Jenny Long and Jan Little opening new art gallery
Local artists to open new studios, gallery today in Penticton
Well-known Penticton artists Jan Little and Jenny Long are opening their new studios and gallery today at 374 Main St. in Penticton.
Little Long will be a hive of artistic activity. In addition to the two, four other artists will have studio spaces at Little Long.
“I am very excited to have a community of artists working here together where the public can see paintings in progress not just finished work in the gallery,” Little said.
At Little Long there is a teaching space where a variety of art classes will be held regularly. In addition to paintings being for sale, there will be artistic wares including limited edition prints, handcrafted jewellery, apparel, and other goods available.
“Our venture is not typical in the Okanagan art landscape. We want the public to not only come in as consumers, but to see and participate in the creative process,” Long said.
Little is a realist oil painter whose work tends to focus on character, often with humour.
“I believe my job is to make the world more beautiful and to show the beauty that exists in places and faces where we may not expect to see it,” she said. “Ever since art school I have been dreaming of making art again in a collaborative space with other working artists. I wasn’t really looking to open my own contemporary gallery and working space, but then I found Jenny. We work so well together and, as a team, our dreams seemed to manifest fluidly.”
Long is best known as an abstract expressionist painter and is a well-known art teacher.
“We are inviting people in to see what inspires us and we are hoping to inspire in people the importance of creativity,” she said. “In a consumerist world, we want to share the opportunity for others to become creators. Rather than just taking in the art, people can discover that they too have a voice, a hand in creating content.”
Business hours will be Tuesdays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Fridays from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; and Saturdays from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.