On the evening of July 26th, art enthusiasts of all ages gathered at the Portside Pub in Gastown for our new painting competition: Art! Masters. During what proved to be an exciting summer event, the hour-long contest saw professional artists vying to paint their best interpretation of the theme “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” With the artists having to make use of a surprise box of materials that included everyday objects such as sponges, spoons and steel wool, the results were quite impressive.
The audience vote declared the winners, with Danyne Johnston in first place, Jake Bull in second and Lauren Morris in third.
Half the auctioned proceeds from the finished paintings went to the artists, and half to the Youth Unlimited charity.
Special thanks to Stephen Kaplan for emceeing the event, and to Deserres, the Contemporary Art Gallery, Tap & Barrel, Opus and Bard on the Beach, Xiamen Air, Museum of Anthropology, Hello Fresh and Cactus Club for donating prizes to the winning artists.