Sheila Kernan | A State of Balance
Sheila Kernan | A State of Balance
July 10 - August 4, 2025
Bau-Xi Gallery | Dufferin
1384 Dufferin Street, Toronto
Opening reception: Saturday, July 12th, 2 - 5 pm | Artist in Attendance
Sheila Kernan’s upcoming exhibition, A State of Balance, is a powerful meditation on harmony, tension, and the quiet intelligence of nature. In this new body of work, Kernan invites viewers into richly layered compositions where visual opposites - soft and sharp, dense and airy, stillness and movement - are masterfully brought into alignment. Drawing inspiration from the ever-shifting rhythms of the natural world, particularly the landscapes of Muskoka and the Great Lakes, Kernan creates paintings that feel both grounded and alive. A State of Balance offers a space to pause, reflect, and contemplate the beauty and balance found in both nature and art.
Artist statement:
In this new collection, I strive to achieve a unique state of balance within each painting and throughout the series. Through careful manipulation of contrasting painted elements—such as soft and hard edges, thick textures and thin washes, foreground, and background elements, I engage in a constant process of editing and reworking until my intuitive sense of equilibrium has been attained. This pursuit of balance often requires multiple layers of paint, numerous techniques, a careful observant eye, intense concentration, and presence.
There is delicate reciprocity between each visual element. At times it can be harmonious, offering stability. At times it can be more dynamic, offering an interplay between opposing forces and ideas. The movement between both creates a sense of dynamism and tension, which becomes its own form of balance even if not static. All of which contribute to creating an eye-catching composition.
Nature is a prime example of dynamic balance; its constant state of flux is truly inspirational and why I enjoy mirroring it in my compositions. I value how nature provides a sanctuary for us, it fosters a sense of connection and well-being that contributes significantly to joy, happiness, and contentment. Nature has always been an underlying theme in my paintings, and I am particularly drawn to places that I have a personal connection with. My family’s roots in the east stretch back generations, and each time I visit, I feel a profound connection to the land especially Muskoka and the Great Lakes.
By sharing my process with you, I hope to provide some insight and to invite you to contemplate the beauty and balance found in both nature and art. – Sheila Kernan
Co-director of Bau-Xi Gallery, Kyle Matuzewiski, contemplates on Kernan’s latest exhibition. He writes:
Capturing the landscape through the visual medium comes second-hand for many Canadians. One does not have to travel far to experience the raw yet enchanting aspects of the wilderness. The balance of these natural forces is one that Shelia deftly explores and navigates in her latest body of work. Through a myriad of tools at her disposal, she skillfully pushes and pulls, creating layer after layer, searching for the perfect harmony. This sensibility is guided by her connection with the natural world, and the familial ties that extend back generations. Kernan hopes that in each carefully constructed piece, she can convey the feelings she experiences when in nature - joy, happiness, and contentment - ‘providing a sanctuary' for the viewer to find refuge in.
Sheila Kernan is a Calgary-based artist who is known for her unique and tactile aesthetic. Her work oscillates between realism and abstraction, referencing memory and imagination. Her compositions are meticulously crafted through her use of referential collages made from multiple photographs and sketches. Intensely saturated colours, graphic forms and thick painterly strokes collide in multiple layers.
Sheila Kernan’s work can be found in numerous private, corporate, and public art collections across North America, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Having earned her B.F.A from the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) in 2006, she has gone on to showcase her work nationally in more than 40 exhibitions. In 2017, she was awarded a lifetime achievement award as the recipient of the ACAD Alumni Legacy Award.