about sandra

I was born the daughter of Italian immigrants and grew up in Trail, BC, a small smelter town. I received my Fine Arts Degree from the University of Calgary and spent many years working in the Calgary Art Scene as an art consultant, art instructor for the City of Calgary in their Art Centres, as well as keeping a studio practice alive and kicking! Eventually I gave my creative space the name of Pigasus Art Studio in recognition of my love of pigs and John Steinbeck’s moto “Ad astra per alas porci” (to the heavens on the wings of a pig).

As I’ve matured, I feel I’ve evolved from the academic art world of University art theory to a more natural expression of my narrative. Through my early career I was primarily a painter. I worked for many years for the City of Calgary as an art instructor and began exploring creating with clay. With the encouragement and inspiration from talented ceramic instructor artists, I grew both technically and creatively in my ceramics practice. I dove deeply into ceramics and eventually became a ceramics instructor as well as continuing to teach many of the visual arts including painting and drawing.

The painting knowledge and skills I have greatly influences my surface treatments on my sculptures and functional pottery. When I began working in ceramics I found I developed a proclivity for dark whimsy and social commentary.  My paintings, in turn were influenced by my ceramic themes. I enjoy creating in both mediums but ceramics really scratches my creative itch. I don’t know if it’s the physical play with mud or the fact that I actually smile when creating.

 As my practice grew, the need to communicate a message to my viewer became an underlying motif in most of my pieces. I draw on my past experiences, the community I grew up in, the Kootenay landscapes and the variety of characters I’ve met and others I have seen. These inform my work both directly and indirectly while allowing me to share my reaction to our rapidly evolving culture. Looking back, I was always fascinated with the art of the 1500’s Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, plague art of the Middle Ages, and of course Mexican death art. Hmm, would you say an underlying theme? Yes, my work can be somewhat dark at times, but I’ve always felt that presentation is everything. Throw in a touch of humour, recognizable images, and the viewer is invited in, and communication is established! This is not to say, all my work is dark and twisty. I created a series of functional pieces based on the wildlife appearing in my Calgary suburban neighbourhood. Sometimes a porcupine is just a porcupine, a tree is just a tree, and a cigar is just a cigar. Although, that being said, the suburban wildlife series was a statement on our encroachment into wildlife habitats with our sprawling urban overdevelopment.

A fellow artist, Mariko Paterson, who curated the NCECA show “Bonspiel” in Minnesota, described my work: “While her works are accessible and recognizable in terms of subject matter choices, don’t be fooled… Sandra’s wry humor coats all that she touches like a velvet glove cast in iron. Laugh aloud with all of her works for sure, but be sure to lean in and glean a little more thoughtful awareness of the World According to Sandra, if you dare.”

I’ve moved my studio from Calgary, Alberta to beautiful Gabriola Island BC, one of the Gulf islands off the coast of Vancouver Island. We’ve had a property here for years and when we finally decided to make the life altering jump from Calgary to Gabriola, we did so knowing that the art community of this island was vibrant and accepting and that I would have many more years of inspiration. Who knows, perhaps the long walks in the woods and on the beach might rescue me from watching too much CNN and inspire me to depict the more serine beauty surrounding me. Maybe?