Wanru Kemp
Okotoks, AB
Oil on canvas, unframed
48 x 36 in
This painting is based on the black cottonwood and pine trees that grow along the Sheep River bank behind the Okotoks Library, where their soft, wavy shadows stretch across the green grass. The light grey block represents the concrete ground where people gather for events and picnics, but I also see it as a small, open piece of sky—something that holds both limitation and possibility, mirroring the balance between control and freedom in our interaction with nature.
I also want to invite you to notice the bright yellow dandelions popping up like little stars in the emerald waves. It makes me happy that we no longer see them as just weeds. Choosing not to use herbicides in these public spaces feels like a small but meaningful shift— that we’re becoming more mindful of how we coexist with nature.