Artist is making a big splash in the world of watercolors (05/10/98)

Artist is making a big splash in the world of watercolors

by Maria Koropecky

TORONTO - Larisa Sembaliuk Cheladyn is an artist whose watercolors are gaining international attention. In May 1996, His Royal Highness Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh opened her exhibit in Geneva, Switzerland.

"You can't be afraid to ask for things," Ms. Cheladyn said. Her introduction to Prince Philip was the result of a letter she addressed to him in his capacity as head of the World Wildlife Fund. At the time she did not expect much of a response. "I thought, 'He's going to think I'm nuts,'" she confessed, but soon learned that "Nobody's going to shoot you for trying."

Mrs. Cheladyn's artistic career has evolved over time. "I had never set out a goal that I was going to be an artist. I enjoyed learning art. It was always an easy subject. I think it was only recently that I actually started calling myself an artist."

She said she'd been illustrating children's books for 15 years with pen and ink and then, in the fall of 1990, she decided to take a formal watercolor course - and fell in love with it. "The techniques are not the same as oil, and I like the textures of the different papers," Ms. Cheladyn said.

Soon afterwards her first piece sold at St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Edmonton, which hosts an art exhibit, called "Portfolio," every spring.

These days, she does not paint in a traditional studio setting. Two or three times a week, she takes her paints to the Mansion Café located in the Le Marchand Mansion, a historic site in Edmonton. "I found out after I started that William Kurelek used to go to a café occasionally to paint. He painted in the Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon, in the café that overlooks the North Saskatchewan River."

Ms. Cheladyn's works are mostly floral compositions, and the flowers literally jump off the canvas. Instead of maintaining straight, traditional, clean, white borders, she paints to the edges of the paper and tears the edges, making the borders of the paintings rough. "It was a real stretch for me. You always stayed within the paper. You never went off the edge of the paper. I tried it. I painted right off the edge of the paper. I got a really good response."

In some of her paintings, she also cuts around some of the leaves and petals creating a growing out of the canvas, producing a three-dimensional effect. The first time she tried it, the framer humored her ripped and jagged edges. "When he finished [setting the painting in the frame], it looked truly 3-D. He had the petals hanging over the matte, he liked it and recommended the technique to other artists," the artist said.

The colors in the paintings are striking and vivid. "I don't paint to a formula. I paint what I think will look good to the eye. I must be pre-disposed to long and thin - either vertical or horizontal - compositions," she explained.

Ms. Cheladyn recently realized her Ukrainian heritage might be influencing her compositions. "When I was about 15, I painted flower patterns called 'rozpys' in Ukrainian kitchens and halls. The compositions were all long and vertical. Some people thought I was going through a hippie period - they didn't know the flower patterns were part of my Ukrainian roots."

Ms. Cheladyn said her family has been very supportive. "My husband, Mich, is my business partner," she related, "It's a full-time, separate job. I paint. He helps coordinate the daily life and the business life. We work together on my shows. His support has been fantastic. My daughters are really cooperative, they have a slightly different lifestyle than their friends. My parents, brothers and sister - any show I have, they always somehow pitch in."

In 1995, Ms. Cheladyn exhibited her work in South America. Her "Flowers of the Americas" collection featured depictions of rare flowers of North and South America. "When I was researching the Venezuelan flowers, I found out a lot of them were endangered," she said. "I wondered if there were any endangered flowers in Canada, and I found over three pages' worth."

"Painting endangered flowers is my most favorite theme," claims the Edmonton-based painter. "Not only are the flowers dying, but the stories that go with them die as well. I like the idea of educating people about the environment. I still have a library of flowers that I haven't painted yet."

She also enjoys painting pansies, poppies and orchids. "The one that came the easiest was the poppy. I also like orchids a lot. They're a challenge to paint."

Her ideas come from many sources. "I will come across something that inspires me. I walked into a museum and there were several Ukrainian blouses hanging on the wall with all of their sleeves hanging down. I thought - what a neat image. I thought that would be a spectacular image to paint, maybe in a different format. Then I will work on an idea - sometimes for a couple of years."

But sometimes the ideas don't appear at all. "I get painter's block just like writer's blocks. Some days I think maybe I should make casseroles," she laughed.

It doesn't sound like the Edmonton-born artist spends very much time in the kitchen. "I have just completed a commissioned piece for the Vegreville Festival's 25th anniversary celebrations in July. Lithographs of the piece will also be released as a fund-raiser for the festival," the painter said.

She has also independently released a new lithograph titled "In Time for the Concert," the third in a series of dance costume images.

Prices for Ms. Cheladyn's original watercolors range from $400 to $20,000 (Can.). In the Ukrainian community, several art shops carry her works, including Yevshan in Montreal; Trypillia Arts, Toronto; Ukrainian Treasures, St. Catharines; The Bay, Winnipeg; Todaschuk Sisters Boutique, Winnipeg; Oseredok Boutique, Winnipeg; Sopilka Ukrainian Books and Gifts, Calgary; Ukrainian Book Store, Edmonton; Lakeland Photo and Art Services Ltd., Vegreville; and Marika's Jewelry and Fine Art, Banff.

"We are right in the process of putting together my summer itinerary. Plans are to exhibit at most of the summer Ukrainian festivals. Tentative schedule: May - Vesna Festival - Saskatoon; June - Mosaic. Regina; July - Vegreville Festival, Vegreville; August - Folklorama - Winnipeg. I will be attending them in person to meet people and sign prints, and I will be exhibiting originals and prints at all locations."