The 2012 Landscape & Memory Exhibition — a showcase of 20 artists from the Yorkton area — opened at the Godfrey Dean Art Gallery on Sunday.
Artists approach the local show from a wide range of backgrounds, experience levels, and styles. This year's exhibitors range in age from 17 to 84.
Eighteen-year-old photographer Chance Katzell is among the youngest artists featured. After five years of practicing photography, this is his first public showing.
"My favorite is almost abstract, vivid color kind of stuff," he says. "I mostly do close-ups with dolls or cans — just random stuff that people wouldn't normally take pictures of."
At the other end of the spectrum is Jeanne Spilak, a well-established painter who has participated in numerous shows before. Spilak works with a wide variety of subjects and mediums, but for this exhibition chose to focus on images of trees.
"I love nature. I love clouds, trees, rocks, water, and skies," she says.
Spilak often paints commissioned portraits of people and buildings, but her pieces in the Landscape & Memory show do not represent any real-world locations.
"They come right out of my imagination."
A large section of the gallery floor is devoted to the works of Paul Nickless, a professional abstract oil painter who has been featured in exhibitions in such cities as Chicago and Vancouver. Originally raised in Yorkton, he recently returned after a 15-year absence.
"I draw most of my influence from the environment and nature. The style is expressionistic. I consider it an aggressive style, with palette knives and paintbrushes," he explains.
Twenty-six-year-old Jennifer deGroot is another of the exhibition's emerging artists. Landscape & Memory is her first show.
Most of DeGroot's pencil drawings depict animal heads on female bodies — several of them nude. These are kept away from the rest of the pieces in an alcove with a warning posted to viewers.
DeGroot's intent wasn't to be shocking or provocative with her art, she says.
"It wasn't meant to be. I look at it and it's supposed to feel innocent. It's not supposed to be really sexy and erotic."
The Landscape & Memory Exhibition is open until June 29.
