The president of the Bashaw Art Club, Laurie Hall, showcased her talent recently in a big way — literally.
Hall painted a four-foot high cowboy boot with her own design that was auctioned off during “Cowboy Kicks” in Red Deer on March 18.
Cowboy Kicks was a fundraising experience, held at Westerner Park, where art met western culture.
The live-auction event sold off experience packages paired with six four-feet high fibreglass cowboy boots that were hand-painted by Alberta artists. Several smaller boots were also auctioned off.
The theme of Hall’s boot was a “2021 love story.” In her design, a rooster, Chuck, sees a fancy-looking Henrietta and is smitten and Henrietta “ropes” him in.
The design was completed with leather work painted on the toes and the top, looping rope, and some eggs placed throughout. Hall finished the boot last year, but the event had been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“It’s just a delightful art piece,” said longtime club member Mary Kinsella of Hall’s design.
The event raised funds for the Canadian Pro Rodeo medical team that patches up athletes at events.
“I like helping any kind of charity,” said Hall, who said she got herself into more than she bargained for when she responded to the ad for artists.
It was a shock when she was chosen to paint one of the large boots, she said.
When they replied and said they liked the chickens in her art, she took that to mean she was free to use chickens again in the design of her boot.
She said she was surprised by the sheer size of her boot when she went to go pick it up. The boots are hollow and were cast by a company out of Sylvan Lake.
“So I stuffed it in the car and brought it home and tried to think of a concept,” she said, adding that she must have stared at it for two weeks as it sat in a spare room before inspiration struck.
Once she began, it took another month or so to complete the work.
Her fellow art club members were instrumental in the process, she said.
During an art retreat with the club at a lake, the other artists made suggestions about little details to pull the piece together.
“They were so helpful in getting the end product just right,” said Hall.
Hall’s boot was matched up with a package to Canmore for two people with a hotel and gas voucher, with a total value of $4,000.
Painting such a large piece, and for a public event, was far out of her comfort zone, Hall said, so she was worried nobody would want her whimsical chicken-themed boot.
When it went for $7,000, she was stunned and emotional.
“I cried through the whole thing,” said Hall. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Her boot was purchased by MNP in Red Deer. The accounting firm has a Bashaw connection, so when they heard her piece being announced, it grabbed their attention, said Hall.
Guests at the event enjoyed a western-style meal and were treated to a performance by country music artist Brett Kissel.
The event raised over $250,000, according to Westerner Park’s Facebook page.
“It was an amazing night,” said Hall.
The Bashaw Art Club is holding its annual art show on May 1 after a two-year hiatus. The show will be held at the Happy Gang Centre from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At the sale, there will be a table dedicated to Ukraine. The proceeds of the pieces sold from that table will be given to a Ukrainian children’s charity.
The art pieces will feature sunflowers painted on canvas and magnets, as sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine.
The club also plans to hold their outdoor yard show again in the fall during Hometown Days.
