By Sue Tiffin
Published May 11 2017
Carole Finn has been painting portraits throughout her entire artistic career and now she has opened her studio to share them with the public. People in My Life an acrylic portrait exhibition opened at Finn Artists’ Centre on May 6.
Finn is teaching a portrait class at the centre in Minden and said she has hung her own work so that others can “come in and have a different point of view of what a portrait is all about.”
“These pictures have been put together primarily to show that portraiture has many different approaches” she wrote in a statement. “How do you show the love between brother and sister as they grow up the love between man and wife the personal dissatisfaction of your present life the different personalities of family members? It is all here in these paintings.”
Students in the class will be learning to paint intricate details to help bring realism to their portraits like “the corners of mouths and the little quirks that make a person a person” said Finn.
Finn speaks to her own work as it hangs in the exhibition portraits of her late husband Don and her family including her grandkids. Each portrait reflects the person’s physical characteristics but also tells a story about their mannerisms.
Lila Sweet of Gravity Custom Catering was at the opening of the portrait exhibition to cater the event but has taken a class with Finn to help nurture her own artistic skills .
“I actually had such a positive experience” said Sweet. “Carole was really helpful and there but not hovering.”
Sweet said the classes gave her confidence to create art the way she imagines it.
“I’m nervous to draw things especially faces and people” she said. “I’m just going to jump right in and trust Carole to get me going.”
Finn’s portrait workshop takes place on Tuesdays. Finn will paint a portrait alongside the artists in class so they can learn as she works.
People in My Life is open at the Finn Artists’ Centre at 15 Newcastle Street in Minden until June 25 from 1 to 5 p.m. Finn can be reached at 705-457-2404.