By Jim Bloch
How about doing a few child’s poses, sun salutations and downward dogs surrounded by works of art?
The Happy Dog Yoga Studio in Riverview Plaza in downtown St. Clair is giving yoga enthusiasts and art fans the opportunity to mingle at an art show and art sale that will coincide with the St Clair Art Fair, Aug. 19-20.
The art show and sale will take place noon-7 p.m. both days in Suite C-10 of the plaza, next to War Water Brewery, 201 N. Riverside Avenue.
The show will feature the work of nine local artists, said artist and yoga instructor Tobi Couture, who is organizing the show: Couture, painter Nicole Marinette Bedy, photographer Thomas Watkins, painter Cecil Williams, photographer Ashley Kish, Valerie Daggett, Pavanne Kenyon, Mark Bignall and Kelli Bernard.
“One of the artists has paintings printed yoga mats,” said Couture. “Another has photos printed on canvasses. Another will show little sculptures.”
Couture has a long-running series of works that she calls her “disaster paintings,” some of which she will show in Happy Dog’s 1,200-square foot studio.

“I have a new disaster painting of a 1960s truck next to a burned out building,” said Couture.
The painting is based on a big fire in Algonac in the 1970s.
“I paint disasters as a question about what is important,” said Couture, “who shows up and what change is possible when things go ‘wrong’.”
Couture will also show her paintings of antique toys.
Bedy has a degree in fine arts from Eastern Michigan University. She paints portraits of pets and people using graphite and pastels. One of the things that sets her work apart is her paintings of live weddings, which brim with the mix of impressionism and realism that inspires her. She is at work on a series based on the tarot deck.
Once a month, Bedy performs psychic readings and energy healing at Michigan Psychic Fair.

“In my travels I always keep my eye open for capturing art with my camera,” said Watkins, who lives in Algonac. “I find little things, like a piece of yard art or a bench under a mass of trees. I have recently started creating digital oil simulation pictures from my photos as well as colorized painting on a black and white photo like my Fort Gratiot Light House.”
Cities and towns appear as ominous settings for Cecil Williams’ surprisingly colorful human subjects.
“I draw my inspiration from my life and issues I care about,” Williams said.
Sun rays explode from behind a dark cloud, nearly silhouetting a handsome boat dock in one of Ashley Kish’s photographs.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the beauty of the world,” said Kish. “Whether that be people enjoying life, the special milestones of life, and the beauty that nature shares with us. The pieces I’ve chosen to share are ones that presented themselves to me when I was too focused on my own world that I forgot that there is a whole bigger world around me. Things that have always been there but have chosen that moment to make me see their beauty. My hope is that others can see through my pictures that the light is always there even when you’re not looking for it.”
The yoga school will hold sessions on Saturday and Sunday mornings, before the art show opens each day at noon. No classes will be held during the show.
For details, call 810-853-9274.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.