On opening night, there were a
number of pieces of art set aside for
silent auction. The evening also included
live paintings by five artists: Lewis Lavoie,
Igor Postash, Denise Lefebvre, Karen Bishop and
Oksana Zhelisko. Though live painting has occurred
at NOA in previous years, it was the first time it was done
as a competition between artists. The art pieces, painted
within a limited time frame, were then put to auction as a fundraiser for friends of NOA who were dealing with cancer. The winner of the live painting competition was the artist whose painting brought in the highest bid, and this year’s winner was Lewis Lavoie, whose painting sold for $840. If you’ve ever experienced live painting, it’s enjoyable to watch a piece being created before your eyes, but when there are five at once, it’s hard to look away, and really fascinating to be able to appreciate and compare in real time, the various styles and processes. Toward the end of the evening, we were treated to the grand unveiling of the train engine section of the Mural Mosaic 150 project, a huge mural that is part of a national endeavour that Phil is part of, along with Lewis and Paul Lavoie.