Today I'm celebrating our 30th Anniversary with my best friend. 
He has taught me so much and been by my side throughout many challenges. 
He has been my biggest champion and supporter and I can't imagine
​that life would have been this good with anyone else.  
I'm a very lucky gal.  

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE!

What a busy week it was and an amazing way to finish it!  I love our community and feel so blessed to live here...from the amazing women to the amazing men, the support and inspiration that my family receives is endless.  I was so grateful to AirdrieLIFE magazine for allowing me to share my Airdrie women and to top such an incredible week off, my baby girl received the TD Amazing Promise Award and scholarship.  We're so thankful to know so many kind and positive people and I know that we have definitely been meant to be here all these years.

I'm always so pleased when people send photos of my work in place in their homes.  I feel quite blessed, actually, first of all that they invest in what I create, and also that they invite my work into their personal spaces.  I love how my Heroes look hung like this, and so beautifully lit.  As I look forward (with a bit of trepidation) to the Girls' Night Out exhibit reception for my 'Nasty Women' in Calgary this evening, it's really special to see this...I really loved these ladies, too.

I thought I'd give myself a week off but paint and pattern keeps calling to me.  Instead of resting, my mind has been extremely busy, dreaming and planning for the next project.  I don't think I'm quite finished with this one yet, but how to move forward?  I've been having a few conversations and sharing ideas with other artists as well as walking and writing.  There is something cathartic about working in series, though this one may have been a bit larger than it could have been, and I'm not disappointed in spite of the monumental challenge it was.  Anyway...I'm playing and envisioning in spite of having two more events to attend this week.  It's all fun.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

What a lovely reception this was...so wonderful to celebrate with friends and family. 
I want to thank Galleries West magazine,
AIR 106.1 fm, Airdrie Echo and CityView for featuring the 'Nasty Women' project;
Inglewood Fine Arts for the exhibit;
Chef Lianna Robberecht of CBC's Homestretch for the canapes;
Nina Mariah Donovan for the poem that inspired this body of work.

Special gratitude to everyone who has shared encouragement throughout this project, to all the nasty women who were brave enough to share themselves,
and to my beautiful family for their unending support
in all of my creative endeavors.

I have created an exhibit catalogue for The 100 Day Project: Nasty Women to document this amazing group of women.  Thank you all so much for taking part.  As a token of my appreciation, I have decided to have a draw for the  pre-edited copy which will take place at the exhibit reception at Inglewood Fine Arts on Saturday.  If you are interested in entering, please leave a comment on my website, instagram or facebook.  To preview or order a copy, please visit here.

For the past 100 days, Airdrie artist Veronica Funk has been busily painting the portraits of women she admires for her “Nasty Women” project – and now that the collection is complete, her pieces will be displayed in an exhibition at Inglewood Fine Arts until May 10.
“Creating each painting was phenomenal, but seeing them as a group is very humbling,” said Funk, who was inspired to embark on the project after seeing actress Ashley Judd read a poem by Nina Donovan – called Nasty Women – at the Washington women’s march in January 2017.
“It goes to show that every single woman, whether you’re a young university woman or you’re a senior, every single woman has an opportunity to make a difference and affect another person’s life in a positive way.”

The project started as a personal challenge for Funk, who said she’d previously completed similar painting challenges like a 52-week project. This project, she admitted, was on a larger scale – twice as many pieces in a shorter period of time. And since this project involved local women who volunteered to be painted, there was added pressure.

“As an artist, you expect certain things from yourself, and you don’t always feel like you meet those expectations,” she said. “Because I know these women, either directly or indirectly, I wanted to do them justice…it’s all about empowering these women.”

Funk selected images of each woman that showcased specific features that spoke to her – the glint in someone’s eye, she said, or the way she was smiling. Since she created the paintings so quickly, she said she wasn’t looking to portray an exact representation, but rather capture the essence of each participant.

“Women have always been near and dear to my heart, especially now with the #MeToo movement – it’s not just about women, but also about the men who support women,” she said. “It’s a world-wide thing. There are changes that need to happen, and I think the only way we can make changes is if each one of us feels empowered.”

Funk said she has received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the project, particularly when she shared the final portrait April 30 on her website and social media. Discussing the response is emotional for her, she admitted.

“It’s really been so heartwarming, just an outpouring of support,” she said. “I think this is the most important work I’ve done to date, but I wasn’t even planning on exhibiting it or anything. It was just a challenge to myself.”

The pieces will be available for public viewing at Inglewood Fine Arts until May 10, with receptions held May 5 from 2 to 4 p.m. and May 10 – Ladies’ Night in Inglewood – from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Select pieces will also be displayed May 11 at Woodside Golf Club for the Amazing Airdrie Women awards luncheon.

“I’m so grateful to these women who shared themselves with me – it’s a vulnerable thing…to see yourself through someone else’s eyes,” she said. “I want to continue painting women, I think I’ve been called to do this.”
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Visit veronicafunk.com and click on the link to “100 Days: Nasty Women” to view the series.