Anna Syperek is a Nova Scotia artist (watercolours, oils and etchings) living  in the Antigonish area on the shores of St.Georges Bay with her husband, a film-maker, and together they raised a family of three daughters. Born in England of Polish and English parents and raised in Oshawa, Ontario, Anna moved to Antigonish, Nova Scotia in 1971, when she was 20. In 1980 she graduated with a BFA in painting and printmaking from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. As well as being a full time artist Anna taught art part time at St. Francis Xavier University where she also set up a community printmaking workshop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Old Friends”- etching – 12 in. by 12 in. 

The print is of our carpenter neighbour’s house, the corner of which is being lifted by the Manitoba Maple tree. He can’t bring himself to cut down this majestic friend.

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JOURNEY by Anna Syperek

A major project this year 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 moved into a new building and are now in the process of demolishing their motherhouse. The artwork was commissioned by the Town of Antigonish, The Municipality of the County of Antigonish, St. Francis Xavier University and St. Marthas Regional Hospital Foundation on behalf of the entire Antigonish Community.

“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