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Friday, August 25, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 27 Arts & Entertainment An Oakville Beaver Feature Edtor CAROL BALDWIN, 845-3824 (Ext 254} Fax: 337-5567; E-mai; baktwin @ haltonsearch.com Road to retirement McLaren-Bames Gallery features work by all its artists in owner' s ` R etirem ent Exhibition' B y C a r o l B a ld w in ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR H elen Barnes is counting down, not to m idnight but to September 30th - the day when she will close the doors of the M cLaren-Bam es Gallery for the last time and ride off into the sunset. However, before she embarks on that renowned ride into retirement, she has a number o f plans for the gallery's last few weeks. For example, her Retirement Exhibition, which opened on Wednesday, will feature three or four works o f art from each of the 32 artists that M cLaren-Bam es currently represents. Some, she says, have been with her since she opened the gallery over 10 years ago. And some are Oakville artists - the late Tom Chatfield, Sally Jackson, Regina Ziuraitis, Joyce Kellock, June Garrod and Irene Mottadelli. "I have rather eclectic tastes, I guess. If you're going to sell something, you have to like it yourself and feel excited about it. So I guess that was the criteria," she says of her choices in art and artists. "I love colour and I think you can tell that from my gallery." As Barnes chatted about her decade as a gallery owner in Oakville, a number o f cus tomers passed through the front doors, some greeting her with congratulations, others expressing their regret at the loss of a favourite ggllery, and still others asking art-related ques tions of the knowledgeable gallery owner who was never too busy to acknowledge all greet ings and address all questions. Barnes says she has received many letters arrd phone calls from customers over the past couple of months, "congratulating me, but regretting that the gallery is going to close." And her guest book at the front door also over flows with messages bemoaning the loss of an art gallery and its well-informed owner. "It will be a souvenir," says Barnes, who also has mixed feelings about her leap from the business of running a successful art gallery to the business of realizing some other of her life's dreams. But one thing she won't do is watch the Town demolish the building that has been her second home for so many productive years. "I don't think I could handle that," she confides. Barnes still talks nostalgically about the artists she has represented over the years and the customers she has grown fond of. She also looks back on her first business venture into the world of art and the challenges it presented, especially during the recent recession. Yet, she expresses no regrets and even looks back on the economic downturn as a catalyst that forced her to work harder at a business that is usually one o f the first casualties in a war of downsizing and cutbacks. "My goal was always to show what I call good, affordable art. And I think that I accom( S e e `F in a l' o n p a g e 2 8 ) Photo by Riziero Vertolli Helen Barnes displays a painting of onq of the best known artists her gallery has represented - the late Tom Chatfield. Across the street is the M cLaren-Bames Gallery that will official ly close on Sept. 30th. fa m ily T he . p F a m ily 5e r ie s theatre co m e d y THERE'S A SPACE presents FOR YOU! Gaelic Envy and other hits, jabs and musical pokes In the Studio Theatre Friday, September 22 at 8:30p.m. Saturday, September 23 at 8:30p.m. " the nerd by la r r y sbue Spud Treh starring the Potato People Sunday, September 1 0 ,1:30pm When a spaceship crashes In the Potato People's bachyard, Nancy and her friend Dillon try to help the zany aliens. presented by Thurs. - Sat. September 14-16 Wed. - Sat. September 20-23 H a lf price W ednesdays for Students a n d Seniors NANCY WHITE FREE PARKING is available in all Municipal Lots and at street meters daily after 6:00 p.m., Sundays and holidays. HANDICAPPED PARKING There are a total of 18 signed spaces available in lots 1. 2 ,3 ,1 0 . 1 1 A, 15. in the Municipal Parking Garage and at specified street meters. DOWNTOWN OAKVILLE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA = + S w ift S u re w w w .oc4pa.com b y Affirm ative Communications Visit the bo x office, 130 N a v y St. (at Lakeshore) Canada's funniest singer-songwriter' - The Toronto Star TOWN OF OAKVILLE PARKING OPERATIONS Call (905) 815-2021 338-4394 844-4520 CENTRE .VLLE T h e O a k v il l e B e a v e r proud media sponsor o f The OakviUe Centre Monday lo Friday, noon - 5 p.m., Saturday 2 - 5 p.m. BIG TICKET MEMBERS SAVE 2 0 % Ask about our membership today! T H E R E A R E M O R E T H A N 2 ,8 0 0 P A R K IN G S P O T S A V A IL A B L E IN D O W N T O W N O A K V IL L E