Fort St. John’s Knux Gallery hosts open house with Garry Oker

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Knux Gallery opened its 1,000-square-foot space in Fort St. John on Friday, October 4th, with a special open house featuring the works of artist Garry Oker.

A member of Doig River First Nation, Oker says he’s been “painting forever,” with his talent first noticed as a middle school student by a supportive instructor.

He felt the encouragement was a big influence in finding his artistic medium.

“She’d told me ‘don’t let anyone tell you different.  You’re an artist, and you’re talented,’” said Oker. “I just like ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve always wanted to hear that.’  Of course, you’ve got naysayers. But a few teachers like that influenced me so amazingly.”

“They went and bought me my own set of coloured crayons and paints to encourage me.”

Oker greeted and interacted with attendees while painting a portrait during the event. 

His influences are his culture, and he incorporates important messages and images within the Beaver culture to tell a story.

Oker worked on a “dream map,” surrounded by other portraits, including a moose, one canvas of the changing of seasons, and an abstract painting of a beaver and nature joining to tell an overlapping story.

Tyson Mowat, curator of the Knux Gallery, says it seemed like a “natural fit” to invite Oker to paint in the space.

Mowat says the planning of an independent art gallery in downtown Fort St. John has been ongoing for about a year.

“Garry has been a good friend of mine for longer than I’ve lived in Fort St John,” said Tyson Mowat. “He was a big developer of the Dawson Creek community when I lived there.”

“I’m fairly well known in some circles here, but there’s still tons of Fort St. Johnners that need to be introduced to the art world,”

The beautiful space was aligned with prints and paintings of abstract pictures, including utility chains and natural skylines.

Pop culture images, such as the DC comic book character “The Batman Who Laughs” and a rendition of the Joker from the 2008 film “The Dark Knight,” were also featured.

A small pottery set from another artist was there, and Mowat said he’d like to see “more artwork you can hold” take part in the space.

Knux Gallery is located at 10512 101st Avenue in downtown Fort St. John. 

Further information can be found on their website.