A Morinville artist has won provincial acclaim for her pencil-crayon vision of Canada.
Colette Bachand of Morinville Community High School learned this week she’d been declared the Alberta winner for the annual Canada Day Poster Challenge. The national challenge, run by Canadian Heritage, asked students aged five to 18 to draw a poster depicting the theme “My Canada Is …” and drew about 10,000 entries.
Bachand, 15, was one of the 13 winners selected. “That’s wonderful!” she said, when told of the news Tuesday. “To represent all of Alberta for my poster, this is mind blowing!”
Bachand’s pencil-crayon work depicts a large tree full of people and places from throughout the nation surrounding a maple leaf.
“Every poster I’ve always looked at [about Canada] has been kind of superficial,” Bachand said, consisting of beavers, maple syrup and other stereotypes. “I wanted to say that Canada isn’t these landmarks we all know, but the people who are a part of it.”
The tree’s roots grow out of a stylized map of Canada, from which sprout pictures of aboriginals, Ukrainians and other cultures. The upper left depicts an astronaut in space above the aurora borealis, illustrating the nation’s technological achievements and natural wonders.
The black L-shaped blob near the middle is not a boot, Bachand said, as her brother thought it was, but the arm of a mother holding her child. Canada is known for its politeness, she said, but it’s also a place for families. “We’re all in this together.”
It took Bachand about four frantic weeks to draw and colour the 28-by-43 centimetre poster to meet the contest deadline. “I’d get home and run to the table, get out my colours and start colouring.”
Bachand is a talented student with a knack for learning new media, said her art teacher, Kenton Zerbin. “She’s amazing in her dedication,” he said. “Sometimes in the classroom she teaches me a thing or two.”
Westlock-St. Paul member of Parliament Brian Storseth congratulated Bachand on her win, which netted her a free laptop. “I salute all the young people across the country who helped make this year’s Canada Day Poster Challenge a success,” he said in a written statement.
Being Canadian is about being yourself, said Bachand, who hopes to become a graphic artist. “It’s being kind and being that person who’d go out of their way to help someone.”
Bachand’s poster now goes on display at the Canadian Children’s Museum in Gatineau, Que., along with the other 12 winning entries. The posters can be found at http://www.pch.gc.ca/special/canada/dafc-cdpc/index-eng.cfm.
