DONE AND DUSTED

I finally completed my submission for "Spirit of the Okanagan" Skyway kiosk in the departure lounge of Kelowna airport. As my regular readers will know, only ten First Nations artists and ten non First Nations artists are accepted each year. I'm proud I was chosen last year, but every year more artists apply and competition for those few spots is fierce, so this year the pressure was palpable.

I struggled far more than usual over this submission and each painting has morphed its way through several versions. In the process I learned a huge amount about composition and impact. The biggest challenge was eliminating the eyes and faces that appear in the clouds; it's human instinct to find things in clouds as a protective skill developed when we were hunter gatherers. It was important to see any animal lurking behind the bushes when hunting, but in a painting they can be annoying or even scary to buyers, so they have to go.

Although I can only submit six paintings, I created eight for the final selection. The two I removed are excellent paintings, but I think the six I selected work better as a group. The jury meets in mid February and those selected will be informed in March. The great thing is that I now have eight very nice paintings that will be very useful for exhibition if I don make it into the airport this year.

1. Wildflower Mountain

2. Kalamalka Bay

3. The Camels

4. Moonlight Over Kalamalka

5. Lake Country

6. Peaceful Lake