04/28/2024
"FEATURED ARTIST"
Grace Anna Marie Lackman
I was born in a small town in eastern Netherlands and my birth name is Grietje Bults. My family
immigrated to Canada when I was three years old and I grew up in Transcona. I still have strong
connections with The Netherlands and visit frequently. I’m the second of a family of six children, and
none of the other five has any interest in art although one of my brothers is a maker of fine wood
furniture. My father was a baker, mostly of bread but also with a flair for fancy cakes and pastries. My mother was a psychiatric nurse who enjoyed crocheting items such as whimsical animals from
colourful yarn.
As a child I was fascinated by artwork, especially old oil paintings and mosaics. I enjoyed creating art
when I was young and won a few competitions in elementary and junior high school, but I didn’t get
serious about art until my 30s. I was doing a lot of needlework, mostly crewel and petit point, and I wanted to create my own designs so I signed up for drawing classes at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.
Drawing dramatically changed the way I saw the world and I soon gave up needlework to focus solely on drawing, and a few years later, moved on to watercolour and then oil and acrylics.
My favourite medium is oil paint, for its beautiful subtlety and nuances of colour. I find watercolour and
pastels the most challenging.
My favourite subjects are people, both figures and portraits, as well as caricatures. Other favourite subjects include streetscapes, and scenes that combine the straight edges and right angles of
buildings with the looser curved shapes of a landscape.
I also enjoy making mosaics from materials
such as jewellery, painting large murals, and I’ve designed and painted a number of sets for theatre
productions.
My favourite artists are Johannes Vermeer (for the gorgeous and realistic details of his domestic
scenes), Cezanne (for textures and colours), Lyonel Feininger (for subtle shifts of colour and value),
Albrecht Durer (for his exquisite drawing skills), and M.C. Escher (well, because his work is simply
fascinating!).
My favourite paintings are works from the Dutch Golden Age in the
17 th century and
Russian Impressionism of the 19 th century.
During my career, I worked for the Bank of Commerce, the provincial government (Dept of Vital
Statistics), and then Great-West Life for 34 years. I held a variety of positions, starting with claims
payment (medical, dental, disability, and life) and later in systems analysis, product development and
project management.
When I retired 14 years ago, my plan was to devote myself to artwork full time.
But things haven’t quite worked out that way, mainly due to not enough time and too many other
interests (cycling, cooking, travelling). My husband Allan and I go to Europe for a few months most
winters, and as it’s not practical to take a lot of art supplies, I generally have just a sketchbook and
some pencils and do a lot of plein air work while there. I use these sketches, and also photographs, as
reference for paintings when I’m back home.
My artistic advice to other CAG members, and to anyone interested in art, is first and foremost, learn
to draw. And study the basics of composition, perspective, value and colour. Absorb all the technical
knowledge you can, to help translate the image in your head onto paper, canvas, or other material.
Also, when starting out, it’s OK to copy from photographs (preferably your own) and other artworks
(respecting copyright), but try to move on to drawing or painting from life as soon as you can.
I’ve been a member of the Charleswood Art Group for 8 years. I very much enjoy the camaraderie
and am always impressed with the talent, energy, and dedication of its members.
