Northern Groove

The word “Seasons” evokes a wide variety of ideas for each of us. We are immersed in the seasons in our environment, as well as the seasons of our times, and the seasons of our own lives. Two years ago, six creative women from either side of the mighty Peace River gathered together to form INSPIRATION 6. Mary Parslow and Mary Mottishaw from Dawson Creek joined imaginative forces with the North Peace’s Cindy Vincent, Sandy Troudt, Judy Templeton and Barbara Daley. They were each in a season of their lives where creative expression was becoming a priority. They started with a website designed by Cary Walters, www.artistsnorthcanada.com. Then they took a leap of faith and booked their first collaborative art show, INSPIRATION 6: “A celebration of the Creative Spirit”, for a year ahead and began to meet monthly to plan the event, create a group vision and encourage each other along the way. The first INSPIRATION 6 show opened at the Dawson Creek Art Gallery in September 2010 and then moved across the river to Peace Gallery North in Fort St. John in October 2010. The shows were enthusiastically received by both communities.

While each of the artists pursues their own separate paths, they regularly meet as a group. Having been invited by the Fairview Art Centre to create an exhibit for October 2011, group members individually interpreted the theme of “Seasons” as well as planned collaborative pieces. “Window to the Soul” was a large collaborative piece that sold quickly in the last show, each pane of the window holding the unique style and interests of a particular artist. “Seasons” is traveling to Fort St. John in February and will be on exhibit at Peace Gallery North from February 3-29. From diverse painting and printmaking to photography, fibre art and mixed media, “Seasons” by INSPIRATION 6 will be sure to inspire YOUR creative spirit.