Painter Ann Timmins displayed a three-panel mural titled Elation during last Saturday's Aurora Arts Society Art Expo at the Multiplex.

Using a painting of a remote cabin by the late Metis artist Don Cardinal for inspiration, the students shared a few special memories and some fiction about life in the bush for a writing course led by adult educator Shirley Bonnetrouge. The following are a few excerpts from their work.

Commissioned by the society, the 24-by-four-foot work will soon be installed on the side of the Diamond Plaza building downtown.

Painted on three Creozone panels measuring eight by four feet, the mural features colours inspired by the hues and spring shades found on the ice roads along Great Slave Lake, Timmins said.

Because the mural will look out over that windy corner along Franklin Avenue where so many residents pass on their way to work each weekday,

Timmins decided to honour outdoor pastimes that rely on, or defy, the wind.

The mural celebrates Yellowknife vitality, from contemporary popular weekend pursuits such as para-skiing and off-road mountain biking on the ice to traditional sports like dog sledding on Back Bay.

"The mural has a feeling of energy and life," said Timmins, who enjoys cross-country skiing on her days off. "There's so much to live for if we go out and seek what we want. Love life."

To view more of Timmins' work, visit www.articobiota.ca.