Don't you dare!' because it's my thing to play with at the moment."

"We live in a whole world of instant gratification and people just have to wait.  People find that very hard.  The fact that I have free reign is what I enjoyed most about this project and the fact that I could step outside of my usual work and do something that was like play." That was really enjoyable for me, it freed me up.  It has been fun to do and it's been very social, especially in the last three weeks."

 "People have been calling me, writing me and greeting me in the gallery.  It's the side of a painter that I am just not used to as I am usually pretty solitary.   It's nice, it's fun."

"Painting a scenery is not terribly different.  The subject matter is still of this area, which I love to paint.  It's a beautiful place and it has always been an inspiration for me to paint this landscape.  So it's just another evolution of the landscape painting of this area."  She has been living in the area full time for the last 15 years and has been painting for over 30 years.  "I think people will recognize the places as they come together. We have already had that happen because there are some individual pieces there that are recognizable."

"I think it's just another chapter, I suppose, of my landscape painting in this area."

The Allied Arts gallery at Lebel Mansion is open Tuesdays to Saturdays from noon to 5:00 pm.

www.lindaandersonstewart.com