PoMo Art Association hosts annual sale by members this weekend

Still life, portraits and Mother Earth in her glory will be among the subjects shown this weekend at the 44th annual Port Moody Art Association sale — one of the most highly anticipated events of the year for Tri-City artists and collectors.

Some 50 PMAA members will have about 160 acrylic, watercolour, oil and mixed media paintings up for grabs: all of them new and, best of all, original.

PMAA spokesperson Tracey Costescu said Friday night will be the hottest ticket in town as buyers pack the opening reception, wanting to get the first pick of the offerings.

“Our members have been working all year to get ready for this show,” she said. “And we insist that we have only new artwork and no repeats. We find that if we have prints, it brings another dimension so we prefer originals because it really adds to the excitement for the crowd.”

One PMAA member showing four works at the sale — and for the first time — is Leesa Hanna, a Port Moody resident who uses a variety of media such as photography, collage, charcoal, and acrylic, watercolour, oil and encaustic paintings.

Though Hanna has displayed in solo and group shows regularly since 2008, including at the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, she hopes to focus more on her craft, especially now that she has settled into her film set decoration career and that her preschool daughter is getting older.

In fact, the 43-year-old artist recently took three months off and spent time in her studio at 2709 Esplanade in Rocky Point Park, often with her girl in tow. Hanna gave her a paint brush and canvas, and the pair found inspiration in a Georgia O’Keeffe book. Her daughter’s creation impressed Hanna so much that “I framed it and put it on my wall,” she said, proudly, “and it was really enjoyable to have her by my side.”

Hanna started in the art scene as an apprentice to a fashion photographer. She branched out on her own, snapping mainly black and white pictures, but found the profession didn’t suit her.

She took a few classes at Emily Carr University of Art and Design but never graduated.

“Life,” she said, “just ended up happening.”

Hanna added, “I think that if I’m going to win the lottery, I’m going to go back to art school because the biggest thing that I lack is the technical aspect. I have books. I have the internet. I have lots of artist friends. But I really want to master painting and just immerse myself in the whole culture.”

These days, Hanna’s artwork is being sold at Chartreuse Living, a furniture store in Suter Brook village.