By Kitchissippi Times staff
Spring has been welcomed in Wellington West through a new art exhibit being held at one of Hintonburg’s newest businesses.
From March 25 to May 12, Veronika McKerrel will display her creative talent at tattoo and art house Kaleidoscope Sky, located 1106 Somerset St. West.
While calling Scotland home in 2016, McKerrel picked up paint brushes and started her creative journey. She was educated in Edinburgh at the Leith School of Art and indulged in landscapes painting inspired by the beautiful yet gloomy country. Later, she studied portraiture in London, England at the Essential School of Art.
“The subjects of my paintings are a reflection of my emotional state, feelings, and subconscious energy in that particular moment and place,” McKerrel said on her website. “They are a way for me to explore my inner self, express my feelings and fears, and communicate through the language of painting. Painting the landscape and its elements is a way for me to connect with a place and become fully immersed in the experience of being there.It is a grounding process that allows me to be truly present in the moment.”
Now living in Rockland, just outside of Ottawa, McKerrel has poured her heart and soul into each art piece. Creating extensively in her quaint basement studio, she experiments with a variety of mediums, ranging from traditional oils and acrylics to tactile dry materials, inks, and printmaking.
Spending much time hiking in nature, McKerrel has deeply studied the elements of the natural world which inspire the rich textures and play in brush strokes. Her close observations of her subjects then turn inward as she observes herself and outward again to humankind.
“My artistic endeavor is dedicated to wildflowers, often marginalized as mere nuisances or weeds,” McKerrell said, adding that her world travels have inspired her artistic inspiration in Canada.
“Themes of immigration, fears, war, displacement, and our shared humanity serve as a backdrop for my introspection, sparking conversations that transcend borders and cultures,” she added.
For the art show ‘Wild Flower Haikus’, the Ottawa-area creator has taken the time to reflect on each of the 17 paintings that make up the exhibition, and written correspondence haikus to each piece.
“Intertwining with my floral compositions are haikus, a poetic form that resonates deeply with my art,” said McKerrell. “Haiku, with its emphasis on mindfulness and keen observation, mirrors the essence of my paintings.”