About the art of Sam Falk

My media are mainly oil pastel and acrylic on canvas.
I lean towards abstraction but with recognizable forms. My passion is colour and the power of play. Come to the space where I practice the alchemy of my art. Perhaps you will discover a visual jewel that whispers the promise of unlimited potential and.or illuminates some aspect of psychic bridge design.

I am a prairie girl who left when I was in my early twenties. I lived in Ottawa where I studied Visual Arts at the University of Ottawa from 1980-84 with Max Dean, Tony Brown, Richard Gorman, Sylvain Cousineau, Michael Schreyer, Evergon and Thierry deDeuve.

From Ottawa I moved to Cairo, Egypt with my second husband who was a diplomat from Saudi Arabia. During this time I travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, Europe, Asia and the United States. I fell in love with Islam and with the cultures of the Middle East .

I returned to Ottawa in 1987 and lived in and travelled around Mexico. From there I moved to B.C. and in 1997 I returned to the prairies where I have found my home. From 2004-07 I exhibited in a cooperative art gallery in Winnipeg.

In 2005 I moved to the Interlake and I now exhibit in the Fishfly Gallery in Winnipeg Beach along with the Terry Lacosse Gallery in Winnipeg and Aradia's Art and Gift Shop in Gimli. I am also a part of The Wave, an artist studio tour in the Interlake.

MY ART
I am fascinated by the concept of art as alchemy. A practice which enables one over time, to see through surface illusions and illuminates the various non-visible realities beneath. Our culture is defined by our sophisticated capacity to create images. These images are projected by the most advanced technology the world has ever known. The sophistication of our image-making technology is a surface beyond which lie some of the lowest forms of consciousness.   Unless we understand the process by which these images are constructed and the beliefs which underlie their creation, we can, like the anorexic become hypnotized and powerless.   Art as alchemy is the practice of seeing through surfaces, the practice of understanding that almost nothing is as it appears and that reality is created. Surfaces are simply effects caused by us as creators. Our choice is whether we use our creativity consciously or unconsciously.   To understand ourselves as creators is to focus on cause instead of effect and be aware of our core power source, the potential of which makes nuclear fission seem like child's play.

BODIES OF WORK

Bird/Pear Series, 1989
   Four 24 x 36 " works inspired by the light and colors of
   Oaxaca, Mexico

Archetypal Cutout Series, 2000
    Eight oil pastel on paper collage pieces ranging from
    36" X 24" to 65" x 36"

Chagall Inspired Dream Series, 2001
   Six pieces in oil pastel on paper and acrylic paint on
   canvas ranging from 11" x 17" to 30" x 40"

Still Life Chair/Flower Series, 2002
   Seven works in acrylic paint on board and canvas
   ranging in size from 18" x 24" to 24" x 36"

Still Life Flower Series, 2004
   Small pieces in oil pastel on paper and acrylic
   on canvas

Eyes, Lies and Butterflies, 2005
   Exhibition of 10 paintings (acrylic on canvas and board)
   exploring the nature of seasonal reality

Sex in the Garden and Channeling John Lennon, 2007
   An exhibition of a series of large paintings together with
Ainslie Davis on canvas and board in sizes
   ranging from 40" x 60" to 60" x 96".