Mendel Farewell, Paige Mortensen 12×36″ Watercolour $625

As I usually do, I ended my last visit to the Mendel Art Gallery with a stop in the Civic Conservatory to enjoy the flowers.  This was just days before the Gallery closed to prepare for the opening of the Remai Modern in 2016. The Civic Conservatory will remain open as the rest of the building transitions into a Children’s Discovery Museum but for the moment I was looking for something to remind me of all the times I wandered the Mendel galleries.  These were the flowers that drew me in. I took some pictures, came home and made my own watercolour batik memories.

A couple of weeks later the Mendel Art Appreciation Group had its last gathering, a tour of Doug Bentham’s studio south of Sasaktoon.  It was a beautiful day and as with most studio tours I really enjoyed hearing Doug’s stories as he talked to us about his sculptures.