COMMUNION
New paintings by: Natalie Schuler and Shannon Harvey
Save the Dates!
Next Exhibition at the Hearth Gallery opens March 3, 2022
Shannon Harvey
Shannon is a mixed media artist who works in acrylic, oil, drawing and printmaking. She was born in Las Vegas but grew up in upstate New York. She received her BFA from Sarah Lawrence College and a Master’s degree from the Visual and Public Art Program at California State University Monterey Bay, the first program of its kind in the country. Activism has been a strong presence throughout her life and a driving force behind much of her work. Combining this interest with her love of mythology and folklore, Shannon creates alternative narratives and new ways of seeing shaped by a feminist lens. She has been living and creating art in British Columbia since 2004.
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Artist Statement
I believe in the importance of connecting with the sacred and the profound in our every-day lives. For me, looking deeply into the natural world has the power to evoke feelings of wonder and awe. In many ways, modern living has made us move away from this sense of awareness and led us to treat each other and the planet in destructive ways. In this new series of work, I took inspiration from the long tradition of devotional artwork found in many cultures. People interact with these artworks differently- they bow before them, perhaps pray or chant, clap their hands, leave flowers and glasses of water. These paintings became for me meditations on themes of nature, motherhood, and healing. I thought about the devotion we experience in our everyday lives, those moments when we experience a sense of harmony with the universe. It could be a parent watching their child sleep, seeing bats flit across a darkening summer sky, or hearing the wind move through trees.
Natalie Schuler
Natalie lives on a small island along the West Coast of British Columbia. Transplanted from the prairies where she was surrounded by fields of gold to trees that stay green all year and blue oceans that change shade with the seasons. Natalie studied graphic design at the Medicine Hat College in Alberta, she finished with an Applied Degree in Visual Communications. During this time she took a real interest in painting. She is now currently pursuing a career as a Somatic Breathwork facilitator in conjunction with emerging as an abstract artist. The Breathwork has greatly helped create more clarity and understanding within her work, aiding in her direction as an abstract artist.
Learn More HERE
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Self-awareness is the conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires.”
My studio practice is rooted in the curiosity of work that dives under the surface to showcase emotional memories and feelings that are hiding within all of us. I came to the realization that I didn’t understand the emotional web that was inside of me, and I felt very disconnected from myself. The process I took to learn self-awareness arose out of a meditation practice, learning to truly love myself and becoming cognizant of how I felt inside. I started to document these unravellings in my paintings.
The emotions and inner workings morph into these sprawling topographic abstract pieces. The viewer gets an aerial perspective of my development and processing of old belief patterns. I use earth tones that correspond to my inner nature. Creating these narratives with flat, fluid shapes, lines and organic colours that tell the viewer a story of self. We’re organic beings that are ever-changing and evolving, I am curious to explore these shifts within myself.
