Rideau Park painting auction will benefit Samaritan House

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This article was published 24/12/2014 (3955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The current highest bid is $1,170. No bids will be accepted after 5 p.m. today, (Jan. 6). To bid, email your name, address, telephone number and the amount you wish to bid to auction@brandonsun.com

The front page of the Brandon Sun’s Christmas Eve edition is a special one this year.

The scene of a snowy Rideau Park hill alive with tobogganing activity is an original painting that was commissioned for the paper by one of Brandon’s most prolific artists, Weiming Zhao.

With Brandon’s iconic water tower in the background, the ‘plein air’ (in the open air) artist picked the park scene to fill the blank canvas, since the east-end park is a popular spot for families to go tobogganing.

“It’s very wintery,” he said. “It’s a landmark of the city.”

Zhao has become a fixture in the Brandon community, with his works showcased in galleries, government collections and local homes — including that of Samaritan House program co-ordinator Marcia Wiebe. She received a Zhao painting of her own as a gift from her husband.

The painting on our front page is up for auction by the Brandon Sun, with proceeds going to the Samaritan House Ministries as way to keep the spirit of giving alive after the holidays end.

“People are over the festivities, they hunker down in the cold weather and tend to not think as much about donating,” Wiebe said.

To fight the annual lull in donations after Christmas, Samaritan House has also teamed up with area credit unions for a food drive beginning on Jan. 2.

So far during the Christmas season, Wiebe said the food bank hasn’t really seen a slump this year.

“This year, it’s been great,” she said. “It’s certainly not just the city of Brandon — there are donations coming in from outlying areas of Westman as well and they have been continuously generous.”

Meanwhile, a winter scene is no problem for the Brandon artist. Zhao paints fleeting moments in outdoor scenes every day, no matter the weather.

The scene Zhao has painted the most, by far, has been his neighbourhood — it’s the most accessible. On cold days, he simply steps out the front door with an easel, canvas and paint and recreates what he sees.

He has, on occasion, completed small works on his lap while sitting in his car on particularity frigid days.

With some 4,000 scenes painted, Zhao said there’s no one particular spot in Brandon he enjoys the most.

“It’s very hard to find one particular spot — every part of the city has its own unique appeal,” he said.

Art collectors across Canada, China, the United States and Russia own his work.

“We’re delighted to have Zhao create this work for us and for Samaritan House, and want to thank him for his generous offer to do so,” Brandon Sun publisher Eric Lawson said.

“Zhao’s work so strongly identifies with Brandon and Westman that he is the perfect choice to create this scene to support this worthwhile cause. We encourage readers to bid and help Samaritan House continue its important work.”

The silent auction begins today and will end at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Bids should be sent to auction@brandonsun.com and emails must include your name, address, telephone number and the amount you wish to bid.

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