Laurie Steen
paintings
Works on Paper
Biography
“I have been drawing shadows of trees in my garden since I was a teenager. I think this was perhaps the beginning of my need to make. Looking back it was about capturing the fleeting nature of trees, positive and negative spaces, and forms in the landscape. It helped me understand the need to focus less on the recognition of an image and allow the energy and spontaneity of process to become celebrated. I tend to call all of my work drawings even though most of them are mixed media or oil paintings, mostly because the genesis of each piece begins and ends with drawing.
My motivation has always been my belief in drawing and the act of finding my own figuration. The process of which is at the very centre of how I work. Drawing to me is simply about having a love for making an image, with the image in turn feeling truer to me than the real thing. I seek to make drawings that embrace and demonstrate a subtle stillness and movement in life, through themes exploring nature, the portrait, and the fleeting landscape.”
Raised in Millarville, Alberta. Laurie grew up with a deep understanding of and respect for nature; specifically the relationships we as human beings have with it. A purist in many ways, Laurie’s drawings area as emotional as they are intellectual. “My relationship with the English landscape is very sensory, leading me to approach nature drawings as I would a portrait, where time and space enter the work in the form of layers. The trees here seem to emit a silence and light, and have an immeasurable desire to be.”
After studying fine arts at the University of Calgary, Laurie graduated with an Honours BID and thesis prize from the University of Manitoba, in the Faculty of Architecture in 1993, where she also taught sketch camps and drawing classes. A complement to the fact that she has been drawing throughout her life and that drawing remains the genesis of her work today. Laurie has also been involved in leading specialised adult drawing workshops with organisations like Dartmoor Arts and has also recently helped to found and run with a partner, an Art and Forest School for children during school breaks. “Teaching and Drawing alongside artists of all ages only goes further to inspiring my own work and is something which I am very passionate about. “
In January 2015 Laurie was elected to be an Academician with the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol. The RWA is one of 5 Royal Academies in the UK.
Laurie has been a part of many solo and group exhibitions in Canada, Switzerland, and England including collaborating on interdisciplinary, performance, and design based projects. During the past year Laurie has shown at the Royal West of England Academy, the London AAF, the Mall Galleries, Badcocks Gallery, and CCANW.
Education
1989-93 BID (Bachelor of Interior Design) Degree, Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba.
1988-89 General Studies (Fine Arts), University of Calgary
Solo Exhibitions
2012
TREES, Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, (CCANW) Haldon Forest, Exeter
2010
EINZIGARTIG, Halde Galerie, Widen, Switzerland
2009
'small Drawings and Paintings’, Artfirm Gallery, Calgary Alberta, Canada
2007
MEMORY OF GREEN, Artfirm Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2002
“abstrAKT”. Halde Galerie, Solo drawing & painting exhibition with sculptor Evelyne Brader-Frank. Widen, Switzerland
2001
‘The Poetry of Us… finding my own figuration’. Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art., Calgary, Canada.
1997
‘a continuation of works,’. Wallace Galleries Ltd., Calgary Alberta, Canada.
‘for the love of Scarlet’ McIntyre Bills Corp. Studio. Calgary, Alberta
1995
’The Living Sketch, a moment within nature”, 808 Studio – Alberta Hotel Building.Calgary, Alberta
“Laurie Steen – Paintings” Jackson Kalef Gallery w/ The Bistro Café. Calgary, Alberta
Group Exhibitions
2014
162 AUTUMN EXHIBITION, Royal West of England Academy (Academician Candidate), Bristol, UK
2014
THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, w/ Badcocks Gallery, Battersea, London, England.
2013
ITS ALL WHITE, Coombe Farm Gallery, Dartmouth, England
161 AUTUMN EXHIBITION, The RWA, Bristol, England
POSTCARDS FOR SHELTERBOX, Badcocks Gallery, Tremenheere Gardens, Cornwall, Devon
THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, w/ Badcocks Gallery, Battersea, London, England.
DRAWN, The RWA (Royal West of England Academy), Bristol, England
2012
LYNN PAINTER STAINERS EXHIBITION, Mall Galleries, London, England
‘THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR’, Autumn Collection, w/ Badcocks Gallery, London
MY FAVOURITE TREE EXHIBITION, CCANW, Haldon Forest, Nr. Exeter, England
2011
ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London
‘THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR’, Autumn Collection, London
159 AUTUMN EXHIBITION, The RWA, Bristol, England
NEW BEGINNINGS, Badcocks Gallery, Penzance, Cornwall, England
THE ART GALLERY OF CALGARY, Masterpiece Contemporary Show. Calgary, Canada
2010
Badcocks, Christmas Group Show. Newlyn, Cornwall.
Bow Valley College ‘Celebration of Art’ (Showing works from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Collection.) Calgary, Canada
158 AUTUMN EXHIBITION, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol (winner of the Prize for Drawing)
THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, Spring Collection 2010, London,
2009
157 AUTUMN EXHIBITION’, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, England
TACO (Torre Abbey Contemporary Open’) Torre Abbey, Torquay, Devon.
THE AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, Spring Collection 2009, w/ Bowlish Cont. Gallery, London, England
‘A walk at Fursdon’ , Fursdon, Devon, England
FasziNATUR, Halde galerie, Widen, Switzerland.
VISAGE Portrait Exhibition, Artfirm Gallery, Calgary, Canada
THE EDGE GALLERY, show with Geoffrey Hunter
2008
156 AUTUMN EXHIBITION, The Royal West of England Academy, Bristol, England.
STUDIO ALBERTA, (2 part exhibition) Opening at Wolstenholme Projects, Liverpool, England; travelling to Artfirm Gallery, Canada. SUMMERTIDE, New work by gallery artists, ArtFirm Gallery, Calgary, AB.
2007
A SEASONABLE SALON, Group Show, ArtFirm Gallery, Calgary, AB.
SUMMERTIDE, Group Show, ArtFirm Gallery, Calgary, AB.
Landscape x9, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art, Calgary, AB.
2006
“BODY OF 3″ Interdisciplinary Performance piece with Dance Music and Visual Arts,
The Grand Theater. Calgary, Alberta. Produced by Groundwork’s Integrated Arts Collective. Calgary, AB.
2005
“FrauenAnsichten”, Halde Galerie. Three person Exhibition. Widen, Switzerland
FORM and FIGURE, Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art. Calgary, Canada
THE BODY – THEMATIC TANGENTS, (Satellite show to the the Triangle Gallery) Calgary, Canada
2004
ANONYMOUS The Uptown, Calgary, Canada
December group show. University of Calgary Mezzanine Gallery, Alberta
2002 – 2006
December Gallery Show, Halde Gallery, Widen, Switzerland
2000, 01, 03, 04, 06
‘Deck the Halls December show’ Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art, Calgary, Alberta
1999
“Introductions 99” Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art, Calgary, Alberta
“ArtWalk 99” Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art, Calgary, Alberta
1996
Designers’ Showcase 96, Calgary, Alberta
“Art Unsprung” Studio Civilization. Calgary, Alberta
1995
“Art Soiree” Studio Civilization.
1993
Faculty of Architecture Teachers’ Exhibition, Faculty of Architecture Gallery,
Winnipeg. Group Show (w/ Winston Leathers, Bruce Head, Calvin Yarush, Ben Washelyshin, Gord Peterson, Stacey Peterson)
Awards/Grants
2014 Awarded Academician with the Royal West of England Academy (RWA)
2010 Bristol Drawing School, Drawing price for excellence in Drawing at the Royal West of England Academy 158th Autumn Exhibition
2007 Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Production Grant for the Studio Alberta Group Show, in Liverpool, England
2005 Canada Council Visual Arts Grant & an Alberta Foundation for the Arts grant.
Received with other artists for the interdisciplinary project “Body of 3”.
Used for two residencies at the Banff Center for the Arts, for the projects creation.
1993 Thesis Prize winner for design – Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
1993 Arts Bursary – University of Manitoba
1991-92 Government Grant – Province of Alberta
Collections
Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Calgary, Alberta
Angles Spa, Calgary, Alberta
Mary Jensen Gruber Shawna Inc.
Stuart Engineering and Surveying Ltd
Newcrest Capital Investment Banking
Karo Design Resources
McIntyre Bills Design Corp
Caltech Surveys
Baked Expectations, Winnipeg
Numerous residential collections in Canada, United States and Europe
Fursdon Estate, UK
Langham Hotel, London
Bibliography
2014 Artists & Illustrators March 2014 issue, Feature Contributor pg’s. 74 – 76
2011 Fiona Robinson Writings on Art July
http://fionarobinsonwritings.wordpress.com/
2011 Evolver. Feature artist for the Jan/ Feb issue, England’s west Country Arts Guide.
2006 Jocelyn Grosse’, Interview for the ‘Body of 3’ production.
“A collective cross-pollination of the arts”. Calgary Fast forward. May 11, 2006.
2002 Berezowski, Heather, Feature photos of work during the Poetry of Us
show at NewZones. Gallery Guide, Spring
1997 Zimmerman, Kate, “Art and Architecture”. Look West Magazine, Spring
1995 Graham, Hugh, “Natural Art”. Core Magazine, September
Artist
Born: 1970, Alberta, Canada
Price range: $850-$9000
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