Thursday night opened the Student and Member Show of artists at the Glesby Centre and Portage and District Arts Centre in Portage la Prairie.

"We've got our opening of our exhibit for students and members," says Executive Director Margaret Bernhardt-Lowdon. "We've got a great crowd out tonight. It's going it be here for six weeks, and we've got a whole gamut of art here. We have paintings, photography, some visual art and we'll also be getting a sculpture next week."

Ruth Brownridge teaches and creates stained glass artworks. She didn't have any works in the showing but attended, and describes the event.

"It's quite inspiring to see new works and to see people who have now been taking courses for some time, and how they've progressed," notes Brownridge. "The show is wonderful."

Evangeline Chan often enters her photography in shows like this, but this time just came to take in the others' works as well. She describes it as inspiring.

"It makes me want to go out and take more pictures," adds Chan. "I do photography. It's great inspiration to continue to do it."

An interesting signature can be seen on two of the works of painting on display. It's in mirror image in the bottom right corner. Adrian Pratt laughingly explains she knows how to write her name forward but notes it's easier for left-handed people to flow toward the left with writing.

"I give myself the liberty on my canvasses, and I can write backwards as well," continues Pratt. "I taught myself to write backwards like Leonardo Da Vinci."

She painted a horse and a quasi-abstract cityscape with a taxi.

The show is open until January 26th.