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“The inspiration for Anna Syperek’s poetic realism comes from an intuitive rapport with her own surroundings, in and about the town and county of Antigonish, Nova Scotia. For Syperek, the everyday is significant and marvelous subject matter. Whether it be a pasture up the back road, a season in transition, or a toothbrush tossed in a glass, she creates a kind of mythology for what you might not have noticed before. Her faith in the inherent truth that lies in the natural brings her to an honest and reverent rendering of light and atmosphere with gentle, true colour.”  – Beth Parker

 


Spring Mabou Harbour – oil

This is one of my favourite views in Cape Breton. I have painted it a number of times over the years; the way the mountain has been

cleared over the years echoes the history of the Highland settlement.

 

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         LATEST WATERCOLOUR                                                                                                                                                         LATEST ETCHING

January Dawn, Mahoney’s Beach – watercolour

       Old Friends – copper plate etching

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEOS click on image to view

 

“JOURNEY” Journey is an allegorical landscape which reflects the journey of a group of remarkable spiritual women- the Sisters of St. Martha.  The winding path, which starts in the small farms of rural Antigonish and Cape Breton, continues to their humble beginnings of service to others at St. F X and then branching out on their own and to their own motherhouse, Bethany on the hill. The landscape changes perspective and scale as the path continues. The Marthas gradually spread their mission across the country through hospitals and social work in places like Banff, Canmore, Lethbridge, Winnipeg, Boston in the US as well as other parts of Nova Scotia. The journey winds on to the as yet unknown but hopeful future, through the gardens of one of their latest projects, the Bethany Apprenticeship Farm Program. An expression of their continuing commitment to ecological and social justice, the landscape is set against the backdrop of the ever-present sea and sky of Nova Scotia. This gives the work luminosity and the light through the clouds becomes a beacon for their idea of “pockets of hope”. Anna Syperek

JOURNEY by Anna Syperek.                                                video :     https://vimeo.com/318313408                                                                                                                  

A major project of 2018 was a series of five panels (5 by 13 feet) painted by Anna to honour the Sisters of St. Martha and their legacy. The sisters have had to move into a new building and are now in the process of demolishing Bethany, their much beloved but unsustainable motherhouse. The artwork was commissioned by the Town of Antigonish, The Municipality of the County of Antigonish, St. Francis Xavier University and St. Martha’s Regional Hospital Foundation to be displayed in their new residence to convey the community’s appreciation of the many caring, innovative, positive and lasting contributions made by the Sisters to Antigonish, as well as to the larger community.  

A short film on the unveiling of the work  “Journey” can be watched by clicking on the above image.  

 Image to view Film

A short interview with Anna where she talks about her work and her inspirations.

 

A slide show of paintings of eastern mainland NS and Cape Breton Island, images that reflect the 18th and 19th Century immigration from Old Highland Scotland to New Scotland, set to beautiful traditional Gaelic music.

 

 

 

Anna was part of this documentary that takes you for a tour of Nova Scotia into the studios of some of the area’s best artists and celebrates contemporary realism in Nova Scotia.