By Paul Gessell

Ottawa artists scored big in the latest round of juried purchases by the Canada Council Art Bank.

Among the 52 artworks represented in the purchases totalling $303,025, many were created by artists from Ottawa or the Outaouais. The artists include: Rosalie Favell, Andrew Morrow, Jennifer Norman, Amy Schissel, Norman Takeuchi, Jeff Thomas, Carol Wainio, Anna Williams, Justin Wonnacott, and Jinny Yu.

Plus, work by two former residents of the area, Eliza Griffiths and Judith Berry, was chosen by the jury. Griffiths and Berry have moved their tremendous talents to Montreal but are still embraced by Ottawa.

These artists work in many different media. Favel and Thomas, for instance, are photo-artists who have shown at the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Art Gallery, and various other places across the country. Schissel is an abstract painter increasingly making waves. Takeuchi is predominantly a painter who combines contemporary abstraction with figures from ancient Japanese woodblock prints to represent his dual heritage as a Japanese-Canadian. Williams is a sculptor.