Local artists win awards at Open Sky 2023

CHETWYND, B.C. — A few local artists won awards for their work at the Open Sky Exhibition in Chetwynd, held by Arts North East.

The exhibition ran from June 10th to 22nd at the Chetwynd Rec Center, starting with the opening reception and award ceremony on June 9th.

Fort St. John artist Samantha Wigglesworth won the Distinguished Representational Award for her work, “Drowning Yet Surviving.”

“This painting is a powerful representation of the mental health struggle one feels on the inside so much that it has to escape somehow, feeling as though you are drowning on the inside,” Wigglesworth said.

“The ‘blood drip’ of beads is a representation of it escaping, yet her calm expression is her trying and succeeding on just surviving through the internal battle.”

The medium for her work was acrylic on canvas with beads sewn through the canvas.

The Distinguished Conceptual Award went to Kit Fast, of Dawson Creek, for his photo, “self-portrait with a chair.”

Curtis Dickie won the Distinguished Three-Dimensional Award for his piece “On the Backs of Our Ancestors.”

The Distinguished Photography Award went to Caily Oldershaw, from Dawson Creek, for her photo titled “Andrena’s Willow.”

In July, Wigglesworth’s work will be in Peace Gallery North for her show Interrupting a Portrait.

“This series is more of an experimental series,” Wigglesworth said.

“To me, it’s not as focused on the deep meaning behind things, more so experimentation in how I interpreted Interrupting a Portrait over the last two years.”

She said for this series, she did a lot of embroidery through canvases.

Most of the pieces are around $1,250, but she will be reducing the price to $675 to help pay for her final year of university, which starts in November.

The opening reception for Interrupting a Portrait will be on July 7th from 7 p.m. to 10:30 at Peace Gallery North, inside the North Peace Cultural Centre.

“We are going to have complimentary wine and beverages, some snacks and a live musician,” Wigglesworth said.

Last year, she was selected to participate in a remote residency culminating in a solo exhibition in September and October with entirely new art pieces. She was mentored by portrait artist Cara Guri while working on the details for the show.

Open Sky 2023 Chosen Awards:

• Ethereal Illumination, Denise Kearns, Tumbler Ridge
• Body Works, Mary Parslow, PRRD
• Petals for Kookum, Lorissa Scriven, Taylor
• The Alley, Peter Shaw, Dawson Creek
• Oval Floral Stamped Serving Dish, Dori Braun, Pouce Coupe
• Night Dance, Angela Sullivan, Chetwynd
• Hazel, Brogan Didier, Chetwynd
• Blaze Across the Land, Angela Fehr, Dawson Creek
• Illumination, Megan Graw, Dawson Creek

Open Sky 2023 Honourable Mentions:

• Percolating, Becky Banack, Fort St John
• Northern Lights, Alison Newth, Fort St John
• Mesmerized by the Dancing Stairway to Heaven, Saulteau First Nation, Alex Landon Richardson, Chetwynd