This painting was based on a photo I took at the 2019 Calgary Folk Music Festival at Prince's Island Park. It was our first time attending the festival and it was lovely to just sit out on the grass and soak it all in.
It was only later, when I decided to capture this moment in paint, that I realized how much I loved that I had inadvertently captured my wheelchair in framing the photo. In Googling around to discover other wheelchairs in art, I found that they seem to be rare and usually depicted as an intrusive subject in the frame representing pity or longing for escape.
I love that here my chair is represented as it truly feels to me—my constant companion that allows me to attend wonderful events like this one.
- Created: January 2020