There’s still time to see the North Okanagan Artists Alternative (NOAA) annual members juried show and a solo exhibition by Vernon artist Colleen Couves, currently on at Gallery Vertigo.
Fern Helfand, a professor of photography at UBC Okanagan, was this year’s juror who had the task of selecting the work for this year’s NOAA exhibition.
“Naturally decisions were complex as there were many incredible submissions,” said Vertigo director Heidi Maddess.
Visitors will also be able to see the work of Couves’ exhibition, Displacement, in Vertigo’s Gallery Two.
“The series of drawings is the result of an exploration of emotions as I watched the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease and subsequent death of my mother in December, 2005,” said Couves. “I have attempted to express what I witnessed as well as what my inner reaction was.”
Couves, who was born in Regina and received a bachelor of fine art from the University of Alberta and taught art for several years in Alberta schools, says her work has been influenced by the drawings of fellow North Okanagan artist Ann Kipling, and the energy she captures in her use of line.
“I worked quickly and directly on these particular drawings, incorporating colour and erasures to stop the flow of the line in an attempt to capture the quality of the energy I felt and observed,” she said. “I am interested in trying to portray movement and in using layering to express the complexity of my life experience.”
All the works can be seen now until the closing reception with the artists, which takes place Saturday, May 26 from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.galleryvertigo.com.
