I am pleased and happy to say that the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA, Canada's largest national arts service organization for Visual Arts) has accepted one of my works for an upcoming show and in their printed catalogue! it will be shown at the Federation Gallery in the 2023 On the Edge Exhibition in Vancouver, Canada this summer.
About my area: The Canadian prairies have so much to show, giving artists ample opportunities to express themselves and the beauty of this land! I created my "Painted Desert" collage quite recently, since moving to Alberta. It can certainly get as hot as a desert here in Medicine Hat though it is technically "prairie steppe." It often feels like the Okanagan Desert here with its abundant sunshine and lack of rain.
About my piece: "Painted Desert" was inspired by my local geography and I was reminded of Arizona's actual geographic beauty, The Painted Desert. I notice with the cliffs here at home, when the intense sun hits the drying clay and heats it up, that the escarpment appears to be made up of 1000s of tiny spots of countless colours - they almost shimmer - like a pointillism impressionist painting by Seurat or Monet. So I worked to express what I saw by layering up paper, inks, acrylic, and medium. The irony is that I was able to completely create this piece in the comfort of my air-conditioned studio!
If you are in the Vancouver area between July 24 and August 13 and interested in visiting the Federation Gallery, be sure to take a selfie with "Painted Desert," posting and tagging me on Facebook @elma.neufeld . . . or, if you prefer, Instagram: @elma_eidse_neufeld! (I am learning the lingo!)
The painting in my cool studio. And a detail.
To see more of my landscapes, visit my online gallery,
"Painted Desert"
Layered paper, ink and Golden acrylic paint & medium
16x20" with a wood frame
Thanks for visiting,
Elma