'Some hugs and some paint': Local artists rally around painter after fire destroys artwork
A local artist is starting from scratch after a fire burnt down his garage with his supplies and artwork inside.
Luckily, rebuilding and rebounding won't be as hard for painter and illustrator Jared Robinson after an outpouring of support from the art community.
Twenty original paintings and more than 300 prints were destroyed when Robinson's garage went up in flames on May 25.
Robinson said he was shocked when police told him the fire was connected to a series of arsons in the Westmount Neighbourhood.
“It guts you," he said. "And it also kind of gives you that feeling of violation almost like someone breaking into your house.”
For more than seven years, Robinson has been involved with the Night of Artists Gallery in Bonnie Doon Mall. It's a close-knit community of people who share a passion for art, and founder Phil Alain said they wanted to help.
“It was devastating to see the losses that he had," Alain said. "And he said, "All I really care about is if I maybe get some hugs and some paint.'
"I said 'Well, you need more than that.'”
Painter and illustrator Jared Robinson brought the only painting to survive a fire to his art show fundraiser on Saturday. (Marek Tkach/CTV News Edmonton)
Alain knows what it's like to need some support, and Saturday the Night of Artists Gallery held an all-day fundraiser for Robinson.
“Four years ago I lost my wife to cancer and the whole art community just surrounded me and I know how amazing that feeling is," Alain said. "Jared is just such a warm loving guy, I knew I just had to do something to help him out.”
Robinson's own work took centre stage at the event, and alongside his most recent pieces, hung the only artwork to survive the fire.
“They threw me this show and said you know what, we're going to highlight you and we'll see if we can get some other people to kind of help encourage and support and it's been huge," Robinson said.
A GoFundMe set up for Robinson had also raised around $3,200.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.