Three women will rule the St. Albert Gallery Walk at the Bookstore on Perron during July. Although Luise Mendler-Johnson, Anastasia Sukach and Sheila Anderson paint with very different styles, they all capture impressions, fleeting moments and dashes of joyful whimsy.
This heady trio introduces a diverse array of modes that expose the poetic side of painting, each canvas telling its own tall tale. Once woven together, all the multi-hued strokes create worlds not as we see them, but as they are felt.
Mendler-Johnson has a passion for watercolours and acrylic paints. Originally from Germany, the long-time St. Albert resident captures local scenery in impressionistic paintings, and expressive, spontaneous sketches. Passersby may spot her with a sketchbook in hand or behind an easel painting nature.
On the other hand, Sukach is currently exploring hyper-realism and abstraction, blending memory and emotion to reflect the charm she finds in people and the quiet stories they tell.
“My work explores themes of nostalgia and the longing for home through a range of mediums and approaches. I’m fascinated by how our collective history and culture shape who we are, and I often reflect on how places, objects, and even fleeting moments can evoke deep, unexplainable feelings,” said Sukach.
Instead, Anderson takes a flashier approach in portraying her whimsical landscapes and the creatures that dwell there. By combining flamboyant colours and perceived textures, she energizes the ordinary.
“It is my intention to view and interpret the environment with openness and wonderment. In choosing this perspective, I can shape a more joyful world. My work encourages the viewer to imagine themselves immersed in these landscapes and feel the lightness and joy surrounding them,” Anderson said.
An artist reception will be held at the bookstore on Thursday, July 3, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The exhibition runs until July 31.
