It’s nice to be in good company.
That’s how the members of the MadArters group in Victoria feel, as they come together to host their first collective show and raise money for an art initiative.
The show is a first for group members, who started getting in touch with each other about a year ago through a Victoria art group on meetup.com. There are 207 online members of the art group, 10 of whom have come together to form the MadArters and put on the show.
Members of the MadArters get together regularly to attend shows, participate in art walks and generally discuss art.
“Some are brand new to art shows and some of us are more experienced,” Aurafidelitie Arindam said.
“The energy that’s come from it and motivation is really fascinating to me. Usually artists are so individual and isolated, but this has really brought us out.”
Arindam is known for her paintings of botanical flowers, mainly in acrylics. She discovered her passion for flowers only after moving to Victoria and has now had showings at Butchart Gardens and Sooke Harbour House.
She is moving into doing large seascapes and is still finding inspiration in her natural surroundings on Vancouver Island, along with the camaraderie she has found in the group.
“Working with a group is a great way to keep motivated and to feel supported. And that’s very important for artists.”
The artists in the group work with a wide variety of mediums. Visitors can expect to see a range of paintings, photography, sculpture, jewelry and others.
Arindam said it has been great to see it all come together. Putting on a show as a group also helps cut down the cost for each member, as opposed to hosting individual shows.
“It’s a visionary way of bringing all the arts in Victoria together,” Arindam said. “We’re really proud of supporting that.”
The MadArters have another show lined up, at the Zanzibar Café in Brentwood Bay this August.
There will also be opportunities for new members to come aboard for future shows.
An auction held at the show’s opening was also used a way to raise money for the development of the InterArts Centre for Creators. This initiative is an attempt to create a centre with resources such as a metalworks shop, office space, a 3-D printer and others available for member artists.
For the Love of Art runs until Sunday (June 9) at the Community Arts Council of Greater Victoria’s Arts Centre at Cedar Hill, inside the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre (3220 Cedar Hill Rd.).
kwells@goldstreamgazette.com