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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - When Marion Storm starts a painting she never knows how it will turn out.

"They come out of my imagination. They're just like magic," said Storm, a Fort Simpson artist.

Marion Storm stands with her painting titled Mosquito Picnic at the exhibition reception for She's the Bee, a new show displaying work by Deh Cho artists at the OSC Gallery in Fort Simpson. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Her painting titled Splash Storm started by painting rocks and then adding water. At some point she saw a fish emerge from the image. The finished painting, which shows a fish splashing its body out of the water, can now be seen hanging on a wall at the OSC Gallery in the village.

Storm is one of nine Fort Simpson artists whose work is part of She's The Bee, the gallery's latest exhibition. The exhibit's title was taken from a painting of the same name by Melaw Antoine.

This is the first Deh Cho resident artist exhibition the gallery has hosted. The goal is to do a local artist group show once a year, said Michael Blyth, programming co-ordinator for the Open Sky Creative Society, which runs the gallery.

Ideally each show will contain a small number of artists so that each of them can display a body of work, Blyth said. It is hoped artists from Deh Cho communities other than Fort Simpson will contribute to future shows.

It's really good to have the gallery in the village and to see local artists displayed in it, said Louisa Moreau.

Moreau, a traditional artist, has four pieces in the exhibit including two beaded moosehide cellphone holders, a beaded wedding vest she made with her sister, Elsie Tsetso, and a beaded bodice she collaborated on with her niece Julia Tsetso.

The exhibit is almost a family affair for Moreau. A baby belt made by her mother Rose Tsetso in 1983 is hanging on a wall and her aunt Eliza (Gombeh) Cli also has works on display.

Moreau, who's been working with hide and beading since she was about 12 years old, said she makes her beading designs by doing a free-hand drawing on a piece of paper and then transfers it to her project. Moreau chooses her colours next, using colours she enjoys and matching them together.

"I just enjoy it. I enjoy sewing," said Moreau.

This is the first time Moreau's work, which she considers a cross between art and a functional object, has been displayed at the gallery.

"I thought it was neat, something different," she said.

Other featured artists in the exhibit include David Magarey and Michael Blyth. She's The Bee will be open at the OSC Gallery until May 22. The next exhibition, which will start on May 29, will feature work by Yellowknife photographer Ozgur Oner and a video by Angela Edmunds, a filmmaker from Saskatoon. The exhibition will run for six weeks and will coincide with the Open Sky Festival.