Recently I have realized how much my work echoes my experience of living on the prairies though not in the usual sense of a landscape or a depiction of a prairie vista. Rather, I feel my work absorbs and transmutes the subtle influences and nuances of prairie life in various ways.

It is a personal map, an exploration: my meditation of the world around me from the tiniest particle unseen, to the impressive and infinite sky. My view is constructed from sounds such as the birds and the wind, tastes and smells like the crisp winter air. Lines come into play with the reference to the quilted fields and texture with the thick white paste surfaces. The colour, like the prairies, ranges from calm pastels to more vivid reds and yellows.

My work in my studio is a serious but joyful process, a meditation connecting me to the world around me. The energy I experience in this environment continues to inspire me in my painting.

I have had a number of solo exhibitions in Winnipeg over the years. I am currently completing a Saskatchewan Arts Board Independent Artists Grant and I am working on a tour of my work with my husband, sculptor Leslie Potter. The tour will start in Saskatchewan.

Alicia Popoff
2008