On Thursday, the eagerly awaited Altona's Gallery in the Park Summer Gala & Exhibit revealed its much-anticipated showcase, running from August 4 to September 24. 

"I think the most meaningful thing is introducing the community to a wide variety of art and artists. I think everyone's always blown away and amazed and it just feels like a proud thing to be able to do in our community," said Susie Fisher, curator of Altona's Gallery in the Park.

At the heart of the exhibit stands the wonderful feature artist, Patricia Eschuk. Her creations display oil paints and mixed media drawings. Her art is born from Manitoba's forests and prairie grasslands, where she paints en plein air, channelling the connection between humankind and the natural realm.

"I'm a process artist, I follow the work, I make a mark, I respond to that mark, eventually the piece draws me into the work and I never know what the end result will be until I get there. I tend to be at a loss for words. I like to express visual language and my work can be very expressive, very fun, and rhythmical, there's balance, there's movement. And so it really expresses my essence," said Eschuk.

Her son James Coutures added, "She went through a lot to get here; it's been a stressful journey leading up to this moment, so to see the gallery placed on the wall is magical."

Joining Eschuk are equally talented artists, each weaving their own work through different mediums and styles. Paulo Delgado, a self-taught painter with a graphic design legacy employs acrylic as his chosen medium. His canvases unfold as vibrant posters, from the shades of Portuguese landscapes to the captivating colours of Manitoba's prairies, his work captures emotions through an intentional simplification. 

Kerry Enns's medium is photography, and he's been revisiting his collection of thousands of photographs, each frame a time capsule. His imagery produces a sense of nostalgia, a visual storyteller through his artwork.

"I've lived with all of those pictures for a long time... to have it in the gallery, to have people see it and interact with them and what they have to say is a great experience for me. It's something I haven't had before," said Enns.

Rosalie Olson's delicate strokes and flowing compositions serve as a poem to nature's elegance. Her work is a testament to her unwavering wonder of the beauty of the natural realm. Meanwhile, Callen Froese's pieces resonate with our planet's well-being. Spirituality and the divine find a home in her creations, where each line reveals a deeper connection, leaving room for interpretation. 

"I had this kind of concept in mind that was really exploring my own relationship to spirituality. And so for me, to turn all these different concepts that I was playing with in my head into works of art. I'm really grateful for having the opportunity to showcase my art, I get to make it and then if people get to see it and enjoy it, that's just the cherry on top," said Froese.

What unites these artists is their drive to share, provoke, and inspire. Their diverse perspectives combine in a symphony of creativity. The Gallery in the Park Summer Gala & Exhibit promises a journey through the minds and hearts of these gifted artists, inviting all to see the world through their individual perspectives.

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