The works from an eight-person artist group are returning to the Arts Centre at Cedar Hill for a 12-day exhibition called Unity in Diversity this week.
The Phyllis Serota Studio Group is hosting it’s opening reception at the Cedar Hill gallery on Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
One of the group artists is Susan Corner, the director of UVic’s Academic Advising and International Student Services, who graduated in 1979 with a bachelor in fine arts, the same year as Serota. But it wasn’t until a chance run-in at the UVic Cinecenta 21 years ago that Corner soon joined Serota’s studio group.
“Phyllis is the reason we’re all together,” said Corner, of the tutorial group that regularly meets to share their work at Serota’s studio. “We value her mentorship, insight and support, and we show our work every two to three years as a group.”
The Phyllis Serota studio is in Victoria and this is the group’s second time showing at Cedar Hill. They’ve also exhibited at the Martin Bachelor and Red Art galleries in Victoria and twice in UVic’s McPherson Library.
Each member will show two or three pieces, with a lot of mixed media, acrylic and some oil in there too, said Corner.
Corner lives near Braefoot Park where she converted the family room into a studio space 14 years ago.
Corner has been painting all her life and credits a recent course on mixed media at the Metchosin International School of the Arts in 2015, she told local art promoter Art Openings. Instructor Jean Pederson encouraged artists to use a variety of methods, stencils, dripping, spraying, glazing, textural mediums and gels, and it opened up new horizons for the artist.
“Being around other artists is energizing and enlightening in so many ways,” Corner said.
The Arts Centre at Cedar Hill is at 3220 Cedar Hill Rd. and is open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
reporter@saanichnews.com
