Artist in Conversation: Samantha Walrod with Laura Ritchie

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.

Laura Jane Ritchie is the Curator at the Kelowna Art Gallery. She holds a BA in Art History from Mount Allison University and an MA in the same from Western University. Laura Jane has worked in collections and exhibitions management and visual arts administration for and with such Canadian art organizations as the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the New Brunswick Crafts Council, the New Brunswick Arts Board, Museum London, the Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery and the Commonwealth Association of Museums. Formerly the Head of Exhibitions and Collections Management at the Art Gallery of Alberta, Laura Jane’s curatorial projects focus on showcasing permanent collection treasures. She is a fellow of the Getty Leadership Institute’s NextGen, Executive Education for the Next Generation of Museum Leaders.