After a 30-year teaching career, a Binscarth-Russell wife and mother has turned to a second career focusing on art — creating and teaching pottery and children’s art classes.
“There is no aspect of our lives that doesn’t involve art,” says Arlene Thickett, a member of the local art group, the Prairie Arts cARTel. “Creativity and the expression of yourself are important to mental wellness.”
Thickett was pleased to see her work featured at the Northern and Rural Arts Work Show, an exhibition that bridges the gap between rural artists and the Winnipeg arts scene, for the second time in four years. This time her large sculpture of a mushroom was among first-place winners selected from juried art shows across the province to be featured at the Buhler Gallery in the St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.
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Thickett felt it was a privilege to have her work shown with other Manitoba artists, as she feels events like this and others like the mentorship program are so important to rural artists.
Calling herself a clay/ceramic artist, Thickett has been working with clay periodically for about 18 years. For about six years, she has been working in her studio, attached to the garage and house of the family’s rural property, and also home to husband Walter’s business, Thickett Engine Rebuilding.
“My creations are a part of me, a way to express myself,” Thickett said. “Working with clay is very therapeutic. I can go into my studio and pinch, press and form my ideas into a satisfying result.”
Equally as important as having the space to work, Thickett said having a venue to display your art and share ideas and learn from other artists is “necessary to one’s growth as an artist.”
“Our Russell group had a pop-up gallery awhile ago and many viewers commented, ‘I didn’t know there were so many talented artists in the area.’”
Creating larger-than-life masterpieces, time is of the essence, as working with clay is a very time-consuming process. Depending on the size and complexity it takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month to complete a piece. Larger pieces can take a month to dry before one can fire and finish them.
“My fungi and lichen sculptures are larger than life. In nature they can easily go unnoticed, but I want viewers to take time and discover them, slow down, take a step off the path, get a little closer and be truly intrigued,” said Thickett, who began working with clay while living in Estevan, Saskatchewan.
“Taking various other workshops, my fungi sculptures are a result of RAMP (Rural Arts Mentorship Program) sponsored by Manitoba Arts Network and MAWA (Mentoring Artists for Women’s Arts),” she said.
Work has also been promoted/shown at local juried art shows, the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba and the Wasagaming Community Art Gallery. Thickett is excited that space in the newly renovated library in Russell will present an avenue for local art group members to display work.
“Art truly enriches our souls. I’m seeing more and more people expressing a need for art in their lives, whether it is a fun ‘paint night’ out with friends or learning a new skill,” Thickett said. “Besides being enjoyable, it forces people to think outside the box and stretch their perspective.”
