 Written by Anna Ferensowicz Monday, Oct 31 2022, 11:12 AM
Veronica Funk, a local Airdrie Artist, has been working on a series of portraits that is entitled Extraordinary Women, which will be showcased at the Airdrie Public Library from mid-November to January 2023. Her inspiration for this current project came from previous paintings she has done in the past, specifically paintings she did last year. Those paintings focused on the contributions of contemporary Canadian women. "Since it was another difficult year in our world, she wanted to surround herself with the portraits and words of women who have inspired her. When considering three previous projects which all feature portraits of women - Heroes, Nasty Women, and The Grandmothers - Funk decided to include their words while sharing the stories of Canadian women who we may or may not know, but who have somehow helped shape the country in which we live," a press release stated. This year's portraits, which total 60 pieces, were created by using acrylic paint on 7x14-inch canvases and are influenced by layers of colour and pattern found in street art. “Though we still have so far to go for equal rights, treatment, and respect of women, I often think of how far we have come,” Funk said. “During this time, even though I worked at home, I still felt supported by other women through our virtual world. The focus of this work is on gratitude for the women who have raised the bar for all of us.” While many of the subjects of the portraitures are well known, Funk wanted to delve into the part of them that may not necessarily be familiar. The women featured in Funk's latest project come from fields as diverse as politics, music, sports, and theatre. "They remind me of the progress of feminism and the trail-blazers who have brought the women's rights movement where it is today," she wrote. "Since so many of these women have written books or have been written about, I was excited by the opportunity to exhibit the body of work at the Airdrie Public Library. It has been so long since I’ve been able to exhibit my work locally, so I was thrilled to be able to do so now." Funk was honoured with a feature on the cover of the summer 2021 edition of an internationally distributed magazine titled What Women Create. Her work has also been published in many international magazines and books including In Her Studio, ARABELLA, Art Journalling, and Galleries West. DiscoverAirdrie.com Comments are closed.
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