Weyburn Artist Wins Top Spot in Estevan Adjudication

A Weyburn artist has won first place in Estevan's third Ev Johnson Adjudicated Art Show.

The win is even sweeter for Regan Lanning, who is technically unable to place in a Weyburn adjudication, due to the conflict of interest as the City of Weyburn's own Art Curator.

"It was time for me. I had been quietly practising my art for about three or four years since I had shown," she said. "It was time for me to step outside of my little comfortable box that is Weyburn, and put myself out there as an artist again."

Lanning and her five portraits on pottery canvases took the top spot. She said the pieces were representations of her family.

"Relationships are fragile, kind of like pottery is; if you drop it, it will break, if you don't handle it carefully, it will fracture, and relationships are that same way," she explained. "I wanted to capture my relationship at that moment with that individual in a still frame."

She said her use of the Japanese technique called Kintsugi, which uses gold to mend broken pieces together, represents how relationships can heal.

"It reinforces that relationships can be repaired, but you cannot repair them invisibly," said Lanning. "There is always some remnant of that damage, but that doesn't make the relationship less worthy."

She added her creative process helped her work through her own mental health challenges.

Lanning's pieces are on display at the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum. 

The Estevan Arts Council welcomed as adjudicator Saskatoon-based artist Allison Norlen, whose works were exhibited earlier this year at the Estevan Art Gallery.

- With files from Victoria Utman of Discover Estevan.

Another Weyburn artist, Christopher Borschowa, placed second at the adjudication.