Artists glean their inspiration from many different aspects of life.

For Walnut Grove鈥檚 Laura Auxier, the muse for some of her artwork comes from the written word.

Auxier, age 32, is a member of the Vancouver-based Open Book Art Collective, and she very literally pulled her ideas for some of her most recent art from pages of Jane Urquhart鈥檚 book, Away.

In fact, a dozen pieces currently hanging at the 91原创 Centennial Museum are from Auxier鈥檚 collection.

There鈥檚 a Gesture series of 10 graphite pencil and ink drawings depicting hands submerged in water. Plus, there鈥檚 another two of her panels of dandelions in different stages of life.

These were Auxier鈥檚 interpretations from the collective鈥檚 latest selection, Away.

鈥淲e are a group of women who gather and we chose a book and we read it as a book club鈥� We take themes from the book we鈥檙e reading, and we draw artistic imagery from it, and then we have a show,鈥� said Auxier, who grew up immersed in the world of art thanks to her art professor mom.

Away is a 1993 Urquhart novel tracing the lives of four generations of women across landscapes: from the rocky coasts of 19th century Northern Ireland to the slums of Montreal, to the present-day shores of Lake Ontario 鈥� emotive, political and literal landscapes that both enchant and devastate the characters.

Themes of displacement and connection to land resonate with contemporary realities of the refugee crisis, colonial legacy, and industrial development pushing the earth to the brink of environmental collapse.

These broader themes of identity and place are echoed alongside the intimate details of four women鈥檚 lives whose stories form the heartbeat of the narrative.

Whether their subject matter is water, permeable bodies, or personal articles essential for survival, each artist has interpreted themes from the novel according to their various art practices and the way the writing impacted them personally.

Auxier, who organized this show in her own backyard, explained that eight of nine fellow artists in the collective are participating in this show.

She鈥檚 pretty psyched, not only about her works, but the installations of the other artists.

鈥淚 loved it, so I pursued it,鈥� she said of her career in art.

Auxier graduated from the TWU鈥檚 art program. While her primary and preferred medium is drawing, she paints in acrylics and explores other forms of multi-media, including printmaking.

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Open until March 25

The collective鈥檚 latest show opened in late January, and runs until the end of March.

It鈥檚 鈥渁rtful reading鈥� inspired by Urquhart鈥檚 seventh novel, and it makes for a very impactful and powerful show, said museum鈥檚 arts and heritage curator Kobi Christian.

鈥淭he artists of Open Book Art Collective have created a diverse body of work that responds to the poetic and cyclical storytelling found in the novel, intending to honour the richness of the literature,鈥� Christian added.

鈥淭he opening went really well, and we鈥檝e been getting some really strong responses,鈥� Auxier said.

鈥淎nd people have been leaving a lot of positive notes and feedback. We鈥檙e excited to have engaged with the community so much.鈥�

The show, entitled Away: Artful Reading Inspired, remains on exhibit until March 31. It is on display in the main gallery at the museum, located at 9135 King St. in Fort 91原创.

Admission is by voluntary donation.