Art Lab Studios & Gallery

(Closed for the winter. Re-opening mid-April.) The goal of Art Lab is fourfold: to provide working studios for a group of artists in a supportive and collaborative atmosphere; to provide retail opportunities for those artists; to create a vibrant and welcoming venue for anyone interested in learning various art and craft forms through workshops, demonstrations, weekly classes and general interaction with working artists; to establish an exhibition space for work by guest artists. Founding members are Michael Fuller, Jill Langford, Taylor Redmond, Krista Wells, and Brenda Wood. Each member brings his or her individual esthetic and talents to create an exciting mix of work. Fuller has been painting for years, but only recently scaled down from theatre set painting to canvas. Still exploring styles and subject matter, he paints everything from dramatic skies to sensitive portraits. Langford’s beautiful and lyrical work is inspired by the sea. She layers strong, transparent colours of ink to explore pattern and texture, myth and magic. A painter, sewer, assembler of stuff, and author, Redmond’s art is directed by colour and her writing is playful. Creating “things” and making happy endings is what she does. Wells describes herself as a storyteller, no matter what she is creating. She paints, illustrates, sculpts, creates mosaics and jewellery, and she recently published Dog-eared Journals, art and observation from a dog’s point of view. Wood is another jack-of-all-trades, getting her hands dirty with clay, making jewellery and designing stained glass pieces. No doubt, her pottery wheel and kiln will be an active spot at the Art Lab. In addition to the five core members, there will be an exhibition by award winning photographer and Mt. Allison Fine Arts Department head, Thaddeus Holownia. This collection distils the essence of the 30 years of shows presented by The Ship’s Company Theatre and is being held in conjunction with their 30th anniversary celebrations.