Michael Sime:
My Journey

AUGUST 2020 / ONGOING
Online Exhibition

ABOUT

The Six Stones
conté and charcoal on paper
11” x 14”
Collection of Jamie + Jill Robertson

One of the Penticton Art Gallery’s longest running partnerships has been with the Okanagan’s nationally acclaimed Meadowlark Nature Festival. Each year, in conjunction with the Festival, the Gallery hosts a solo exhibition by the Festival’s featured artist. For the first time, we have moved this exhibition online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The history of this partnership is filled with some of the best known artists living and working in British Columbia, including: Robert Bateman, James Lansdowne, Terry Isaac, Alex Fong, Skyler Punnett, Laila Campbell, Lee Claremont, Julia Hargreaves, Dorothy Tinning, Angie Roth McIntosh, Bethany Handfield, and Dr. Murray Roed.

This year, the honour was bestowed upon one of Penticton’s most loved artists — Dr. Michael Sime. He was recognized by the arts community with the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the Penticton and District Community Arts Council. Dr. Sime’s equally distinguished career saw him working as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in Europe, Central Africa, and Canada. He is known throughout the Okanagan and beyond for his whimsical drawings, in particular his hallmark duck which finds itself in each of his works.

Following retirement, Sime threw his energies first into working with clay, creating pots and sculptures and his signature lamps. He then moved from 3D to 2D, returning to the source of his first success and recognition as an artist — drawing and painting.

Sime lives and works out of his home and studio on Skaha Lake, continuing to expand his creative ideas. In addition to this online exhibition, he hopes to fulfill the offer of a solo exhibition in Tuscany. He continues to develop a line of merchandise inspired by his art, and is also developing a book of his art and poetry. Thank you for sharing your art with the world, which we hope will encourage others to pursue their own creative projects.

Paul Crawford + McKaila Ferguson, Curators