Maria Marcinek may take days - or even weeks - looking over nature pictures she and her husband snapped while hiking around the Tri-Cities or other Metro Vancouver parks, and making sketches from them.
But when she's ready to put paintbrush to canvas, the work usually takes less than a day to complete.
"That's why I love acrylics," she said during an interview last week. "They dry very quickly and easily."
Marcinek tends paint every day. The Polish immigrant and mother of three can't say for sure how many works she has done since she retired as a cake decorator five years ago and turned to painting as her full-time gig, but she believes it's "more than one hundred and under one thousand," she said, smiling.
She has been successful at it, too. This month, her brightly coloured and sweeping landscapes are exhibited at Port Coquitlam city hall; two years ago, they were displayed at Leigh Square Community Arts Village. But they are most often seen at Caffe Divano in Port Moody, which is where she'll showcase 30 artworks as part of this weekend's ArtWalk, a self-guided tour of 20 venues in Port Moody featuring paintings, photography, pottery, glass, sculpture, book arts and jewellery from 55 Tri-City craftspeople.
About 20 artists on this year's tour are new, said Helen Daniels, executive director for ArtsConnect, which is the sponsor, and it will include Port Moody secondary art students.
On Friday, the 12th annual event opens with a reception at the Old Mill Boathouse (2715 Esplanade St.) in Rocky Point Park from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., and it is open to the public.
This is Marcinek's third time taking part in ArtWalk, which she said is a good way for the community to get out and about in Port Moody, meet local artists in person, view their talent and, perhaps, buy.
Later this month, she'll be in a similar show on Vancouver's west side when Artists in Our Midst, of which she's a member, will exhibit their work at The Roundhouse on April 28 and have open studio tours on April 30 and May 1.
The map for the 12th annual ArtWalk is at the Port Moody Arts Centre (2425 St. John's St., the Port Moody Station Museum (2734 Murray St.) and the Port Moody Public Library (100 Newport Dr.). For more information, visit artsconnect.ca.
LOCATION, LOCATION
There are 20 ArtWalk venues around Port Moody that are open from noon to 5 p.m. They are:
956 Alderside Rd.
425 Sentinel Rd.
Port Moody city hall
Port Moody Public Library
577 Carlsen Pl.
Ruben's Chocolate (146 Brew St.)
Aria II (1-400 Capilano Rd.)
The Conversation (8-3130 St. John's St.)
S+S Studio (7-3130 St. John's St.)
2721 St. George St.
Port Moody Arts Centre
2214 St. George St.
Tealicious Tea Company (2224 Clarke St.)
Vital Energy Yoga (2318 Clarke St.)
Stone Art Gallery (49 Queens St.)
C-2415 Clarke St.
Port Moody Station Museum
Esplanade Studios
Old Mill Boathouse
Caffe Divano
