Artists in Cranbrook and the surrounding area now have another gallery in which to showcase their works. The Fisher Peak Art Gallery is having its soft opening on Thursday, May 27 and there are more than 30 artists represented in it.

The gallery is owned by Larry and Nicole Leblond, who moved to Cranbrook in 2003, and recently decided they wanted to help local artists by giving them a place to display their artwork.

“I went around Cranbrook and talked to the people and asked what do we need in Cranbrook and the biggest need seemed to be for an art gallery,” Nicole said. “Since the whole idea was to give back to the community, we thought, let’s do it.”

Larry is administrator of the gallery and Nicole is the general manager/curator. In addition to giving artists another place to display their works, Nicole said she wants to show people who live in and visit Cranbrook what talented artists are in the area.

“One thing I found out is that people don’t know how many wonderful artists we have here,” she said. “We really want to showcase the artists and their work. They spend so much time on it, some of them dedicate their lives to it. I want people to see what we’ve got in this community.”

The gallery is located at 821 B First Street South and Nicole said she hopes visitors and residents alike will make a trip to it, if only just to look.

“The whole concept is that people visiting the city can take something away that is from our area, local art. So many people are looking for something different. If an artist hasn’t hand made it, it isn’t in there,” she said. “I would really like the people, even if they’re not buying, especially the locals, to take some time to just come and take a look to see what our artists have brought in. Just get a glance, take a small glimpse.”

The gallery has originals and prints and aside from paintings and photography, carries metal art, cards, jewelry, candles, sculptures and much more, with price points ranging from high to low.

The gallery will have a registry where people can go around and pick out their favourite pieces and then loved ones can go to the gallery and be shown exactly what that person wants/likes. Nicole said it will be a great help for birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Christmas and weddings too.

Nicole received her Red Seal in baking in 1983 and was a teacher at James Fowler High School in Calgary. There she took on the task of helping the youth make art pieces for their loved ones and like how to make flowers for wedding cakes and corsages. From there her interest turned to wall art in cold porcelain. Larry was a business manager in Ontario for 30 years, moved to Calgary in 2000, where he and Nicole married, and he became a lay minister there. He retired from his ministry in March 2010.

Although passionate about opening the gallery, Nicole and Larry had little experience in setting up a gallery and hanging art. Nicole said she has been helped tremendously by the artists in the area, who have come into the gallery to help them set it up and get it ready for opening.

“They have been doing so much work, it’s unbelievable,” Nicole said. “I opened this up to help the community and I asked them to help me because I’ve never hung art before or set up a gallery and they have just come together, I can’t believe it.”

The gallery is two floors and has a room upstairs where artists can work. The vision statement of the Fisher Peak Art Gallery is to be a model to the community by providing a home base for Kootenay artists to showcase their art and be an inspiration to future generations. The gallery will open at 10 a.m. on Thursday, May 27 and Nicole welcomes everyone to come by and check out the art. The gallery’s grand opening will be a three-day event from June 24-26.