A painter’s flight: Deanna Ehalt-Zawyrucha’s story
“I remember just sitting on a balcony every evening after work, in awe of the sunsets and all the unique planes that would fly by,” Deanna Ehalt-Zawyrucha recalls. Deanna is the 2025 Northwest Territories winner of the Northwestel Directory Art Contest.
The art of perspective
It is clear Deanna has a fondness for the planes and what they represent. Flying offers perspective: it allows us to soar high, zoom out, and appreciate the tiny details that connect us as people to the places in which we live. She compares the experience of watching planes land to witnessing the northern lights, something that never loses its magic. Over the years, day-by-day, sunset by sunset, the planes continued to capture her attention. Until one day, it was time for her to capture one on paper.
Back Bay Float is Deanna’s charismatic contribution to this year’s Directory Art Contest. The chosen model was a floatplane. And although her winning painting doesn’t feature any people, for Deanna, the piece is a reminder of deep personal connections. The floatplane she painted belongs to a friend and colleague and is a homage to shared connections.
Back Bay Float, oil on canvas.
Deanna, the designer
From a young age, Deanna considered herself a designer. She saw with an intensely sharp eye the ways in which everything around her was interconnected. She credits her childhood for shaping her work, especially the values instilled by her parents:
“They taught me the value of hard work and persistence. If you're willing to dedicate and put the time into something, and continue to practice, everything will fall in place.”
That same creative spark seems to be passing on to her four-year-old daughter, Hallie. Recently Deanna asked Hallie what she thought of her painting. Rather than simply stating what she liked, she offered a detailed critique – suggesting more grey-filled pink clouds and even adding two people in the front of the floatplane. “She kind of just told me what needed to be added rather than just stating one thing she liked,” Deanna laughs. “In that way, she’s a little bit like me.” Encouraging creativity is important to Deanna, and she cherishes the moments spent making art together. Watching her daughter’s growing interest in art – alongside her love for music and singing – fills Deanna with joy.
Deanna with her husband Justin and daughter Haillie.
Taking flight, both literally and figuratively, is to leave comfort and familiarity behind, immersing yourself fully into the moment. Deanna’s art has become a way of grounding herself, helping her remain fully “present in the moment”, she says.
After earning an education degree in the arts, majoring in Visual Arts, Deanna took a leap of faith and moved North to Yellowknife. She has spent most of her years in the North working as a “Learning through the Arts” teacher for grades six and seven. In this position she had the opportunity to weave art into every subject as a “connector”. This last year she has transitioned to a role as a Kindergarten teacher.
Deanna at her home in Yellowknife.
A healthy dose of creativity
Winning the contest was a motivator for Deanna. While art has always been a constant in her life, this honour has added a sense of validation to her work. “Winning encouraged me to keep going, to just keep creating. This was so unexpected, but I am truly honoured, thrilled, and excited to have been chosen,” she says with a smile. When asked if she had any advice for others thinking about applying, her response was immediate and simple:
“You’ve got nothing to lose. Why not?”
As the winner of the Directory Art contest, Deanna receives a $5,000 prize from Northwestel. For 46 years, Northwestel has published rich northern art on the covers of our directories. The land we live in inspires all of us in different ways. From touching family traditions to realistic recreations of arctic landscapes, we admire and celebrate the creativity of those who make up our North.
Thinking about submitting your artwork for next year's Directory Art Contest? Visit our Directory art page and keep an eye out for the 2026 contest, opening in September.
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Photography by Angela Gzowski
