NOT TOO SHABBY, ANNY With her replica of the painting Strange things done in the midnight sun, by Ted Harrison, J.A. Laird Grade 7 student Abby Wagner was the winner of this years poster contest for Art from the Heart, which will see her work featured on the series promotional poster. The pre-show for Art from the Heart begins at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort on Friday, March 28th and lasts until Sunday, April 6th, then goes on display at the Pynelogs Cultural Centre from Tuesday, April 8th to Sunday, April 27th. Photo by Dan Walton
Pioneer Staff
Attracting audiences to the 2014 Art from the Heart show at Pynelogs will be a centrepiece by Grade 7 student Abby Wagner, whose pastel picture was chosen to be featured on the event poster.
As a project through her language arts class at J.A. Laird, Abby used pastels to recreate an image from the poem of Robert Services The Cremation of Sam McGee, which was illustrated by Ted Harrison.
Each student in her class chose a picture from the book, and Abby decided upon Strange things done in the midnight sun, as she was already a fan of Mr. Harrisons illustrations.
The image illustrates a protagonist journeying towards a shipwreck which had been cemented into place amid a frozen lake. The goal is to use the wooden boat as a crematory to give a deceased companion a proper burial.
Abbys been reading the book since Grade 3, and says she finds it a little strange.
While the image is similar in design, Abby applied her own colour scheme to present the picture with striking contrast.
The poster by Abby Wagner.
In addition to being featured on the poster, Abbys work will be on display at Pynelogs Cultural Centre where Art from the Heart takes place. The exhibition, which displays the best art from elementary school students around the Columbia Valley, begins its week-long pre-show at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort on Friday, March 28th, and continues on Tuesday, April 8th until Sunday, April 27th at Pynelogs. There is no cost for admission.
Every available inch of Pynelogs Art Gallery is filled with the creative, wacky, entertaining and original art from these children that havent yet experienced the usual confines of art, reads a description of the show on the Columbia Valley Arts Council website. The show will feature more than 600 pieces of work.
Once the show has concluded, Abby said that her mom will want to hang the art up at home. The image spans about 30 centimetres by 45 centimetres.
Abbys next artistic expression will come from downtown Invermere, as she and her art class will take sketchpads in front of their favourite business to illustrate the storefront. The shop of choice for Abby will be Black Star Studios.
