Artist and former Penticton Mayor Dorothy Tinning is donating her artistic talent to protect critical habitat in the South Okanagan. Her feature piece, a large landscape, will be up for auction at The Nature Trust of B.C. fundraiser in Kelowna on June 20.
“My work is often a celebration of nature as I enjoy the outdoors immensely,” said Tinning. “This acrylic on canvas painting, Springtime, Mahoney Lake has a strong visual impact and expresses my appreciation of light due to my use of colour to highlight the intense beauty of the arrowleaf balsamroot flower.”
The inspiration for Tinning’s painting was a springtime hike she took along the southwest shore of Mahoney Lake, where the balsamroot, often called the “Okanagan sunflower,” can be found in abundance growing on the hillside.
Mahoney Lake, about six kilometres south of Okanagan Falls, is a saline lake fed only by precipitation, so it has been used as a research and teaching site for over 30 years.
Tinning’s work is just one of three pieces donated by prominent Okanagan artists, including Kelowna artists Rod Charlesworth and Alex Fong.
Funds raised during the auction will be used to acquire critical habitat in the Antelope Brush Conservation Area near Vaseux Lake. The region is recognized as one of the four areas with the most endangered natural ecosystems in Canada and has one of the highest concentrations of species at risk.
Other auction items include a tour and dinner for eight at the award-winning Culmina Family Estate Winery, a Wildcat helicopter trip, a day on a biodiversity ranch, a trip to the Duncanby Fishing Lodge, a romance package and more. Tickets are still available for the event: $175 per person. Call toll free 1-866-288-7878 or visit www.naturetrust.bc.ca.