An eight-year-old girl in South Surrey is among four students chosen to receive an award for original painting entered in a Canadian environmental art contest.
Chloe Chiang from Rosemary Heights Elementary created an original painting of a campfire scene with a grizzly bear that was one of four chosen as part of FORED’s (For Education about our environment and its natural resources) Youth Engaging Sustainability Program for individuals age 5 to 18.
The theme of the contest was Canada’s Forests: Solutions for a Changing Climate.
Each student chosen as a recipient was awarded with cash prizes for their art.
“I love the outdoors and animals, trees and the forest,” Chloe told her father, Jackson Chiang.
Chloe’s mother found the contest for her to enter, as creating art work is one of her passions.
“My daughter was really excited about it (because) she loves outdoor activities, especially camping and mother nature,” Chiang told Peace Arch News.
“She thinks that we should protect the Earth and the forests that we have. Even the animals, that’s why she made the bear.”
Chloe worked on the painting for a month, starting with a sketch and even drafted the piece “three times, four times before she thought it was perfect,” her father recalled, laughing.
The other three students chosen were from schools in Vancouver, Kamloops and Calgary, Alta.
“Climate challenges us daily. We are pleased to see youth communicating their views and solutions through so many art mediums, from drawings to digital media,” Victor Godin, FORED’s Educational Director, said in a release.
This isn’t the first time that Chloe’s artwork has been recognized. A little over a year ago, she made a sign of a turtle that is now being used on a street-corner near her school to remind motorists to slow down and abide by school-zone speed limits.
@SobiaMoman
sobia.moman@peacearchnews.com
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