by Karen Laharty     |       November 2, 2009   

The dark days of winter are coming: cold biting winds, stinging rain and endless cloud -- but art emerges. All you need do is walk through the doors of the Little Vienna Bakery into fragrant warmth. And for the die hard schneckie-aholic (myself included) -- enjoying a sweet pastry at the Little Vienna may seem even more delicious from November 24 to December 24 this year when Little Vienna hosts the Sooke Community Arts Council Members Christmas Art Show. [See story about members' Dec.1 Christmas party.]

The Christmas Art Show is an annual event for displaying the works of Arts Council members only. Each artist may display two pieces of art. If space allows, more pieces can be added. Patrons who wish to buy the art on display may take their purchase home on the same day. Artists are encouraged to promptly replace that sale with another piece. This type of show is an effective way for residents to view the results of exceptional talent without having to travel to a larger community. There is no entry fee for the artists to display their work. Little Vienna receives a commission on sold items for providing the intimate gallery setting.

“Little Vienna is a well known central location with a good deal of repeat customers,” says Marion DesRochers, president of the Sooke Community Arts Council and owner of the Sooke Fine Art Gallery on Shields Road. “We have always had good success there.” The council has been in operation since 1987 and has members from Port Renfrew to East Sooke. A wide range of art forms is represented in this pool of local talent. “We have weavers, potters, painters, and 2D and 3D artist in a variety of mediums. You name it, we’ve got it”, DesRochers says, chuckling.

Marion DesRochers spearheads the annual members' art show.	This year the art show includes books designed in Sooke.	The Little Vienna Bakery steps up to fine elegance with this show.

The mandate of the Sooke Community Arts Council is to encourage creative participation, development of opportunities for performance and exhibition, and to create awareness of the artistic needs of the community. Membership is $15 a year and people from all walks of life are encouraged to join. Diversity within the membership gives the Council the unique perspectives of those within the arts community and the viewers who admire the finished works.

Many of those admirers are the food and beverage patrons of Little Vienna. Emma Irwin, busy mother of two very busy daughters, loves good coffee and good art. “Art is about drifting into another time, another place and escaping. So is coffee: being away from work and responsibilities with friends, even for a few minutes. Art and coffee -- the perfect partners of escapism. If either is shaky it doesn’t quite translate the same. Little Vienna has done a great job with both.” Emma’s husband Patrick Irwin, owner of local Stone Pipe Grill restaurant, is an artist himself.

Emma praised Little Vienna for their active promotion of artists and their work. “There is no shortage of coffee shops, offices and restaurants who are willing to hang your art especially if you are a good artist. Some establishments miss the point and present an opportunistic attitude towards the artists. Little Vienna does a great job of honouring the artists while benefiting from their work.”

For display of Sooke’s fantastic array of artistic talent, Little Vienna’s simple elegance lends itself easily.  MM

Karen Laharty is a student news writer with the MapleLine Journalism Program.

Photos by Mary P. Brooke.