Diana Palmer, AFCA, was born in Armstrong, BC, and raised on a farm in a remote area with no near neighbours, no telephone, and no electricity, which left her lots of time as a child to hone her drawing skills. Encouraged by her family, she drew pictures of the plants, wildlife and landscapes that surrounded her and eventually this childhood pastime grew into a passion for art.

After graduation from Vernon Senior Secondary, Palmer moved to Vancouver to pursue a post-secondary education in Visual Arts. She studied Fine Art at Langara College, Conceptual Art at Simon Fraser University and Graphic Design and Commercial Illustration at Capilano College.

Palmer paints mainly in acrylic, her subject matter varying; landscapes, wildlife, florals and still lifes. Recently she has been focused mainly on her Glass Landscape series (large wine glasses reflecting local landscapes). She joined the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) in 2004 and was awarded Associate (AFCA) level status in 2015. She is a member of both the Central Okanagan and South Okanagan Chapters of the FCA.

Primarily self taught, Emily Fitzowich is an avid painter, working in both photorealism and in stylized painting; currently residing in Penticton, BC. Growing up spending her summers road-tripping and travelling through British Columbia and Alberta, the landscapes she spent so much time exploring with her family have captured her attention and heart since a young age. Summers were spent on beaches and mountain hikes, and winters on the slopes. Even the wet and rainy springs were dedicated to looking at tidal pools along the coast. Today she continues to adventure throughout Western Canada, capturing even more inspiration along her journeys. Her vibrant paintings capture the joy, whimsy and excitement of the mountains she experienced as a child and and as she continues on that legacy today.

Glenn Churchill, “CHURCH”, has lived in Penticton for 6 years. Originally from Ontario, he left the hustle-and-bustle behind and found a new home with a new pace of life. Church describes his new life as easy going and the right speed. He is a stay at home dad with his daughter Rosi and lives a life full of love and community. Surrounded by talent and amazing friendships, Church is motivated to create and contribute.

His inspirations stem from his ’71 Volkswagen bus, nature, and hockey. Church lives by the motto that the windshield will always be bigger than the rear-view-mirror. He is always translating awe from his windshield to his art.

My name is Jennifer Robinson and I am a small business owner here in Penticton. My whole life I have dabbled in the world of art and enjoy trying new things from jewelry making, lino, to painting. I have a need to feed my creative side as I find it challenges me as well provides me with much relaxation and solitude.

When I was a child, I was told to stick to sports as I couldn’t stay in the lines when colouring. I thought I didn’t have a creative bone in my body which led me to a career in the corporate world conforming to others' expectations: I felt stifled, under pressure and unfulfilled.

Mid-life, I took the plunge and switched careers. I discovered abstract art: it immediately brought me in touch with my creative side and the joy of ‘freedom to experiment’ with no defined outcomes.

I have exhibited in group and solo shows in Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan. My works have been sold to collectors in the US and Canada. I create colourful paintings in my studio in Summerland since we relocated from the Vancouver area in 2020.

I currently volunteer with Summerland Arts Council as a Gallery Committee Member and just stepped down from 2 years as a SCAC Board Director. I initiated the collaboration between SCAC and Summerland District Credit Union where we exhibit local artist on a rotating basis and organize the Artists in the Gallery weeks.

I presently have a number of artworks on display in the Summerland Gift Gallery, as well in Legacy Den and Picture This in Penticton.

Jolene Mackie is an artist living and working in Kelowna BC. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University in 2009, Jolene has pursued art making professionally with a focus on the medium of oil painting. Jolene has exhibited her work widely throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia, and has work in private collections around the world. Jolene finds inspiration in simple, fleeting moments: a unique quality of light, the shape of shadows, and the living palettes that colour our daily existence. Her work blends fascination with the world around us and the whimsy of human imagination into wholly unique visual experiences.

Megan Traicheff was born and raised in Penticton, BC. She established an early interest in art, selling her first work at the age of four and having her first gallery show at the age of eight at Tumbleweed Gallery in Penticton. The show gave her her first real insight into the world of the artist. Since then, she has focused on becoming a quality artist learning all she can about the arts.

Megan graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Science, Major in Biology degree. This background has fueled her passion to share the beauty of the natural world through her art with a particular interest in our feathered friends.

Most of her study has come from her father, a professional artist, and at the hands of artist friends who have stayed at the Traicheff household over the years. She has also studied art at the Okanagan Summer School of the Arts.

Megan first started painting with acrylics and then turned to watercolour while studying with Bruce Crawford at his Summerland, BC studio. She has become comfortable with various forms of original printmaking and has now turned her focus towards watercolour as well as polychromos pencil, a stable and permanent medium with which she can achieve a beautiful effect when drawing the wildlife she is so passionate about.

Megan's career in the arts has been rising rapidly and she has been invited to a number of shows throughout the US and Canada. She has shown at: Tumbleweed Gallery, Penticton, BC - Osoyoos Public Art Gallery, Osoyoos, BC - Leir House Art Centre, Penticton, BC - Red Rooster Winery Gallery, Penticton, BC - Western Reflections, Richland, WA - Spokane Western Art Show, Spokane, WA - Studio 419, Penticton, BC - Art Gallery of the South Okanagan, Penticton, BC - Old Hotel Gallery, Othello, WA - Festival of America Show, Coulee Dam, WA - Western & Native Art Show, Omak, WA - Western Heritage Show, Great Falls, MT, Lake Country Artwalk, Lake Country, BC.

Her work has also been included in the book "Artists of the West".

Her artwork and photography can be found in private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, England and Ireland. She also has work in the private collection of animation director and academy award nominee Randal Dutra

Melissa Dinwoodie is a visual artist living in the Okanagan Valley. Since graduating with her BFA from UBCO in 2001, Melissa has been a practicing her art for over 20 years, in cities that include Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver.

She specializes in acrylic & mixed media painting, as well as illustration. Creating layers and depth with color and texture is the abstract ‘play’ that Melissa loves. Focusing on figurative and portrait art, she is fascinated with the connection between the viewer and the subject matter. Her belief is that art can be the communication between people that ignites conversations, relationships, education and growth.

Moozhan Ahmadzadegan is an emerging artist based on the unceded and traditional territory of the syilx Okanagan people, commonly known as the Okanagan. He received a BFA from the University of British Columbia Okanagan with a Major in Visual Arts and a Minor in Art History and Visual Culture in 2019. His work has been exhibited in artist-run centres and public art galleries such as the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art, the fifty fifty arts collective, and the Kelowna Art Gallery. In 2021 he was awarded the BC Arts Council Early Career Development grant under the mentorship of Tania Willard. In 2023 he received the Research and Creation: Explore and Create grant from Canada Council for the Arts, and an Individual Arts Awards: Visual Arts grant from BC Arts Council. Moozhan is also co-founder of the Laundry Room Collective; an artist-run collective that works to provide accessible arts and culture programming, support emerging artists, and foster diversity and inclusion in an effort to meaningfully contribute to his community.

Encouraged to further her art education, Peggy attended VCC Langara in Vancouver and received a diploma in the fine arts. After moving to the Okanagan with her husband in 1989, she continued to participate in numerous juried shows throughout the lower mainland as well as the Okanagan Valley

Peggy works primarily in acrylic paint on canvas. As a picture framers by trade, she constructs and stretches her own canvases which provides the freedom to explore unconventional canvas sizes and combinations.

Peggy is proud to be the owner and operator of Picture This custom framing and gallery in Penticton. Not only does her work immerse her in a wide variety of fine art, it challenges her to be creative, and provides her with the opportunity to meet with other artists on a daily basis.