Local Artist Showcases Work at Kent Farndale Gallery in Scugog

COURTNEY McCLURE, The Standard

PORT PERRY: In January 2023, Lauren Walker will showcase her art at the Kent Farndale Art Gallery, in the Scugog Library. Her display opens on Saturday, January 7th, 2023, at 2 p.m. The display will be up until February 3rd, 2023, for visitors to come and view, during the library’s open hours.

She will be present on opening day and is inviting everyone within the community, who is interested in seeing her artwork, to come and check it out.

Jennifer Back, the owner of Mrs. Fields Bake House, on Queen Street, in Port Perry, will provide refreshments at the showing.

Lauren Walker is a local artist who grew up and still lives in Port Perry. Ms. Walker mainly works with acrylic paints and prefers them over watercolour paints.

“I find acrylic is just easy to work with,” said Ms. Walker.

She described watercolours as “challenging,” and needs a bit more practice before she uses them more frequently in her pieces.

Ms. Walker created her first painting when she was in high school. She recalled the painting was black and white and featured the Beatles’ John Lennon.

“I didn’t take [painting] seriously until about two years ago,” explained Ms. Walker.

That has since changed. Now, Ms. Walker said, she puts one hundred percent of her effort into her paintings.

She was pushed to put more effort into her paintings because she was dealing with a “rough patch” in her life. Painting was a great stress reliever for her, and she felt it strongly improved her mental health.

“[Painting] allowed me to relax and focus on something other than what was going on,” she said.

Currently, Ms. Walker is working on a series titled “Old and New Buildings of Port Perry.”

As the theme’s title suggests, Ms. Walker has painted both old and newer buildings and landmarks found across her hometown, Port Perry.

“It is a small town, and I think that’s very special,” explained Ms. Walker, talking about the theme of her upcoming art show, at the Scugog Memorial Library.

Completing this personal project has given Ms. Walker a “new appreciation” for the community Port Perry.

“Port Perry, and the people in it, are my inspiration,” she explained further.

According to Ms. Walker, another reason she creates her artwork and uses Port Perry as a common muse is to “honour the history” of her hometown.

To learn more about Lauren Walker and her work, check out her website, at theartist-within.weebly.com. Or you can visit her Facebook page, under the display name “artistswithin86.”