THE BERRY PICKERS

Living on a farm, miles from the nearest town, we grew or foraged for our food. Mid-July to mid-September was prime berry picking season and an opportunity to socialize. When a neighbor spotted a ripe berry patch the call went out and the pickers gathered, berry pails, old hats, and rubber boots in hand. Dodging branches and hornets and trying to stay in the shade were constant challenges but the reward of the succulent sweetness of fruit ripened on the bush made it all worthwhile.

30" x 24"

acrylic/oil on canvas

$1500

NEW WHEELS

My parents homesteaded in central Alberta after World War II and money was short. They did their best to provide us with toys, always hand-made or hand-me-downs, to keep us entertained. It was an era of hardship and poverty, but we were delighted with whatever we got no matter how well used it was. This painting celebrates two children (my brother and me) enjoying everyday activities in a world not yet material.

24" x 30"

acrylic/oil on canvas

$1500

SCHOOL DAYS

Growing up on a farm in rural Alberta, going to school was a privilege. The first day of school was an occasion to celebrate both for my brother and me as well as for our parents. Dressed up in our best hand-me-downs, clutching our homemade lunch, the event was always captured for posterity. These were my formative years as well as thousands of other baby boomers and these paintings are an opportunity to explore our roots and uncover some of what defines that generation.

24" x 30"

acrylic/oil on canvas

$1500

A GIRL AND HER COYOTE

I was a feral child growing up, largely left to my own devices. I roamed through the land on my trusty horse Rusty, purchased when I was four and he was eleven. We spent hours exploring, checking if the flowers were blooming, if the wild berries were ripe, and keeping an eye out for baby animals. In the winter, riding bareback kept me warm and the adventures continued. The wilderness was my playground, the animals my companions.

30" x 30"

acrylic/oil on canvas

$1800

CHORES

Chores were an integral part of growing up on a farm. All children were expected to pitch in and help – a sanctioned form of child labour. Hauling water and feeding chickens were my normal tasks but I had to help out wherever needed. This included milking cows on occasion but generally that was left to the boys. It was a tough but necessary job and the reward was delicious fresh milk, thick rich cream and homemade butter.

20" x 20"

acrylic/oil on canvas

$800

CANADIAN GOTHIC

American Regionalism flourished after the Great Depression and lasted until the late 1940s. It was a realist modern art movement that focused on rural and small-town life in Mid-West America. One of the more famous paintings from that period was American Gothic painted by Grant Wood in 1930.

I don’t know if Mom was influenced by that painting when taking this photo but the comparison is certainly there. For my brother and me, it was just another day on the farm.

30" x 40"

acrylic/oil/oil stick on canvas

$2200

SELF-PORTRAIT WITH KITTENS

As we weather the current pandemic, I’ve been thinking a lot about my mother. Jenny Mabel Rottenfusser was born during World War I, grew up during the Great Depression and the Spanish Flu and married my father after he was discharged from the Air Force at the end of World War II. They homesteaded on a farm in central Alberta and poverty and hardship were a way of life. Money was short and film was precious, but Mom continued to document the world around her.

This period of self-isolation has allowed me the time and space to reflect on the resilience of the human spirit. Using Mom’s photos as a point of departure, I am exploring my roots and what it meant to grow up in postwar rural Alberta.

30" X 40"

acrylic/oil/oil stick on canvas

$2200