Glog
Early bloom (June 8, 2010)
This summer
is going to be an exceptional one – not least because the bloom has arrived 3
weeks early. The bloom in the gardens is generally 2 or more weeks behind that
in other parts of Quebec. And this year is no different – except that bloom elsewhere
is also well ahead of schedule. If this is climate change – then we can do
without it! The flowering trees in the gardens are a beautiful spectacle and
one of the highlights of spring – and it is unfortunate that only a select few
visitors will see them this year because the bloom will be over before the
gardens open to the public.
Our season
opens on Saturday, June 5 at 8.30 am. Our first event this season will be on
Saturday afternoon with the opening of a
new exhibition of paintings by artist Andrée Lévesque at 2 pm. The gardens have
welcomed artists every summer for decades. Many of them spend hours in the
gardens, painting, sketching, taking photographs or simply admiring the beauty
and the landscapes. A lucky few also get to exhibit their work in Estevan
Lodge. Several years ago, we created an exhibition room with special panels to
accommodate paintings and lighting to show them at their best. Named the
Thérèse Beaulieu-Roy Room in honour of the co-founder of the Ateliers Plein
Soleil, the exhibition room is open to visitors throughout the summer. Over the
past seasons, we have shown work by Louise Belcourt, Linda Rutenberg, Louise
Tanguay, Anne Ramsden, Denise Pelletier and Robert Baronet. The exhibitions are a complement to the
gardens and offer opportunities to artists to display their work before an
interested and admiring public. The Andrée Levesque exhibition will be followed
by an exhibition of the work of artists Janis Gillan and Rasa Pavilanis, both
of whom have been inspired in their own way by Elsie Reford and her passion for
life. Their exhibition, Elsie, will open on June 17.
To learn
more about Andrée Lévesque and her work as an artist consult the Events section of
our web site. To see the other events that form part of our 2010 season,
consult the calendar of events.
Alexander Reford
