Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jan 22/99) - Wendy Lee, who with husband Ken Huss, owns Nor-Art International Gallery, is an artist in her own right. And her art diverges a little bit from what we are accustomed to seeing around Yellowknife.

Lee handpaints silk scarves with scenes that are typically Northern.

The artist, who came to Yellowknife four years ago on a vacation and never left, begins with a white silk scarf.

"They're stretched on frames and I trace a design," explains Lee.

Then using a wax-like substance called Resist, she defines the shape or form of the design.

"When that dries I paint like I would with watercolours, with silk dyes," Lee says.

Lee also asserts that her colour choices are Northern colours.

"The sunsets are fuchsia, there's lots of blue and turquoise, and lots of white," she says, adding that when you live here you tend to absorb the environment.

Lee originally hails from Toronto.

"I found Yellowknife very friendly, slower paced. You get to know people. You stop and say hi. Toronto is just really too fast-paced," says the mother of 17-month-old Kyle, on her decision to stay in Yk.

Certainly living here has affected her and her art, "It's freer. It gives you more of a spiritual connection to the earth, to the land."

Lee studied art at Sheridan College and her focus was illustration.

"I was an illustrator for many years. I worked in advertising. I started working with scarves after I stumbled on it in a workshop."

Lee adds that it's a great medium.

It's organic, she says. When you paint on it, it's alive, it moves.

The scarves, which range in price from $59 to $79 depending on size, are strewn about the world.

"There are a lot in Europe, in Australia, Switzerland. People buy them and send them all over," Lee says.

Besides the hand-painted commercial scarves that are on display at Nor-Art, Lee accepts commissions for original pieces.