Emerging Artists
Laura McCarthy
Artist / junior associate at sopafinearts
Laura is also an active local artist in the Okanagan, with her work exhibited in galleries across Kelowna and Vernon, including Sopa Fine Arts as well, and in several independent businesses throughout Kelowna.
Fredrik Thacker
Artist / 2nd recipiEnt of SopaFineArts bursary
His work has been exhibited at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art and the Vernon Public Art Gallery. Thacker was the recipient of the SOPA Fine Arts Emerging Artist Award in 2025 and the Frances Harris Prize in Fine Arts in 2024.
Jian
Suniga
Artist
The process of deconstruction
and reconstructions allows myself to find
meaning in disorder and clarity through
creation. Ultimately, my work serves as an
ongoing exploration of identity, memory, and
transformation, inviting others to encounter
fragments of their own experiences within its
layers.
Connor Mcleary
Artist
Connor McCleary is a 23 year old painter from Waco, Texas. He is a recent UBC graduate, with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a minor in art history. His practice revolves around his interest in the awkwardness of the mind and body. He enjoys the humour he can achieve through working with objects of everyday life; objects that may reflect our odd habits and histories. His practice focuses primarily on oil painting. Oftentimes, his paintings are very detail
oriented.
Taylor Carpenter
Artist / 1st recipiEnt of SopaFineArts bursary
Taylor Carpenter is a multi-media artist based in Kelowna, B.C. Her practice explores the
dialogue that emerges through juxtaposing detailed rendering and quick, gestural mark making. Carpenter spent much of her childhood in a mundane suburban home in Edmonton, Alberta.