Phase 3 in Saskatchewan means more businesses and activities are opening up, but for many still at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic there isn’t much to do.
One artist in Saskatoon found a way to make his neighbours’ walks a bit more colourful.
In the Lakeridge neighbourhood, artist Paul Constable is bringing his art to his neighbours with his “one window gallery”.
A number of his shows were cancelled because of the virus, and it felt like a waste not putting his art up somewhere. So every week he puts a new painting out in a display case outside his house for anyone to view.
“The kids love it,” said Constable. His display includes a ‘comment’ box, where thankful children — or their parents — leave him little notes.
Some of his favourites include, “We look forward to the weekly painting!” and a simple heart drawn in pencil on a folded piece of paper.
“I change the image every Monday so everybody kind of looks forward to the next week which is kind of nice.”
Saskatoon’s newest — and likely smallest — gallery opened six weeks ago.
Along with one weekly painting, it sports a sculpture from another local artist, and a fun surprise for kids to find — a snake sculpture popping out under the display.
“It lifts the spirits of the neighbourhood for sure,” said Kayla Cropper, who walks by the gallery with her dog.
Fellow Saskatoon artist James S. Korpan donated his sculpture to Constable’s inventory.
Siblings Jonathan, 7, Brayden, 5, and Kaylee Leier, 3, all love playing with the snake toy at the gallery, and using their imaginations when looking at constable’s paintings.
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“I can see the pirates!” exclaims an excited Brayden, joined in by his siblings as they point out the pirates on the canvas.
Constable didn’t paint pirates — but watching the trio gush about them, he said he wishes he had.
He said he’s happy so many people can get joy from his little display.
“It’s changing the walk pattern a little bit; people have something to see,” he said.
Constable says he plans to keep the gallery running for the foreseeable future. He’s looking at making more space to include children’s artwork, or other contributions from the community.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus.
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