#yycLCL March 2023
The iconic Banff Avenue!
A soft blanket of snow dusts the mountain tops, emphasizing crevasses in the mass of the mountains, and the stillness of an evening snowfall leaves the sight at the end of Banff Avenue breathtaking. This watercolour painting captures a rare moment when the streets were lonely.
My work takes the form of contemporary landscapes, and snapshots details of nature, using Canada’s vast mountains and never-ending prairie as inspiration. In some of my newer watercolours I have also attempted to capture architecture, keeping it simple and loose where the mountains seem structured and the buildings are flowing, a mass of colourful distinctions.
My intention is to spark personal recollections in the viewer from an unconventional perspective, moving pigments that are suspended, extracting them and manipulating them to create layers of transparent colour. I play with depth using slight transitions to add complexity and mystery within the surface, leaving a translucent history. I see these layers as a metaphor for life; the pigmented puddles are the quiet moments of rest, absorbing over time, the layers we create from memories, dreams and reflections.
It’s always a honour to be living my creative life here in Calgary — creating with my hands is my meditation.
Linnea Martina is a Canadian visual artist who finds inspiration in Alberta’s mountain and prairie landscapes. Follow her on Instagram and visit her profile on artworkarchive.com to view more of her work.
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