About the Artist

Biography

Elizabeth (Anderst) Kirschenman is a native of southeastern Alberta who grew up in Hilda (northeast of Medicine Hat), and later moved to Calgary. She earned an A.R.C.T. in piano and studied Russian at the University of Calgary. In 1975, she married and returned to the Hilda area where they run a family farm, raising grains and oilseeds. After being introduced to watercolour in the early 1980’s, she attended several workshops at Medicine Hat College and several summers at “Series” at Red Deer College.

Landscape is her primary focus and southeastern Alberta surroundings and rural way of life have influenced the subject matter. She has benefited from residencies in Ireland, Italy, The Banff Centre and Quebec and travel to other parts of the world has provided opportunities to explore new and different landscapes. Involvement in farm, church and community activities occupy the time not spent on art.

In October 2017 a wildfire in southeastern Alberta swept through the area, destroying much of the farm, including the house and studio. The changes resulting from this event continue to influence and challenge the artistic journey.

Artist Statement

I am the granddaughter of homesteaders on the prairies, Germans from Russia living in the community they worked to establish over a century ago. Attachment to this land is an integral part of what defines my life and, in my prairies/coulees work, I hope to honour the blood, sweat, tears and courage that my family invested in the opportunity they were given in the Canadian west.

I also want to draw attention to this unique facet of God’s creation and to raise awareness of the beauty and rhythm inherent in this “forgotten landscape”. The Prairies are often too easily dismissed as flat, monotonous and monolithic and frequently portrayed with minimal, broad brushstrokes and very limited palette, but this “empty land” is full of visual rewards and surprises for those willing to invest time and patience. Golds and earth tones, the colours of the prairies, are often overwhelmed by the blue drama of the enormous sky. The unexpected ruggedness of river breaks and coulees come as a surprise in the midst of deceptively simple flat or gently rolling fields. Winter completely transforms the landscape as the contours of the land are revealed by brilliant sun and dramatic shadows. The transparency of watercolour is especially well suited for capturing the clarity of prairie light.

Rather than a realistic rendering, my watercolours reflect the subtle, gracious beauty of the grasslands, coulees, fields and skies that comprise the western Canadian prairie landscape. I prefer to mix colour on the paper, using glazing and wet-into-wet techniques, as well as dry-brush and occasionally scraping to add texture, detail and highlights. Holidays and residencies give me the opportunity to visit and experience landscapes in other parts of the world. These present different challenges and there is always more to learn.