Mona Lisa returns to celebrate 'old masters'

Whatever you do, don’t call her an old master. When it comes to painting using the techniques of famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Laura Watmough has oodles of talent and experience but she prefers to reserve that special title for famous talents who made their marks more than two centuries ago.

Watmough, the painting instructor at Hidden Talent Fine Art School in Campbell Business Park is once again assembling a few dozen of her students for her annual Mona Lisa Show this weekend. Da Vinci is one of the old masters held in high esteem by the school and the show is generally considered a birthday celebration in his honour. This year it comes as a bit of a belated surprise party.

In mid-April, the studio was immersed in activities surrounding the chamber’s Spring into Spring Lifestyle Expo that took place the same weekend the exhibit normally would have been held. The school/gallery had a prominent location at the trade show and Watmough had passersby get involved by painting on a communal mural called My St. Albert. The piece will be put on display for this weekend’s show.

The rest of the works on the walls will seem a little more artful but with a little less of the spectrum in use. The focus will be on displaying the monochromatic underpaintings that usually form the basis for more complete creations. You may think that using just one colour is a lazy way for an artist to submit works to an exhibit, but it’s not. One glance and you’ll become a believer too, appreciating the detail and effort that goes into each of these new master’s pieces, or as Watmough puts it, “An underpainting that is done well enough to be sold as an article of art.”

Besides, they bear an uncanny resemblance to old sepia-toned photographs, providing an aura of the ancient craft at hand.

Beyond Black and White, as the exhibit is called, is just in the Spot Light Gallery. In the back where the students are usually hard at work, a second gallery is going to be set up with the other high-quality images that have been fully developed with both under- and over-paintings.

Reality Check: Contemporary Realism is where you’ll also be able to see a giclĂ©e of Pearl Der’s oil work called Good Juju featuring her famous koi fish. The original is a featured auction item at Friday evening’s CASA for Kids Spring Celebration at the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe. The proceeds from that sale go to support that organization’s programs and services helping infants, children, adolescents and families with mental health issues.

Der, a veteran of the last three editions of the Mona Lisa Show, really enjoys the opportunity to expose her art to the appreciative St. Albert audience. Naturally there’s a compelling educational component as well.

“It’s a nice way to experiment with different techniques,” she said, adding that it also builds group morale. “It brings the studio together to work as a team.”

There’s a lot of support between the artists here, and considering that Hidden Talent is a little off the beaten path for most of the city’s galleries, it could use the community’s support this weekend too. The birthday boy won’t be there but it’s still a party so that means there will be cake too.