Prairie Stories

A group exhibition featuring paintings from Steve Coffey, Michaela Hoppe, Doug Crook, and Mandy van Leeuwen

May 30 – June 28, 2020

The prairies are expansive, dotted with homesteads and dilapidated barns, but whether you live among them or have just passed through, nothing compares to their innate beauty and wonder. Discover hidden gems, dramatic skies, and relics of the past in “Prairie Stories”, a group exhibition featuring paintings with a fresh perspective on the Canadian prairies from Steve Coffey, Doug Crook, Michaela Hoppe, and Mandy van Leeuwen.

Born in Portage la Prairie, Steve Coffey grew up travelling between Manitoba and Alberta, where he later lived. This long, flat drive might torment some, but for Coffey, it is the birthplace of his work. Nostalgia permeates his swirling skies and winding roads as he paints his impressionistic scenes from memory.

Former Winnipegger, Doug Crook, creates brightly coloured paintings that celebrate a wide variety of Canadian landscapes. Since retiring from banking in 2012, he paints in his Calgary studio as well as Nova Scotia in the Summer. Crook’s paintings feature shady groves, retired tractors, and historic grain elevators set against bold skies.

Lounging figures steeped in thought appear among lush foliage and rolling plains in Michaela Hoppe’s dreamy and novelesque paintings. Based in Saskatchewan, Hoppe is motivated by ‘the small hidden places that tell secrets and stories left by people long gone’ and the intrinsic charm of the surrounding prairies.

Mandy van Leeuwen creates Contemporary realist paintings in her studio as well as sizeable murals throughout the prairies. She approaches her paintings with ‘magical realism’, finding inspiration in forgotten spaces and objects. Whether depicting old trailers, still life arrangements, or surreal landscapes, her paintings inspire us with a renewed sense of beauty.

Some may find the prairies desolate, but their wide open spaces hold much more than wind. This wonderful collection of paintings weaves together connections to the past with breathtaking landscapes. For many of us, these are our ‘Prairie Stories’.

Exhibition Artwork

Broken Fence
Steve Coffey
Broken Fence20″ x 20″
Lunar Neighbours
Steve Coffey
Lunar Neighbours24″ x 36″
Soft Forest
Steve Coffey
Soft Forest18″ x 36″
Late Rains
Steve Coffey
Late Rains20″ x 20″
Laundry Day
Steve Coffey
Laundry Day20″ x 26″
Moonlight Contemplate
Steve Coffey
Moonlight Contemplate40″ x 30″
Late Day Roll
Steve Coffey
Late Day Roll36″ x 48″
Late Summer Wash
Steve Coffey
Late Summer Wash48″ x 30″
Melting Field
Steve Coffey
Melting Field36″ x 40″
Last Man Standing, Summer Winds
Steve Coffey
Along A Country Road
Doug Crook
Along A Country Road10″ x 10″
Prairie Sentinel
Doug Crook
Prairie Sentinel12″ x 12″
Prairie Sunrise - Austin, Manitoba
Doug Crook
St. Boniface Cathedral
Doug Crook
Truck Stop
Doug Crook
Truck Stop12″ x 16″
Gathering Storm
Doug Crook
Gathering Storm36″ x 36″SOLD
Rusting Relics
Doug Crook
Rusting Relics20″ x 24″
The Old Barns
Doug Crook
The Old Barns8″ x 10″
The Sunset Years
Doug Crook
The Sunset Years12″ x 16″
Fields of Sunshine II
Michaela Hoppe
Fields of Sunshine II24″ x 30″
Change Will Come
Michaela Hoppe
Change Will Come40″ x 32″
Battle Royale
Michaela Hoppe
Battle Royale24″ x 24″
A Part of Your Story
Michaela Hoppe
A Part of Your Story18″ x 24″
Lost Things
Michaela Hoppe
Lost Things18″ x 30″
Rainbow Glow
Michaela Hoppe
Rainbow Glow24″ x 18″
Thinking About Frogs
Michaela Hoppe
Thinking About Frogs16″ x 24″
Soft Summer Glow
Michaela Hoppe
Soft Summer Glow24″ x 30″
Unfold
Michaela Hoppe
Unfold24″ x 24″SOLD
A Wreck
Mandy van Leeuwen
A Wreck28″ x 28″
Rearview
Mandy van Leeuwen
Rearview36″ x 60″
Summer Siesta
Mandy van Leeuwen
Summer Siesta24″ x 24″SOLD
Re-emergence
Mandy van Leeuwen
Re-emergence48″ x 36″SOLD