Unknown artists and local legends

Hundreds of donated art works will be sold on Saturday, September 3 in a brand new valley event called Art From the Attic.

Doors at the Invermere Community Hall (located at 1709 10th Street) will open at 9 a.m. sharp, and customers will be invited inside to view and purchase works of art including posters, prints, paintings and photographs until 4 p.m.

A huge variety of current art will be available, with original pieces by local artists such as Lynn Grillmair, June Thomsen and Carney Oudendag. Also on offer are prints by Canadian artists Robert Bateman, Albert Casson and David Veres.

A selection of vintage art will also be available including oil paintings for sale, watercolours, drawings and lithographs. There are even a couple of paintings on velvet. If you are looking for a particular subject for your collection or a Christmas gift, try browsing through the specialty items including wildlife photographs, needlework and movie posters.

Where possible, information about the artists will be provided. However, many works are by unknown artists.

“You may just find something that’s worth a lot of money,” says event manager Elinor Florence, “but more likely, you’ll find something that you just fall in love with.”

Art supplies will also be on sale including frames, mats, glass and canvasses suitable for recycling.

“We urge buyers to use their imaginations, as there are some very high-quality frames for sale,” says Florence.

All art will be pre-priced and organizers will not accept offers. A half-price sale will be held for the last hour of the day. If you spot something you love, you can take a chance that it will still be there later and return from 3 to 4 p.m. for an even better deal.

Please note that the organizers will not accept credit or debit cards, so bring your cash or personal cheques with you. Because the event is for charity, buyers will not have to pay any taxes.

Fifty percent of all proceeds will go towards the Invermere Health Care Auxiliary, which raises money for the local hospital. The other half will go to the Columbia Valley Arts Council, which supports the visual and performing arts in our community.