CORNWALL, Ontario – The first Conquer the Canvas fundraiser took place at the Benson Centre on Saturday, June 15, 2019.
The new fundraiser in support of Cornwall’s Arts and Culture Centre saw different artists compete against each other.
Each artist had 20 minutes to paint whatever their hearts desired on their canvas. At the 10 minute mark, they were asked to open an envelope underneath their canvas that contained an item they had to incorporate into their work.
At the end of the competition, the audience in attendance, of which there was over 200, got to decide who won that round.
There were four rounds of competition and 36 artists in all, with the third being for special guest celebrity artists.
The winner of each round got $100 with the winner of the final round getting $500.
In addition to ticket sales and money raised through the auction of the created paintings, there was also a 50/50 draw, drink, and food sales. All of the money raised on Saturday night went towards the arts and culture centre.
Mayor Bernadette Clement was one of the celebrity artists.
“It is all about the colour yellow, it is the theme of the event so that’s where I will start and go from there,” she said.
Another celebrity artist was Andre Pommier of Pommier Jewellers, who explained that he wanted to paint something sentimental.
“Because it is our anniversary of 18 years of marriage, I am going to paint the chapel where my wife and I were married,” he said.
