Sandra Lamb

I collect old photographs, random snapshots from friends, magazine advertisements. It's partially for reference but mostly for that shard of expression or movement that inspires the "what if"? beginnings of a visual story. The process of my work is a bit like designing a set for the climax of a play and then placing the characters, caught at their moment of crisis. Humour often creeps into my paintings and I use it consciously whenever I can. For me art must be communication with the viewer and it must always ask the questions, perhaps only hinting at the answers. As I get older and wiser, I find myself producing looser, simpler images, sometimes just as an ode to the beauty of the moment, often as glimpses of the innocent human spirit. What I am ultimately looking for are the deeper and more complex precipices, the turning points in personal evolution.

As a "tween" I had the privilege of evening classes once a week from local artists in Calgary, where I learned valuable techniques in various mediums. My design-sense was honed on-the-job in various graphic art/advertising positions during my twenties. Anything after that has been life and practise. And of course, the greatest teacher of all: teaching others in one's chosen vocation.

These can be found on my website.

I have taught many mediums locally for about twenty years with occasional invitational workshops. These include portraiture, cartooning, oils, acrylics, chalk pastels, watercolours and book illustration.

These can be found on my website.

Earlier on, I was influenced most by the Impressionists, primarily Degas and Manet and also the Group of Seven. In addition to the countless artists in between, most recently, my artwork has taken a somewhat new direction as a result of the inspiration gleaned from Iryna Yermalova (Britain), Carlos San Millan (Spain) and Silja Selonen (Finland).

happy, colour, figurative, laughter, introspective, deep