My Delta Experience by Karen Braden

Artist Bio : I was born and raised in Portage la Prairie, attending North Ward and  Victoria Schools, and completed my grade 12 at Portage Collegiate Institute. Dale and I were married in 1965 and shortly moved out to the family farm in the Burnside District. We have two children, our daughter Mattie and son Robert.  We have 4 grandchildren. Mattie and Troy have two beautiful daughters, Adrie and Drew. Also Robert and Heather have two adult girls, Bailey and Sam.  We enjoyed our life on the farm and loved travelling to other places, especially enjoyed our winter holiday in the Caribbean. I was able to travel extensively  across  Canada attending Community Foundation conferences and ArtsSmarts meetings. We are now retired to a cosy condo in the Garrick Creek area.

Artist Statement: Delta Beach has a spirit about it that captures your  heart and soul. This is the case whether you  are a resident, cottage owner, renter or a frequent visitor. Delta has been a favorite place to relax, enjoy the beach, the lake, nature and all that comes with it: sunbathing, swimming, campfires, star gazing, fishing, hunting, boating and bird watching.

This exhibition is about my Delta experience from 1980 to 2010, before the great flood of 2011. My Delta experience really started as a child, I attended Camp Jubilee summer camp as a participant and later as a camp leader. As an adult, our family spent about a month each year at the family cottage #16 on the west beach. I grew to love the environment from the hot days of summer to the wild thunder storms. I especially enjoyed the time when our children were younger and now we are sharing the Delta experience with our grandchildren.  I wish to celebrate my eightieth year  by fulfilling my goal to create this exhibition.

Being part of a group of women who walked along Hackberry Avenue most mornings was one of my  highlights  each year.  We would always alternate directions; one day going east to the end of the   East Beach cottages or through the village  and next.day west to the diversion. I also enjoyed many strolls on the beach with family and friends.  Along the way I would take pictures of things that captured my eye with the intention to someday creating  works of art. I love the complexity of detail as it draws me into the subject. In hopes of  capturing the essence of  my Delta experience, my goal is to share my view of the area and hopefully bring back happy memories of Delta for others.

Edward Degas  “Art is not simply what you see … but it’s what you make others around you see”. Edward Degas