Martha Cole

Martha Cole defines herself as a landscape-based artist with roots deeply buried in Saskatchewan soil, always exploring and deepening her connection to the land. As an “art maker,” she believes that art and visual images carry the power to generate change if created with honouring and respectful intentions. Martha tries to create images that are beautiful, reflective of my values, and accessible both visually and intellectually. She hopes to show aspects of the prairies that are new and familiar to viewers. She wants them to experience the broad, expansive “power of place” characteristic of the prairies and the small, fragile and vulnerable within the expansive sweep of the Saskatchewan landscape.

As a “culture maker,” Martha is committed to effecting societal change. “I have chosen to place my work here – where I live. I want these images to resonate, to affirm and deepen a personal connection in each of us to this land.” Martha believes that if we learn to love this land, we cannot help but work to save it while saving ourselves.

Over her very long art practice, Martha has had many accomplishments, acknowledged and not. The highlight of and most cherished is receiving the 2019 Saskatchewan Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Laura Davies

Laura Davies’ artistic journey began during her undergraduate studies. During practical classes, her scientific diagrams were often described as ‘too detailed’ for scientific procedures, stemming from her love and passion for tiny details found in nature. After obtaining a degree in zoology, Laura followed her dream of working with animals. As she travelled, Laura discovered a love of photographing nature and her passion for the arts grew. Upon returning from South Africa, where she spent three months volunteering in a wildlife sanctuary, Laura leaped and applied for a fine arts course at a local university.

Immersing herself in different disciplines, Laura experimented with several processes before settling on photography combined with mixed media installations. The final exhibition of her fine arts course resulted in a presentation of her pieces titled The Honesty of Sleep, focusing primarily on photography.

Laura also developed an interest in textile arts. In April 2022, Laura developed her first solo show, Just a Seed in the Wind, which was predominantly textile based. The show featured hand-embroidered pieces on various media and showcased a poem combined with an extensive dandelion wall installation. Encouraged by positive feedback from other artists, particularly in the textile art community, Laura’s dedication to textile and fabric arts has grown. Laura was recently won the Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre calendar competition. Her piece, Day in the Garden, won a feature in their community calendar.

Laura hopes to capture the beauty of insects in her art next, developing a three-dimensional experience of insects and arachnids and the hidden world for bug enthusiasts like herself.