Colin Starkevich is seen in a field overlooking the South Saskatchewan River , where he found inspiration to paint.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Alberta artist Colin Starkevich brings both admiration and conservation to the Esplanade with his long-term exhibit, Forever Grasslands.
The exhibition will be on display until Oct. 18, offering several months to take in the collection of natural landscapes, lovingly depicted in oil and acrylic paint. Starkevich has been creating pieces for this collection since 2009, all focused on the various plant and animal life that calls southern Alberta home.
He holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Sciences and a diploma in Wildlife & Fisheries Conservation, bringing both an artistic and scientific appreciation for the diversity of a habitat he feels is often overlooked.
“If I speak about the mountains, the mountains are all this beauty just kind of up front and smacks you in the face,” said Starkevich. “It’s great, I do love the mountains. But the grasslands, at first, a lot of people look at it as just a bunch of blank space. It’s only once you stop and spend time in the region, then you just start to realize all this life and all this biodiversity that still exists here.”
Forever Grasslands comes at a milestone for this particular painting series, which Starkevich has been working on for roughly 10 years now, following its debut at the Royal Alberta Museum. At only 25 years old, this makes him one of the youngest artists to have a solo exhibition in one of the provincial museums.
This show in particular contains a series of highly realistic works, many of which are on display, and available for purchase, for the first time through contacting Starkevich directly at colinstarkevich.com.
“The largest painting in the show is eight feet long and five feet tall. It’s an oil painting depicting a landscape actually just south of Medicine Hat,” said Starkevich. “When I was creating this painting, I always hoped that it would be shown in Medicine Hat, because I feel Medicine Hat is where that painting belongs.
“So it makes me very happy that the first time it is on view to the public is, of course, right here at the very prestigious Esplanade.”
Starkevich has been the artist in residence at the Ewart Duggan House for the past month, finding new ways to render the lively region, and says he feels he could spend a century here doing just that while only scratching the surface of what the biome has to offer.
His work, in part, is aimed to highlight the conservation and restoration efforts in the region, honouring the natural prairies and grasslands that people can experience so close to their homes here in the city.
It is his hope not only that those who visit will be touched by the renditions of the various wildlife that are so dear to the region, but that they might be inspired in other ways, as well, to pursue their own passions, artistic or otherwise.
“I feel, for me personally, it’s my unique abilities as an artist, coming together with my passions for the grasslands that gives all of us the artwork we can see today in the Grassland Series. And I think all of us need inspiration coming from all over the place,” said Starkevich. “I’m hoping that my work can act as a source of inspiration for people, wherever they may be, to search within themselves and discover what their unique abilities are in turn.”
