An oasis of contemporary art awaits those who visit the westside of Okanagan Lake this summer.
Owned by local artist Carolina Sanchez de Bustamante, Ashpa Naira Gallery re-opened last weekend for its sixth season, and its first summer exhibition for 2012 runs from now to June 24.
“Colour Escapes is a group exhibition of contemporary B.C. artists and expresses the richness in colour and texture of these original artworks such as paintings, sculpture, ceramic, glass and even jewelry,” said Sanchez de Bustamante.
New artists who have joined the gallery for this year’s exhibition include one of the Okanagan’s premiere young abstract landscape artists, Hannah Griffin.
“She has spent the last several years creating large-and medium-scale pieces inspired by the supernatural elements of the Okanagan topography,” said Sanchez de Bustamante.
Also in the show is work by Ron Eckert, a practising visual artist for more than four decades, who uses the printmaking medium to express interpersonal experiences visually through either figurative or in still life form.
Kim Wilson will show her “living art,” handmade designer jewelry inspired by the rare combination of Canadian natural materials intertwined with vintage ornamentation, while Colin Quincey will display his functional art take on bird houses using recycled items to create these original habitats for nature.
Other Ashpa Naira artists whose work is on display at this indoor/outdoor art gallery include Leonard Epp, Julie Oakes, Angelika Jaeger, Carin Covin, Barry Rafuse, Robert Bigelow, Jason Negreiff, Susan Richards, Dan Irvine, Sandra de Vries, Sanchez de Bustamante, and others.
Ashpa Naira Gallery is located at 9492 Houghton Rd, in the Killiney area above Westside Road (approximately a 35-minute drive from Vernon), and is open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Admission is free. More information is available at www.ashpanairagallery.com, or call 250-549-4249.
