Ryan Arnott had trouble selecting one artist at the annual Estevan Arts Council's Adjudicated Art Show so he apparently decided to go with three.
In a testament to the quality of work at this year's show, the Regina-based Arnott chose Linda Gudmundson, Jeff Gudmundson and Lindsay Arnold to submit a proposal to the Organization of Saskatchewan Art Councils for a travelling art show.
"I was very impressed with the artwork in the (show)," Arnott said during an artists' reception Sunday at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum. "It was quite a challenge to pick those that are to go on to the provincial adjudication.
No strangers to the adjudicated show, all three local artists presented impressive but diverse works for Arnott's perusal. Jeff Gudmundson said he was honoured to be selected for his collection which depicted four different faces painted on wood with a tie on corkboard beside each painting.
"It's a lot of portraying the emotions of different people and the ties link into the personality. It's kind of looking into the soul."
Much like Gudmundson, Arnold said she honoured to have her work selected out of such a strong field and is looking forward to moving to the next stage.
"To be selected makes you realize you are on the right path," said Arnold who noted her ink and watercolour collection used humour to soften the blow of some of the things she has to say about society and the way people interact with one another.
"I like to pursue the idea of identity and how we perceive others perceive us. These deal with our environment and how we might try and control that in order to give people an impression of ourselves. I think in this work I have taken that to the extreme and what happens when you go too far with that idea."
This year's selection was the third straight for Linda Gudmundson who continued on with the theme of femininity that has been displayed in her past works.
Her mixed media collection featured four pieces that honoured women who played a critical role in First World War and Second World War by serving as spies. To add an extra special touch the works were done on a collage of newspapers from that time period.
"I was looking toward history to inspiration of strong women," she said. "They didn't do this because they were looking to be feminine, they were just fighting in the war. Matahari is probably the most recognizable one and most well-known one. Virginia Hall made great contributions to the British in the Second World War with her code deciphering.
"I was looking towards history, kind of inspirational for today's women and looking for work that goes beyond labels."
