MERRY CHRISTMAS! I love this time of year and I hope we'll get to spend time with our adult children again this year. Last year felt quite magical, in spite of the cold snap we were under, as all three of them could be here...plus our eldest got engaged which was such a lovely surprise. It really has been a surprisingly wonderful year:
- I visited Maud Lewis' house in Halifax...and her memorial near Digby, NS
- My Artist Residency at the Banff Boutique Inn was amazing
- 'The Grandmothers' were exhibited at the Leighton Art Centre & Heritage Park
- 'Blooms, Birds & Bees' were also featured at the Leighton Art Centre
- 'Extraordinary Women' will be exhibited at Airdrie Public Library until January 2023
- 'Honouring the Ancestors' on Main Street got a refresh this summer :)
- My portrait of 'Dr. Ogden' was included in the Murdoch Mysteries Exhibit in Toronto & Kingston
- Another canoe made it onto a Naked Leaf tea tin
- I was able to visit friends in British Columbia, Saskatchewan & Nova Scotia and practiced travel journalling
- And, of course, I'm still taking more courses through Thompson Rivers University...and knitting a tonne, too
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AIRDRIE PUBLIC LIBRARY
November 2022 - January 2023
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I began to think about a combination of three past projects which all focus on portraits of women - Heroes, Nasty Women & The Grandmothers - and chose to include their own words while sharing the stories of Canadian women who we may or may not know, but who have somehow helped shape the country in which we live. There are so many amazing women, and while a lot of them are well known, I wanted to delve into the part of them people are not necessarily publicly aware of. These women come from fields as diverse as politics, music, sports and theatre and remind me of the progress of feminism and the trail-blazers who have brought the women's rights movement where it is today.
We still have so far to go for equal rights, treatment and respect of women, but I often think of how far we have come. During this time, even though I’m at home, I still feel supported by other women through our virtual world. I really want my work to focus on gratitude for the women who have raised the bar for all of us.
These pieces are created using acrylics on 7x14 inch canvases and continue to feature the influence of street art in the layers of brayered and airbrushed patterns and colours. To me they represent the layers of experience and history of each woman.
Learn more about each of these here (click on each image for more information).
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Portraits of extraordinary women painted by Airdrie artist to be displayed next month
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EXHIBIT: Airdrie Public Library
DATES: November 15, 2022 - January 15, 2023
Written by Anna Ferensowicz, AIR 106.1FM
Veronica Funk, a local Airdrie Artist, has been working on a series of portraits that is entitled Extraordinary Women, which will be showcased at the Airdrie Public Library from mid-November to January 2023.
Her inspiration for this current project came from previous paintings she has done in the past, specifically paintings she did last year. Those paintings focused on the contributions of contemporary Canadian women.
"Since it was another difficult year in our world, she wanted to surround herself with the portraits and words of women who have inspired her. When considering three previous projects which all feature portraits of women - Heroes, Nasty Women, and The Grandmothers - Funk decided to include their words while sharing the stories of Canadian women who we may or may not know, but who have somehow helped shape the country in which we live."
This year's portraits, which total 60 pieces, were created by using acrylic paint on 7x14-inch canvases and are influenced by layers of colour and pattern found in street art.
“Though we still have so far to go for equal rights, treatment, and respect of women, I often think of how far we have come,” Funk said. “During this time, even though I worked at home, I still felt supported by other women through our virtual world. The focus of this work is on gratitude for the women who have raised the bar for all of us.”
While many of the subjects of the portraitures are well known, Funk wanted to delve into the part of them that may not necessarily be familiar. The women featured in Funk's latest project come from fields as diverse as politics, music, sports, and theatre.
"They remind me of the progress of feminism and the trail-blazers who have brought the women's rights movement where it is today," she wrote. "Since so many of these women have written books or have been written about, I was excited by the opportunity to exhibit the body of work at the Airdrie Public Library. It has been so long since I’ve been able to exhibit my work locally, so I was thrilled to be able to do so now."
Funk was honoured with a feature on the cover of the summer 2021 edition of an internationally distributed magazine titled What Women Create. Her work has also been published in many international magazines and books including In Her Studio, ARABELLA, Art Journalling, and Galleries West.
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**CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE FOR CITYVIEW ARTICLE**
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I've had a few questions about altered books so I thought I'd address them here:
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1. Libraries & recycle depots are wonderful places to find books that are in need of salvaging...I try to reclaim books that would otherwise be deemed trash.
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2. Any book will work, even when they are falling apart. I tape, glue & sew pieces together to bind them. My favourite adhesive is heavy body gel media & love using fabric as 'tape' too.
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3. Pages will need to be removed in order to reduce the thickness of the book. That's where I reinforce them with tape or fabric. I also adhere 2 opposing pages together to 're-bind' the book after removing pages.
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4. Sometimes I begin with a theme (ie. black & white or inspirational quotes), sometimes I'm actually inspired by the book's original title, and other times I just focus on whatever draws my attention & a theme mysteriously appears. There are so many ideas online, too.
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5. Each book takes months...I work on a few pages, using gel media & paint and then allow those sections to dry before continuing. Sometimes I place wax paper in between damp pages while I'm working.
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If there are any other questions, please feel free to ask. Leading these workshops have always been a favourite. There is also more information on my website (link in bio in the dropdown menu under 'Portfolio' in 'Altered Books' & 'Artist Resources' - ie. photo transfers).
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I was thrilled to be invited by CBC Murdoch Mysteries to share my portrait of Dr. Julia Ogden as part of the Murdoch Mysteries Museum Exhibition in Toronto & Kingston. I have been a huge fan for the past 15 years and am so happy to be included in Murdoch Mysteries: The Experience from November 2022 to February 2023 which will feature the actors, author Maureen Jennings, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, a murder mystery evening and behind-the-scenes history, science and fashion included in the series.
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The sale on eCourses will continued throughout the holdiays. From introductions to painting animals, simplified portraits, bees, hearts, houses, and more, plus the Business of Art course which covers everything from inspiration to the creation of a body of work and connecting with galleries. They include downloadable PDFs and videos. To view what is available, please visit my website here.
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Since I began the project late this year, it will continue into the new year but, I am happy to share that they will be exhibited during my Artist Residency at Sparrow Artspace located in the historic DeWaal Building in Calgary next summer. I hope to offer art/travel journalling workshops during that time as well. I really look forward to connecting with many of the women who have so generously contributed their time, their stories and their photographs with me.
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Leighton Art Centre
November 7 - December 21
Enjoy a whole lot of holiday cheer in Alberta’s beautiful Foothills region!
Fine craft and artworks by local artists will be featured in the galleries of the historic Leighton home and at shop.leightoncentre.org this November and December, in perfect time for getting a head start on purchasing seasonal gifts and getting into the holiday spirit. Beautiful decorations, gorgeous art, and the home’s historic ambiance combine to make visiting in person a memorable part of your family’s season.
Discover over 100 talented artists and find truly unique gifts for your loved ones at this annual art sale (formerly Christmas In The Country). Free parking and admission by donation. Spectacular Rocky Mountain views included!
Gallery pick up and shipping both available for online shopping.
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Federation of Canadian Artists
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In the new year I will be sharing a Business of Art workshop on writing a Biography, Artist's Statement, Curriculum Vitae and Press Release with the Calgary chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists. They will be held online on January 21, 2023 from 1-4pm via Zoom. |
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