Artists appreciate chance to showcase work during Spring Art Festival

The organizer of the first Spring Arts Festival held at the Chatham Armory on Saturday gave local artists an opportunity to showcase their talents and plans to continue in the future.

“I love art and I love what it does for people,” said Lisa Lester owner of Four Diamond Events. “It makes us feel good, it makes us present.”

Noting there isn’t a lot of opportunity for local artists to show their work; Lester said organizing the arts festival was a chance to bring the markets she regularly organizes up a level.

The event provided an opportunity for artist and fashion designer Juwels LeGardia to display the first paintings she’s done in 22 years, since suffering a broken neck and broken back in a car accident in 2001. This was followed by being bedridden for two years and undergoing 10 years of rehabilitation recovery.

Living in Chatham-Kent for the past decade, LeGardia was well-known in the Toronto arts world creating works for such personalities as Frank Stronach, Mel Lastman and Ed Mirvish.

She said it has been physically difficult to get back into painting on canvas, because she can’t stand up too long, which can disrupt the artistic process.

“But mentally I was ready for it,” she said. “I had some many ideas I was excited to get at it.”

Now that she’s had her artwork displayed and is receiving positive responses from participants at the event, LeGardia said, “I feel like 30 years younger, it feels great.”

Many of her paintings feature ballerinas, which she said was motivated by taking ballet as a girl.

“It’s just something my heart was learning towards.”

LeGardia is glad Four Diamond Events organized an arts festival.

“I hope every year it’s going to bet bigger and better,” she said.

So does long-time Chatham artist Penelope Duchesne, who featured her floral paintings at the event.

“Artists in Chatham need space to display their work so this is great,” she said of the festival. “It’s a great opportunity for artists.”

Duchesne became known to local residents for murals she painted in downtown Chatham, beginning in the 1990s.

She has successfully moved to canvas, noting her work is in art galleries in Toronto, London and Chatham as well as available for sale from her home.

Duchesne’s inspiration is homegrown.

“I love gardening so most of the paintings I do are from my garden,” she said.

Lester said the focus is to make the Spring Art Festival bigger and better moving forward.

This year, she encouraged local artists to demonstrate their skill to make it an educational experience for people attending.

Professional chainsaw sculptor Mike Winia, who grew up in the Bothwell and Newbury area, accomplished this by creating artworks on the spot.

Self-taught, Winia said his chainsaw skills come from being a third-generation logger.

Being a painter and sketch artist, he said, “I love realism and wildlife, so I thought: ‘How can I get my chainsaw to make it look real?’

“I finish every with the chainsaw,” he said, adding this includes doing the fine details such as claws and eyes.

In the past it was rare to see Winia at a local art show.

“I spend most of my year traveling all over the world, competing in the big tournaments,” he said.

However, this past year, he decided to devote more time to get involved in more community events.

Although the big cities are calling for him to take part in events, Winia said, “For me, it’s just nice to be doing things for people in the community who really appreciate it.”