In an art world still marked by significant gender disparities, The Feminine Landscape brings together five Edmonton area women artists whose diverse practices highlight not only their creative excellence but also the myriad roles they navigate in both their personal and professional lives.
Artists Alyson Davies, Crystal Driedger, Janet Sutanto, Ashley Thimot and Samantha Williams-Chapelsky have each created works that interpret what the “feminine landscape” means to them.
Through this exhibition, viewers are invited to engage not only with the artwork but with the invisible labour that comes with being a woman artist today. The Feminine Landscape is a statement on the strength, resilience, and creativity of women in a system that frequently asks them to do more for less, and where a compliment is to hear that your work “looks like a man made it."
Curated by Alyson Davies and Samantha Williams-Chapelsky. Organized by Art Sales and Rental at the Art Gallery of Alberta.
Alyson Davies
Alyson Davies is a visual artist based in Edmonton, Alberta (Treaty 6). She earned her Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta. Her education also includes studying abroad in Cortona, Italy.
Davies’ recent Edmonton based solo exhibitions include "Flower of the Fern" at Studio Hager (2024), "Seedlings" at Miller Gallery (2023), and "Imagining the Heartland" at Studio Hager (2022). Her work will be featured in forthcoming group exhibitions at the Art Gallery of Alberta and DHART Space in 2025 and 2024, respectively.
She has contributed to public art projects like "Blue Earth Tarot" for the Capture Photography Festival at Lafarge Lake - Douglas Skytrain Station in Coquitlam, BC (2023) and murals for Salem Art Works in New York (2018) and Arts Hab in Edmonton (2016).
Residencies have played a significant role in Davies’ career. She participated in the Canadian Wilderness Artist Residency on the Yukon River (2018), Salem Art Works in New York (2018), Elsewhere Studios Residency in Colorado (2015 & 2017) and at Edmonton based ArtsHab’s Mcluhan House (2016-2017)
Her publications include the "Blue Earth Tarot" and several editions of "Earth Child Tarot". Both of which have been collected worldwide.
Davies work has been featured in various media outlets, such as CBC Arts, Chatelaine Magazine, Geist Magazine, and Canadian Art Magazine.
In her spare time, Davies enjoys engaging with nature through gardening, hiking, canoeing, and rock climbing.
Ashley Thimot
Ashley Thimot is a Canadian artist currently residing in Edmonton, Alberta. Born in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, she displayed her artistic flair at an early age, drawing in books and on the walls and baseboards of her mother’s house.
In 2003, Ashley pursued her passion for the arts by studying fine arts at Mount Allison University. After a year, she shifted her focus and earned an undergraduate degree in design from NSCAD University in 2007. Following graduation, Ashley moved across the country to the West, where she worked in the design field until the spring of 2021. It was then that she fully committed to her dream of becoming an artist, dedicating herself to painting and illustrating in her home studio. Her work reflects the beauty found in everyday neighbourhood environments.
When she’s not creating, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband, Rob, and their daughters, Rose and Daphne, alongside their two dogs and cat. She also teaches art to students aged 9 to 17 on weekends, loves to cook, indulges in reality TV, and adores time with family and friends.
Crystal Driedger
Crystal Driedger is a Canadian artist and illustrator specializing in botanical and
wildlife subjects. A graduate of MacEwan University’s Design program with a focus
on Illustration, she has dedicated over 20 years to fine art and illustration. Her
work captures the intricate textures, colors, and personalities of flora and fauna,
reflecting the diversity of both natural and urban environments.
In 2024, Crystal earned Signature Status with the Federation of Canadian Artists
(FCA) and was selected for a prestigious botanical art residency in Virginia, USA.
Her artwork has been exhibited internationally, and her art is featured on products
distributed worldwide. Previously, she served as an official Dremel artist, demonstrating
her craft across Canada and showcasing the versatility of Dremel tools in
artistic creation.
Crystal is a sessional instructor at MacEwan University, where she teaches
drawing in the Design Studies program. Primarily working in colored pencils and
oil paints, Crystal’s pieces blend scientific precision with artistic expression. In addition
to her creative practice, she teaches Illustration at MacEwan University and
conducts community art workshops, sharing her knowledge and inspiring others to
connect with the natural world through art.
Based in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Crystal maintains a full-time studio practice
while balancing her role as a mother. Raised on a farm in Alder Flats, her early
connection to nature continues to inspire her work. When not in the studio, she enjoys
growing plants that she intends on drawing and exploring nearby forests and
parks, remaining closely connected to the natural world that informs her art.
Janet Sutanto
Janet Sutanto is a contemporary impressionist painter from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where she lives with her husband and three children. From an early age, art has played a significant role in her life, igniting a passion that not only defined her interests but also fueled her academic success. Janet earned her Bachelor of Education with a Fine Arts minor from the University of Alberta and furthered her artistic education at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
After spending six rewarding years as a teacher, Janet made the bold decision to immerse herself fully in her first love: painting. In 2015, she transitioned to a full-time artist, dedicating herself to creating work that resonates deeply with viewers. Since then, she has cultivated a diverse collection of pieces that aim to evoke emotion and inspire joy.
Janet's paintings are often described as joyful, vibrant, and peaceful. Her unique impressionist style features rich layers and textures, infused with light, bright colors that captivate the eye. Each piece is thoughtfully crafted to create an engaging visual experience, inviting viewers to connect with the emotions and stories embedded within.
With a focus on uplifting and inspiring her audience, Janet aims to create artwork that transforms spaces and brings a sense of joy to those who encounter it. Her dedication to her craft reflects her belief in the power of art to uplift the human spirit. Through her vibrant and evocative paintings, Janet Sutanto continues to share her vision of a colorful world, celebrating the beauty of life and the connections we share.
Samantha Williams-Chapelsky
Taking inspiration from the stunning beauty of North America’s vast and diverse terrain, Samantha Williams-Chapelsky creates large-scale landscapes that employ techniques of impressionist and expressionist abstraction to harness the powerful emotions these spaces can evoke.
A devotion to process and materials anchors her work, which employs a range of tools—including brooms and palette knives. She applies litres of oil and acrylic paint to birch panels, along with a selection of paste media. The goal, ultimately, is to express a sympathy between the naturalistic subject matter and the constituent elements of her practice. Variety is fundamental; the work has distinct finishes, sheens, and textures ranging the full spectrum of surfaces, from a vivid shine to a tranquil matte to an energetic texture that might suggest the turmoil of a particular topography or cloudscape. Complementing these textural elements are gestural marks and rich colour palettes. What unfolds is an artistic journey in which Samantha is guided intuitively toward the optimal form-content harmony that captures the magnificence of these natural environments.
Samantha Williams-Chapelsky completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Alberta in 2009, with distinction, majoring in painting and art history. Samantha showcases her work in both public and commercial galleries each year and is most known for her abstracted landscape paintings using textured acrylic and oil paints. Samantha is also a trained Golden Working Artist presenting on acrylics, oils and watercolors for the past 10 years across Canada and the United States.