It’s the calm before the proverbial storm for Sheryl Sawchuck. The painter is currently filling out application forms for all the summer art festivals she wants to attend this year.
“I’m going more in the path of the juried shows, studio and gallery shows, art festivals, studio tours and online galleries,” she said.
And while she hopes to soon take her work to events like Victoria’s Paint-in on Moss Street and Originals Only Art Show in Comox, Sawchuck currently has a number of paintings hanging at the Gallery @ Qualicum Art Supply.
In fact, Sawchuck has exhibited her work there pretty much since the gallery space opened nine years ago, said the shop’s co-owner Bonnie Luchtmeijer. “We’ve done very well with her pieces,” she said.
The pieces on display have changed over the years, of course, but the general subjects of Sawchuck’s work — bold florals and West Coast landscapes — are still the same. “I don’t like straight lines,” said the painter, who’s “latest challenge” is trying to recreate water.
However, Sawchuck wants the organic subjects in her work to do more than just please her own artistic sensibilities. She hopes that it reminds people to connect with nature.
“I want people to pay attention,” she said. “We’re in an amazing place. Don’t take it for granted … see it. Notice it.”
Sawchuck usually paints using oils on canvas, though she also works with liquid acrylics on watercolour paper, and her pieces range in size from several inches to several feet.
“I try to have a range … something for everyone,” she joked before adding seriously that “sometimes some things don’t need a big canvas.”
Sawchuck also regularly paints on commission, recreating everything from portraits to vacation photos. These images, however, are not on display in the Gallery @ Qualicum Art Supply.
The artist, who lives in Nanaimo, creates most of her work over the winter in her studio/gallery located on the mural walk in Chemainus. However, Sawchuck said that the space will soon become less “convenient” as she hits the road for the summer art shows.
Since she can’t be in two places at once, the gallery isn’t open as much as she would like during that time. So, Sawchuck said she is currently looking for another artist to share the studio with.
You can connect with Sawchuck regarding her paintings or the studio via her Facebook page, which is called Sheryl Sawchuck Artist.