The inaugural Jessica Watts show featuring acrylic and oil on canvass Pallettes at Tree of Life North on Regent Street in Sudbury was a
highly successful debut for a young budding artist. The show was well attended with people drawn from various walks of life in Sudbury. Light refreshments consisting of fruits, vegetables, and baked delicacies enabled visitors to take a break from aesthetic overload and return to the paintings for an in-depth appreciation. Visitors were greeted by live guitar music by Pierre Laframboise. Eight of her works were sold during the three hour event. Prices for the works sold ranged from $ 20 to $200. Ticket for admission to the show was $10. Thanks to the outstanding organizational talents of Jessica, by the time the show opened, 100 tickets had been sold. In addition several people came and bought tickets at the door. Watts donated the entire sum from tickets and a portion of the sales from her paintings (totalling $1,400 CDN by the end of the evening) to a local charity, Project Kandwar, which is undertaking health, education, and infrastructure projects in the settlement/village of Kandavara (Chikballapur) in the state of Karnataka, India. The money will be used for giving a hand up to the poorest of the poor. Ms Carmen Simmons, the Executive Director of Sudbury Community Foundation and one of the founding Members of the Board of Project Kandwar, received the check from Jessica Watts. Ms Simmons expressed thanks on behalf of PK and mentioned how much of a pleasant surprise it was that Ms Watts was able to raise so much money for the charity. Mr. Matt Livingstone, the Lead Graphic Designer with the City of Greater Sudbury, designed the colourful poster and other promotional documents for the Show. Ms Deb McIntosh, the Executive Director of Rainbow Routes and one of the founding Members of the Board of PK, bought one of the art works to demonstrate support for the artist and PK. Ms Shannon Katary, the Marketing and Human Resources Specialist with the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation, assisted in the sale of tickets. Mr. Narasim Katary, the founder of PK, in his brief remarks outlined the kinds of activities PK had undertaken and is currently undertaking. Ms Charmaine Kennedy, the owner/manager of Tree of Life North, hosted the event and made the occasion a pleasant experience for all. Discuss this Article