When Kay Austen thinks about water, she envisions droplets and ripples, Louise Dewar envisions the Howe Sound, and Laurel Terlesky thinks about sacred purifying rituals.
This year's Wild At Art visual component has one theme and 36 artists, each of whom have interpreted water differently.
Austen, Dewar and Terlesky are contributors to the water inspired visual portion of the annual festival, which is on display at the UpStares Gallery until Friday, March 5.
The H2O-themed display will showcase original work from approximately 36 Sea to Sky Corridor artists including painters, photographers, weavers, jewellery makers and wood turners.
Terlesky's inspiration resulted in a colourful acrylic image of a woman splashing herself with water.
"I was doing more of water and how we relate to it as humans," she said. "It can be how water can be rejuvenating and how water is such an essential part of life and it's sort of a moment of ecstasy really."
Terlesky said she spent about a week painting Splash and thinking about water oriented rituals.
"You can look at it at a more sort of mundane level like having a shower but there's also some profound spiritual practices around water as well like bathing in the Ganges [River]."
As a long-time clay potter, Austen said she drew inspiration from a collection of images depicting water she found online and in books.
"I thought about rhythm in flowing water. I'm much more likely to think about surface, being a potter."
In order to give the impression of water droplets, Austen stamped concentric circles on unfired clay and finished the pieces in a liquid blue glaze.
"So I'm hoping they will look like - a three dimension - series of raindrops falling in water."
She's made dozens functional pieces for the showcase at the UpStares Gallery but will only submit the best dozen teapots, mugs and vases.
"I never make just one because you are developing an idea. Your developing form because when you first start you've got an idea in mind and as you move forward other things suggest themselves."
Austen said creating functional clay pieces gives her an enormous amount of joy.
"Let's face it you can get a heck of a lot more money for something that's not a mug or a tea pot but I really hold fast to the idea of making things that are personal and intimate, if you'd like that people can use."
Dewar, a lifelong painter, drew inspiration from her immediate surroundings and spent about 10 hours painting an acrylic landscape of Howe Sound.
"The first thing I thought of was the views," said Dewar, who has had her work on display in the Wild At Art festival for the last two years.
She said drawing inspiration from water wasn't too tough for her because she grew up in the Sunshine Coast town of Sechelt.
"Growing up on the West Coast you always see water everywhere you look."
The Water H2O exhibit will be on display at the UpStares Gallery until March 5. The grand opening of the exhibit will be on Thursday (Feb. 11) at 5 p.m.
