Circle of Art makes its return to Crystal Beach – St. Catharines Standard

Sue Gleason has never taken part in an art show of any kind, despite spending years honing her skills.

But now, with a little prodding from the organizers of the Circle of Art in Crystal Beach, she has taken the plunge and will be among the artists and artisans showcasing their work at Queen’s Circle on July 16.

“During COVID, I was painting up a storm,” Gleason said. “It was relaxing for me.”

While the Circle of Art may be her first show, Gleason has been painting “for years” and prefers to work in acrylics after experimenting with various mediums over the years.

“It just feels comfortable. I tried watercolours, but it just wasn’t for me.”

For Kenny Hayden, the show is another opportunity to show off his wire sculptures, something he picked up years ago after seeing similar works created by an Indigenous artist.

“I’ve been messing around with it for around 25 years,” he said. “Now that I’m retired, I do it all the time.”

Bending and twisting wire, he has created everything from trees to dragonfly fairies. He also does works by commission, and he’s had some off-the-wall requests.

“The strangest commission I had was to create an aorta,” Hayden said. “It wasn’t for a doctor.”

He mounted the creation and splattered the canvas with some red paint to create what he called a broken heart.

“He thought it was great.”

Gayle Martineau, vice-president of the Friends of Crystal Beach (FOCB), was happy to see the event returning.

“The last show we had was in 2019,” she said.

The Circle of Art sprang to life in 2015 with just 13 artists taking part, Martineau said. This year’s show will feature 35 artists and artisans from across Niagara.

“This event thrives because of the support from local businesses and funding from OLG bingos,” Martineau said.

The show takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and features live entertainment, the Buds Kettle Corn and BBQ food truck and door prizes donated by local businesses. Entertainment includes performances by Brook Aviles, Nancy Dunkle and Lulu Rafailidis.

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