Sheila Spence will speak about her body of images, Lexicon for Loss, started in 2023. Profound personal loss coinciding with a major move from the prairies to Vancouver Island gave rise to this exploration. Images are captured on a flat-bed scanner in her garden in Sidney, British Columbia, and reference 17th century floral paintings of the style of the Dutch Masters.  The scanner handles highlight and shadow in a specific way that creates a chiaroscuro effect that is reminiscent of the lighting techniques of still life paintings. Like the still life paintings of the 17th century, Lexicon for Loss images evoke the passage of time and/or the impermanence of life.  

Sheila Spence is a lens based artist, activist and arts administrator living and working on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 

Saturday, April 5th, 2:00 pm

MHC Gallery, 600 Shaftesbury Blvd