A local artist whose work was recently on display in Italy has three paintings featured at the Sundre Municipal Library.
Laara Cassells, who lives on an acreage northeast of Sundre, told the Round Up she was thrilled by the opportunity to set up the several pieces locally.
"The paintings have been in Milan and just got back," she said.
The series of acrylic paintings on canvas had previously toured through Canada from January 2015 to April 2016. The subject matter featured in her gallery juxtaposes the style of traditional old masters such as Rembrandt next to a modern element, she said.
In one of the pieces, which was recognized at a competition in Milan, the contemporary Canadian artist strove to recreate a 1907 painting by early 20th century English artist William Orpen, who created a piece called Portrait of Grace in honour of his wife. However, Cassells, who once taught at Medicine Hat College until she retired in 2014, added an extra element after finding inspiration from her own students.
"I was watching a student one day who was on her cellphone, and her hands looked exactly like an old master," she said, adding the student's pose also reminded her of a classic painting.
"That led me to this whole idea."
Her exhibition, called "_After", which took about three years to finish, essentially juxtaposes modern life with past centuries. The painting that was recognized in Milan is called Jessica Haywood and Grace Orpen (after William Orpen). Haywood is the student who caught Cassells' eyes and inspired the series.
"For portraits, I really like trying to just feel the essence of the person."
The painting must naturally resemble the subject, yet it must also capture and convey that intangible feeling a person gets when he or she meets someone. The goal is to try and represent an element of the individual's personality in the portrait, she said.
"Putting that on canvas is the tricky part!"
Originally a sculptor with years of experience, Cassells branched out into painting about 10 years ago. Previous experience as a costume designer who had also done some scene paintings, she felt confident about trying out portraiture.
Her new work in progress, a series exploring thoughtful and powerful young women, has benefited from numerous local models with tremendous poise and focus, she said.
"Capturing that determination in kids that young is really quite exciting."
While painting is among her passions, life beckons in other directions, and she also enjoys spending time with her husband, horses and dogs, spending time on the routine chores of rural life. With all of that factored in, she hopes to complete her new series in about two years.
Cassells, who retired in the community about seven years ago, is scheduled to offer a presentation about her work on Wednesday, May 31 at the library from 7-8 p.m. Her paintings will remain on display until the first week of June.
Visit www.laaracassells.com to see her work.
