This piece is from a show called “Think It Over”. Resilience: The only thing tricky about painting this word was deciding on which image I wanted to replicate of my mother. Packing her two young children (my sisters) up in the late 50's to sail across the pond towards new opportunities and to reunite with her love, my father, shows incredible resiliency. Being a mother myself, I believe we are all resilient. My mother never learned to swim so I see her here being strong, resisting her fear of water to play with her daughters in the waves.

Alli van Gruen

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From her animal portraits to her autobiographical work referencing old family slides to her colour infused abstract landscapes… van Gruen is happy to play with multiple subject matters in her art practice. She strives to create a personal relationship between her artwork and her audience, with the ultimate goal of evoking a feeling of intimacy and nostalgia. Using intricate brushwork and an expansive colour palette, she works to express her connections with her subject matter, to tell a story. Alli lives in Whistler, BC with her family and dog Bea. Her work can be found in Whistler and in many private collections in Canada and Europe.