Molly Amelia

REMINISCENT

Monday, March 18 - Friday, March 22, 2024

Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, open Monday - Friday between 10am - 4pm 

Reception: Friday, March 22 at 6 - 9pm

What is a memory at its core? How does it make you feel? Is it warmth? Is it longing? Does it make you feel at home? These are questions I seek to answer through my artistic practice. My work is a study of memories, nostalgia, and an exploration of what is vague versus vivid. I examine through the lens of my own childhood as well as the one I am creating as a mother. I feel a deep and intrinsic connection between raising my son and the resurfacing of my own recollections of girlhood. I believe our memories shape who we become and impact our understanding of those around us. I am intuitive, emotional, and reflective, these qualities are reflected in my artwork. I create with a perception of sentimentality that captures and romanticizes the moments and connections that are important to me. I enjoy studying familial lineage and inter-generational relationships. My material choices communicate the content and emotion of my work. The technical process of silkscreen printing allows me to manipulate personal and found photographs. Soft pastels in my drawings and impressionistic brushstrokes in my paintings are evocative of the ephemeral nature of remembrance. while pigment choices are reminiscent of how my memories make me feel. Experiencing reflective nostalgia is said to have psychological benefits such as increasing optimism and social connectedness. Nostalgia is more than just looking to the past; it provides a tangible sense of continuity that I find intriguing. Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? My hope is that my art provides space for myself and its viewers to be reflective and prospective simultaneously when perceiving our identities and each other.

About the Artist

Molly Amelia is completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours degree in 2024 as a mixed media artist, specializing in drawing, printmaking, and painting. Molly was born and raised on Treaty 6 territory with family roots in rural Saskatchewan. Molly has been involved with local artisan markets and organizations. She has volunteered as president and treasurer of MIX Print Collective as well as participated as a member of the University of Saskatchewan Visual Art Student Union and SK Printmakers. Molly has shown art in a variety of exhibitions in Saskatoon at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery and The Drop Spot YXE. Molly looks forward to her future as a creative entrepreneur and aspires to be a lifelong practicing artist.

Gallery

Saba Tensae

Within 

Monday, March 18 - Friday, March 22, 2024

Gordon Snelgrove Gallery, open Monday - Friday between 10am - 4pm 

Reception: Friday, March 22 at 6 - 9pm

I have always used art as a passion and an emotional crutch. This heavily reflects the work I do now, and inspires the emotions and themes of my artwork. My printmaking practice is an evolution of my drawings and paintings. I have a personal connection to Intaglio (monotypes and etchings/aquatints) but often find myself drawn back to lithography as the process is soothing and the familiarity with drawing keeps me in a zone of focus. I find comfort when the image-making tools, mark-making and styles feel familiar. Printmaking started as a way to translate my drawings but in time has grown to be fulfilling on its own in my artmaking. I am queer and a person of colour, and I have struggled with mental illness along with experiencing family difficulties while growing up. My art has become even more important and expressive during this time. I think women, connections, exhaustion, routine, melancholy, memories and comforts are the best words that I can use to explain the main topics of my art whether this artwork is raw or not.  I know that I will continue working with faces and people as the center of my subjects as both my person and my art evolves.

About the Artist 

My name is Saba Tensae. I am an artist learning and practicing in Treaty 6 territory in Saskatoon. I grew up drawing on my own and with my grandma. Drawing now continues to be the medium that is the easiest for me to express myself. I was introduced to printmaking in my studies at university. This opened a whole new door that allowed me to translate my drawing practice into new ideas and techniques and is now another basis for my art today. I have had many enriching experiences learning with Jillian Ross who is a seasoned printmaker. I will be completing my BFA in 2024-25. I hope to continue and complete a master’s degree and live a long creative life doing art just like my nana.

Gallery