One in a series profiling local artists, in the run-up to the Ashcroft Art Club’s 50th anniversary show April 28 to May 2.
“I’ve wanted to draw and paint all my life,” says Carol King, who has been painting since she moved to the area in 1997. “I used to draw pictures on brown paper bags when I was young. I’d get the bags and cut them up, then find pictures from magazines and draw them on the paper.”
King has moved between the communities of Ashcroft and Cache Creek during the last two decades, and currently lives in Cache Creek. She joined the Ashcroft Art Club in 1998.
“I joined it to see what I could learn,” she says. “There was more of a mentor program there; artists who would help out. It was fabulous; if you asked a question they would take the time to answer, or would show you if you wanted to be shown. And other artists helped out if you had a problem with a painting.”
King works in both acrylic and oil, depending on what she is painting and how long she wants it to take. “You decide on the picture you want to do, then decide how long you want to spend on it,” she explains. “Oil has to dry between layers, but acrylic dries quickly. And if you make a mistake, or want to make a change, with acrylic, you can make those changes.”
She likes painting flowers, and has been doing buildings as well. For many of the buildings, she refers to pictures she has taken during her travels around the country. “For flowers I go to my friend Sonja Matthews, who has a beautiful garden.”
Another of the paintings that Carol King will be displaying at the show in April. Photo by Carol King.
She will have eight paintings on display in this year’s fine art show and sale, and might have a ninth completed in time. However, she is also in charge of providing a high tea for all the artists, which will take place before the event as a celebration of the club’s 50th anniversary.
“It’s a special event, to honour all the artists who have ever been members of the club,” she explains. A display commemorating the club’s history and members is being assembled for the event, and King says the plan is for it to be available to be viewed by the public when they attend the art show in April.
“There are about 27 members in the club now,” says King. They get together once a month for a meeting, and also have sessions where they come together to paint. “I’m quite happy being part of the club, but I prefer to paint at home,” says King. “I go to the painting sessions to visit, watch, and learn different techniques.”