Danaka Stromberg
Ephemera
Monday, March 17 - Friday, March 21, 2025
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
Reception: Friday, March 21, at 6 - 9pm
Memories are never fixed—they shift, blur, and fade with time. We hold onto places, objects, and moments, but they are never quite as they were, always filtered through the passage of time and the imperfections of recollection. This exhibition explores the fleeting nature of memory, where personal landmarks exist in fragments. Each painting reflects not just a place or thing, but the way I remember it— the symbols partially held, partially lost, and always evolving. Through these works, I seek to capture the emotional weight of my memories, the nostalgia they evoke, and the quiet transformations they undergo. The images reflect the objects, moments and spaces that hold deep meaning in my life and the lives of those I care about. This exhibition invites self-reflection on the personal histories that shape us.
About the Artist
Danaka Stromberg pursues an interdisciplinary art practice involving painted, drawn, and sculpted works. She is attaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours in Studio Art from the University of Saskatchewan. She is a recipient of numerous scholarships. She has work exhibited in public and private collections across Canada. Her current residence and practice are in Saskatoon, SK.
Nicholas Paradis
SOHTYMYTHOS
Monday, March 17 - Friday, March 21, 2025
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
Reception: Friday, March 21, at 6 - 9pm
Inspired by the myths, legends, and epics of the past SOHTYMYTHOS is an exhibition of artworks that explores the relevancy of old stories. By presenting climatic scenes from the Greek myths of Narcissus and Echo, Prometheus and the stolen fire, the biblical story of Cain and Abel, ancient Roman and Germanic tales, I explored unique and contemporary ways to explore the hero’s journey. When developing the artworks, I researched examples from neoclassicism, romanticism, and contemporary muralism, respectively. Inspired by Jacques-Louis David’s Oath of the Horatii, Francisco Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son, ARYZ’s La meurte del colour, I observed many parallels between character archetypes. They were relatable, not through personal experience of similar events, but through their shared emotion. To explore this emotional connection, I explored non-verbal communication through body gestures. When making the artworks, it was my intent to present clear forms and strong lines to suggest drama, personal and emotional turmoil of the characters. Large in scale, the paintings invite the viewer to physically relate to the scenes.
About the Artist
BFA Honours Student. Recipient of the Elizabeth Evelyn Schollie Scholarship for the 2024-2025 academic year. Born and raised in Saskatoon. Drawing and Illustration have always been a passion of mine, fascinated with a line on a page and how quickly one can define space, shape and form with the right stroke of a pen. Painting and printmaking have both quickly become other passions of mine. Having never done either before attending University, both have become cherished media to me. Mythology and past artworks with this theme have interested and inspired me when creating my own art. Fascinated with these ancient tales, I look to retell these stories through the mediums of painting, drawing and printmaking, with a focus on the human figure, symbolism, colour, and allegory to properly convey the scenes that I am recreating.
Jana Bassingthwaite
small
Monday, March 17 - Friday, March 21, 2025
Gordon Snelgrove Gallery
Reception: Friday, March 21, at 6 - 9pm
small is an exhibition that uses drawing and repetition to explore both real and imagined worlds. The repetitive elements are a reflective vehicle to explore parallel, complex worlds that exist, comfortingly, almost entirely outside of one’s own action or inaction.
The choice to often create small drawings which assemble into larger images is, in part, a practical decision. In a life filled with small spaces and small intervals of time, it is logistically pragmatic to find small ways to work. This stuttered approach to creating images also resonates as a metaphor for parenting — the effort to cultivate something larger via the repetition of isolated, small events.
The materials used in small are intended to be non-toxic — they are essentially childrens’ school supplies. Materials include Crayola broad original markers, as well as HB pencils, brown/grey Pigma Micron pens (conforms to ASTM D-4236 and is ACMI-AP certified, but a possible exception to the school supply rule), Bic ballpoint pens, Crayola pencil crayons, UHU gluesticks, etc. In the way that constraint often breeds creativity, the use of children’s materials has been liberating. And after two decades of being a mom with colouring books and poster paper, it has been a fun challenge to see what else these materials can do. :)
About the Artist
Jana Bassingthwaite started her BFA at the University of Saskatchewan in 1994 before pursuing a Bachelor of Design via the Alberta College of Art and Design and Ringling School of Art and Design. After a long hiatus from art, she returned to the University of Saskatchewan in 2023 to complete her BFA.
Jana is happy to be drawing again and feels lucky to have the opportunity to return to classes as an older student. In her personal life, she tries to teach her children the value of being a lifelong learner, and the importance of trying to actively foster diverse, inclusive communities.
Programming and Events
Closing Reception: Friday, March 21, at 6 - 9pm
