Local artist Marney-Rose Edge doesn't have to travel far for inspiration - just out the door into her own garden.
Edge, who works primarily in watercolours, is known for her floral paintings, many of which are based on plants in her own Royal City garden.
"The garden is my inspiration. I pretty well planted all of it. Now it's a jungle, with tangled honeysuckle, roses and peonies - we even put in a pond in the back," she says.
Originally from New Zealand, Edge settled in New Westminster after stints in Australia, England and the U.S., and has made quite a name for herself on the arts scene locally and internationally, winning awards at various levels and becoming involved with the Federation of Canadian Artists.
This is her second year taking part in the New West Cultural Crawl.
She says the "crawl" - which is an annual event that sees local studios open their doors to the public and a variety of events happening around the city - helped her get to know her new community.
"Nobody knew I was here - people would walk by (my house) and not realize it was a studio. The cultural crawl is a great way to be in contact with people - the community supports the artists."
Edge says that the annual crawl is a great opportunity for anyone interested in the arts to learn more about what's happening in New Westminster and to discover useful resources.
Edge is just one of dozens of artists taking part in various ways in this weekend's cultural crawl, running Aug. 13 and 14.
Another artist that took inspiration from his home surroundings will also be in town for the crawl.
Artist Jack Campbell, 80, was born and raised in New Westminster but has lived on Saturna Island for the last 14 years. He began painting the Fraser River in the late 1940s and has been painting waterways ever since.
Campbell will be on hand at the Amelia Douglas Gallery at Douglas College to meet visitors and discuss his paintings and drawings in his latest exhibit, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"The Fraser will always be very important to me, from the building of the bridges, to the mills, to the use of the old beehive burners that would burn sawdust from the mills. There is constant activity on the river. . Now, on the Gulf Islands I've gone from fresh water to salt water and sea life, and it's a nice feeling between the two."
Edge and Campbell are just two of the many artists who will be sharing their work this weekend. Dozens of galleries and individual artists are taking part in the Crawl, including the Van Dop Gallery, Lanta and Rodrigo Studio, Monique Lum Studio, Freeflow Scenics Studio and Margaret Halsey Studio, to name just a few. A full listing of sites, as well as events - such as a poetry celebration in Hyack Square - is available at www.newwest culturalcrawl.com.
