Four local artists earned top spot in their categories at the recent Northern Juried Art Show.
The annual showcase of regional art was held this year in Thompson at the Mall of the Arts June 19-24, with artists from Flin Flon or nearby communities finishing first in four of the seven categories works were classified in.
Karen Clark received top prize in the painting category with her work “The Edge of Peace”, while Rosimeire Cabral finished first in the drawing and printmaking category for “Bumblebee + Prosperity”. In the watercolour category, Matthew Enns finished first for his work “A Day Almost Done”, while Noelle Drimmie’s piece “The Cleaning Can Wait” was ranked as the top submission in the photography category.
Enns also received second place honours in the drawing and printmaking category for “(Frank Enns) Grandpa”, while Melanie Rodabaugh’s piece “Witness to a Murder” was ranked as the second-best piece in the crafts category. Patricia Evans’ piece was ranked second in the exhibition’s fibre art category.
Three other area artists’ works were listed as honourable mentions - Denee Johnson in the painting category for “Fancy (Dancer)”, Tami Martin in crafts for “100 Stairs - 1950 (vessel)” and Tania Georgii for “Bison” in the fibre art category. Only two of the seven categories on offer at the show did not include at least one Flin Flonner, Creightonite or regional artist in the top three - those being the youth art category and the sculpture category.
Elsewhere in the show, Teresa Burrows of Paint Lake received the Best in Show honour for her piece “Cease and Desist: The Sin Eater”, while Thompson artist Marigold Carter won the youth category for “Ancient Rock Boys”. The theme award this year was given based on the theme of “culture” - that award would be won by Michael Spence and his piece “Weigokan”.
Shauna Ponask from Wanless finished first in the crafts category for “Spirit of the North”, while Terry Ferguson’s piece “Abhainn (River)” was named the top entrant in the sculpture category.
Winners from this year’s show will be showcased at the Manitoba Rural and Northern Juried Art Show in Winnipeg this August, along with works from across the province. The exhibit will take place in August at the Buhler Gallery at St-Boniface Hospital, with the pieces being posted online from August until December following that.
