River Lewis' Okanagan art is born of the spirit of this region. The Okanagan artist sees a living spirit in the rocks, sand, ravines, scrub, flora, desert and driest surroundings.

Okanagan art is a reflection of the state of This Valley from different perspectives. Historically, what has occured to the present time i.e. how did we come to be in this place, and what does it suggest about the valley's inhabitants and its future? We are all here together as stewards of the land and water and air. The lakes and the ski hill are great but they are not everything. Did you know it's free to walk around in the Okanagan wild grasses? And it doesn't cost a thing to stand out in the rain -- yet the rain is cold, and wet, and fun just like jumping off a motor boat into the lake. Actually it's much more thrilling to stand out in the rain!

To truly capture the spirit of the valley we must recognize what came before. We should recognize the paths the water travels to get to the lakes and how long these plants have been existing here in the natural state. We should recognize that before farming took hold in the valley and long before a downtown core was constructed there were already people living here. Towns grew, seadoos were invented, and the clock shadowed the very sun that gives life. 2010-11-14

Okanagan artists critique and celebrate what is unique about the Okanagan Valley. Working from Vernon BC, Canada, River Lewis is a contemporary multi-disciplinary Okanagan artist trained in fine arts. Using oil paint, ink, and drawing materials, the artist creates lyrical plein air works and completes them from memory in the studio. These Okanagan fine art studies aid in the design and technical execution of larger contemporary art pieces carried out in disciplines suited to individual projects. For example, after sculptures are made with native Okanagan grasses those sculptures return as still life subjects to be painted into narrative works. This is how Lewis builds a cyclic body of 'living work' that reinvents itself and evolves.