The President of the Chestermere Fine Art Guild, Wendy Anderson, attributes her love of creating art to her grandmother, whom she watched paint growing up.
“Spending many summers with my grandmother watching her with oil paintings was both an inspiration as a painter and as a person,” Anderson said.
Although Anderson enjoys a multitude of mediums, such as water colours, and oil paint, her main love is pen and ink when creating an illustration of either a historic building that captivates her or a water-oriented piece.
Before Anderson can begin creating a new piece of art, she must feel drawn to start the creative process, either from a book, newspaper, scenery, or a photograph.
“I am a visual artist and require a real picture to create art,” Anderson said.
Once the outline is completed, and Anderson likes how it looks, she takes creative initiative and adds details and colours to make the piece of work her own.
Creating art is crucial for Anderson’s emotional and spiritual well-being, as she finds true peace when she is immersed in creating a piece for hours upon hours.
“I can spend hours with little regard to time spent,” she said.
However, Anderson has had to overcome many challenges throughout her art career, including finding inspiration and hitting roadblocks in her creativity.
“I must feel a passion for what I do,” Anderson said.
When she hits a creative roadblock, Anderson begins to use different mediums and themes to reignite her passion for creating art. However, she always goes back to her tried-and-true pen and ink.
Currently, Anderson is excited for the opportunity to be featured as the Chestermere Public Library’s Artist of the Month for May.
“This is my first time as the artist of the month, and I’m both honoured and grateful for the opportunity,” Anderson said.
Anderson is filled with gratitude for the artists in her life, including her grandmother, sisters and daughter, and their competitive nature, along with the support, and encouragement from artists in the Chestermere Fine Art Guild.
“I believe an artist’s aptitude to some degree is inherited, and my family is a testament to this,” Anderson said.
“The more we do something, the better we get, and one must have a passion to excel, no matter what we do in life,” she added.
