Images of wildlife and outdoor scenery captured in vibrant watercolours will be on display this weekend at a South Shuswap art show and sale in support of artist Danielle Kantola, who is undergoing treatment for a brain injury.
Organizer Krista White explained the Sunday, Oct. 18 event at the Blind Bay Memorial Hall, and a related online auction, are to support Kantola, her cousin, as she undergoes treatment for a brain injury received this spring after a fall while tree planting.
“Her art was to be displayed in Vancouver, but due to COVID it was cancelled,” explained White. “Then she fell tree planting and now has brain trauma.”
White said Kantola is currently unable to support herself, so a fundraising effort was initiated that includes the Oct. 18 show as well as a Gofundme page.
“She has difficulty seeing, talking , walking and concentrating,” explains White on the Gofundme page. “A simple day is difficult for her. She is currently in treatment to help with her brain injury.”
An award-winning artist, Kantola was born in Thunder Bay, and studied computer animation in the Lower Mainland. After moving back to Thunder Bay, and while continuing to work in the computer graphics industry, she began focusing on more traditional art, working in watercolour, pen and ink and compressed tinted charcoal.
In January 2020, Kantola took part in an artist residency in Japan and began learning Sumi-e ink painting.
According to her biography, Kantola’s style is a reflection of the accumulation of her world travels and life experiences. It focuses mainly on the nature and wildlife she has been exposed to throughout her life.
Writing about her recovery process in mid-September, Kantola explained she’d finally accepted she wouldn’t be able to return to work this year. She said her cousins are her inspiration for not giving up and to “keep fighting to get my brain back.”
White said Kantola plans to pay it forward once she has fully recovered by planting trees by donation to a charity to those in need.
“Danielle is not one to ask for help this is why I’m doing this for her , she is an AMAZING strong women that I admire deeply,” said White on the Gofundme page.
The Sunday show takes place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., with all proceeds going to support Kantola’s recovery.