RBC Work Room: Samantha Walrod–Vanitas

Samantha Walrod, Memento Mori Still Life 1, 2018. Acrylic and mixed media on paper. 48’ x 36’. Collection of the Artist.

RBC Work Room is an initiative that supports the development of local, contemporary art projects. In this studio-like working space, Edmonton artists conceive and produce artworks onsite, resulting in a fully realized exhibition.

This fourth installment features painter Samantha Walrod working in residence for six weeks. The artist will create a series of works on paper and canvas, painting still lives and animal forms. Her exhibition, Vanitas, will explore ideas of life and loss.

RBC Work Room is an extension of the RBC New Works Gallery, which features new artworks by Alberta artists. This project series continues the Art Gallery of Alberta’s commitment to supporting the work of Alberta artists.

Organized by the Art Gallery of Alberta and presented as a part of the Poole Centre of Design. Supported by Artist Patron Marie Gordon.

Bios

Samantha Walrod

Samantha Walrod received her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta in 2013. Her paintings can be found in various private collections across Canada.

Walrod’s work is influenced by similarities and differences between imagined or reconstructed environments, with the figurative elements often created from images of found objects and the Canadian wilderness.

Layers of paint act as a symbol of the mind’s ability to retain detailed information, while at the same time, leaving certain elements unclear. In her own words, Walrod “reacts to the paintings with each layer or erasure, adjusting contrasting activity and quiet, opacity and transparency, chaos and balance”. Tactility is very important to the artist’s practice. Images are incorporated with collage and digital technologies, while maintaining the exploration of paint.

Jul 20 July 20 – October 7, 2018Oct 7, 2018

Organized by

Art Gallery of Alberta