The Community Gallery is bursting with intricate, beautiful pieces this winter with the Winnipeg Sketch Club’s (WSC) 106th Juried Exhibition, on now until February 21.

As one of the oldest fine art clubs in Canada, they are rooted in community, providing opportunities for any artist, regardless of skill level or background, to sketch with a live model every Monday night during the school year and connect with other local artists.

A WSC membership benefit is the opportunity to submit your art pieces to its annual juried exhibition, which has been held for over 100 years. It’s been going strong ever since, with the only exceptions being pauses during World War II and the COVID pandemic.

“Members submit their art to the show and the juror, who is selected by the exhibition committee every year, picks a Juror’s Choice Award for that year, as well as honourable mentions,” says Karen Armstrong, past WSC president and current Exhibition Committee member. “The members are also involved in picking the winner of the Lynn Sissons Watercolour Award, named after a previous member of the WSC.”

This year’s juror is Winnipeg-based artist and printmaker Karen Cornelius. Her Juror’s Choice Award was given to “The Green Hat” by Alan Adamson.

The honourable mentions were awarded to “Glaring Day” by Gerry Humphreys, “Greens” by Ibrahim Mustapha, and “After Metamorphosis” by Arefeh Naseri.

“One of the things that the juror remarked on with this piece [the Juror’s Choice Award] is that the narrative is a little unknown. Because it’s unknown, it gives people the opportunity to bring their own takeaway to the piece. Are the people in the piece bringing the canoe into or out of the water? What is the dog doing there? We don’t know for sure, but it’s up to the individual to decide. His piece gives me good feelings, and I wholeheartedly agree on the Juror’s Choice this year,” says Armstrong.

Armstrong’s involvement with the club started with a simple question from her father-in-law. “He was an architect at the time and a member of the club and asked me if I wanted to come sketch a live model with him. I had just finished my Fine Arts degree and really missed sketching, so I joined him. That was in 1984 – I’ve been around ever since!”

Karen’s sketching preferences include portraits, life drawings with models, and landscapes. She says she usually submits landscapes for the exhibitions because they appeal to a broader audience. Her preferred media are watercolours, water-soluble oils, and pastels.

“I love to go camping and exploring outside and will gravitate to my watercolours because they’re really portable and can bring them with me easily when inspiration strikes,” says Armstrong.

The portability of her watercolours was very beneficial to her this year – Armstrong was this year’s Lynn Sissons Watercolour Award recipient for her piece, “Pog Lake, Algonquin,” from one of her many outdoor adventures.

Reflecting on her over 40 years with the WSC, one memory stands out, featuring a well-known artist to Assiniboine Park.

“During the holidays, we have a tradition of doing a gift exchange, but with a miniature piece of our artwork. One year, when I was a younger artist at the club, Leo Mol was a member. Fortunately, I was selected to exchange pieces with him. I gave him one of my miniatures, and he gave me one of the nude drawings that he had created at the club. I was able to sit down with him and talk about his methods for creating sculptures - that was a very special moment.”

When asked what Armstrong would say to someone on the verge of joining the WSC, it comes down to trying something new and finding community. “You can drop in for just $10 on Monday nights to see if you like it. Although we don’t offer instruction, you will benefit as an artist from the members' experiences. Everyone is eager to share their favourite techniques and new things they’re working on. There are lots of new young members coming to the club, and even after 40 years of being a part of this club, I’m still enthusiastic to be a part of it.”

Armstrong noted her appreciation of being at the Community Gallery for their exhibition this year, for its big windows that let light in, and for being a free, accessible space for visitors to come see the art.

Come check out the exhibition in the Pavilion’s Community Gallery, now until February 21, and open to the public every day.