She was hoping for a more rounded letter - the B, O or even the R but it was not to be.
Lynn Box was assigned the letter Z in the Alphabet Project lottery and it took five attempts before she was satisfied enough to submit her artwork.
The Alphabet Project is a collaboration between The Prince George Citizen and the Prince George & District Community Arts Council to celebrate the newspaper's 100th anniversary, and showcase the creative talents of local artists while acknowledging the written word.
"I think it's a wonderful project to have in the newspaper," said Box. "And of course Z is the least used letter in the alphabet and when I got it I thought 'oh dear' but I think it worked out OK."
The letter Z seems an elegant member of the alphabet, said Box. It took a while to process what she was going to do with it.
"The big Z was first and then it just kind of looked lonely sitting on the page all by itself so it has four - one in each corner - of the Celtic type of lettering and that seemed to kind of pull it together a little better," said Box.
In the arts world Box, 63, may be considered something of a late bloomer.
"I only really started to do art after I graduated from university in 2003," said Box, who was employed at a bank during her working years and now has her bachelor of arts in women's studies and a masters in gender studies.
"And I just completed - yay me! - the CNC (College of New Caledonia) art certificate program," said Box with a laugh. "It's a one-year program and it took me two years to do it."
Flip through the below slideshow to view the Alphabet Project art and a link to each artist story:
She got her start in art at the Artists' Workshop at Studio 2880 at the Community Arts Council.
"I started out in water colour and then switched to acrylics for a few years and now I'm trying to get back into water colour, which I have to admit is my favourite," said Box, who also draws. "I like the way the paint flows and the unexpectedness of it and it's more difficult - with acrylics if you make a mistake you can go back and fix it."
It was an easy decision to make for the relatively new artist to submit a notice of intent to become part of the Alphabet Project, said Box. She was one of the 20 chosen out of 83 who applied for the privilege. Six spots were already taken by three current and former Citizen employees and three former Community Arts Council artists in residence.
"I'm really interested in literacy and I have lived in Prince George for more than 50 years and my great uncle Nestor Izowsky was a typesetter (for the Citizen) way back in the day - that might have been back in the 1920s - so I feel I have connections to the project," said Box. "My great grand parents moved to Prince George in 1914 and those connections I have just brought it all together for me."
