Samantha Walrod contends that we are both involved and invested in shifting the boundary between nature and culture. Her work deals with the similarities and differences between imagined or reconstructed environments created from images of the Canadian wilderness. Walrod sees our view of nature is multiple and fractured, interrupted snapshots
often fleetingly experienced from a speeding car. She layers paint over images incorporating collage and digital photographs, to symbolize the mind’s ability to retain certain detailed information while leaving other elements unclear. In her words, Walrod “reacts to the paintings with each layer of erasure, adjusting contrasting activity and quiet, opacity and transparency, chaos and balance.” Walrod graduated with a BFA (With Distinction) from ACAD in 2008, and an MFA from the University of Alberta in 2013. Solo exhibitions include: Majestic Wanderer, New zones Gallery (2014); Duets: Shared Ideas in Painting, University of Alberta Enterprise Square Gallery (2014); Split Seconds, Soft Edges, FAB Art Gallery, Edmonton (2013). Selected group shows include: Animal Skins and Visual Surfaces, University of Wisconsin and Foster Gallery, Eau Claire, WI (2013);The Fine Art of Schmoozy, Latitude 53 Gallery, Edmonton (2011); In Place, Parts Gallery, Toronto (2010); Pameran Poskad Show, Singapore (2008). Walrod’s work appears in collections such as: Alberta Foundation for the Arts; Cenovus Energy corporate collection; and University of Alberta permanent collection.