Empty nests and ink drawings

Monica Bornyk sat at a table in the Yorkton Public Library. She was seated next to the community pARTner’s gallery. A man emerged from the room and saw Bornyk.

“It’s fantastic,” he said.

She thanked him and they talked about her techniques and tools. People asked her questions like that all day, complimenting her work in the gallery.

Bornyk is an artist. The library is hosting her latest exhibit of India ink drawings.

“I really enjoy having exhibits,” she said. “It’s a chance to say say something that you otherwise wouldn’t have a chance to say.”

The exhibit is titled “Nesting Instinct.” It opened on Sept. 3 and will run until Oct. 28. The library hosted a reception on Sept. 23, giving Bornyk an opportunity to speak with patrons about her creative process.

The exhibit was organized by the Yorkton Arts council. Tonia Vermette, administrator for the council, has known Bornyk for years. When Vermette saw the gallery had an opening for September, she asked Bornyk to put an exhibit together.

“It’s not often we have an artist of Monica’s calibre put up work in this space,” Vermette said.

The theme of the exhibit is birds and nests. Bornyk looked through her past work and noticed a recurring use of birds. She also sketched several images of nests last summer and decided to combine them with the bird drawings.

“A good third of [the exhibit] is new, maybe more,” she said.

The exhibit’s theme runs deeper than similar drawings. Bornyk compares nests to homelife and raising children. She refers to it as “nesting instinct.” 

“When [kids] leave home, it’s an empty nest,” she said. “It is a bird exhibit and also the seasons of raising young.”

The exhibit has drawn big praise from the community. The guest book is littered with exclamation points and congratulations.

“It’s just a different kind of show that’s usually at the library, but very beautiful,” Vermette said.

Bornyk plans to run another exhibit, but she doesn’t want to reveal too much about it. 

“It’s going to take me a long time to work it out,” she said.

When asked about her process, Bornyk has a simple reply: Restraint.

“It’s hard for many artists to know when to stop,” she said. “As soon as it starts feeling like it’s done, I like to stop.

“Sometimes if you keep going, you take away the mystery of it.”