Cochrane Art Club Artist:Select
Artist's name: Cathy Albrecht Frances Bancroft Anne Bercha Glen Boles Carol Bortenlanger Deanna Braun Mary Lou Brooks Donna Christensen Norma Cinq Mars Annabelle Denson Linda Desmet Brenda Driscoll Marlene Dusdal Dixie Edge Shirley Edge Jan Gauthier Doreen Hanna Ron Hiebert Judy Kalas Irene Lemmer Shannon Luyendyk Mary McNeil Bob Morris Rose Palen A.J. Pearson Karen Pedersen Maria Phan Darcy Presiloski Lorri Pullman- MacDonald Colleen Stan Sheri Robertson Karen Tocher Julia Trites Brenda Walsh Janette Whittle # Alex Zinkowitz"> Alex Zinkowitz |
Click on each artist's paintings to enlarge.
Cathy is from Red Deer, Alberta, but has lived in Calgary for the last 25 years. She has been interested in art for as long as she can remember and had considered a career in art after taking a course in commercial art as a teenager. However, life got in the way and she did not get back to painting seriously until she met Calgary artist Arlene Hobbs at an art gallery in Inglewood. Arlene encouraged her to join the Bow West Art Club, and Cathy has been painting ever since.
Her paintings are inspired by her love of the mountains and the big open prairies. She paints these landscapes in water colours and oil. As well as painting fine art, Cathy has illustrated a children’s book, Hedley the Hoglet of Sunbury Farm, by Valerie Walker. Over the years, Cathy has studied with Joan Fedoroshyn, Doug Swinton, Michelle Grant, and Robert E Wood. She joined the Cochrane Art Club in 2013, where she had been mentored by club members and various visiting artists.  Life Member
Life Member
Anne spent her childhood in Banff and Regina before moving to Vancouver, where she finished her education.
She moved to Calgary and then Cochrane raising four children with her husband. Her love of the outdoors and mountains influences her art. She enjoys the challenge of painting a variety of scenery and subjects, she paints in watercolor, oil, ink and acrylic. She signs her work MAB or MABercha. Anne has taken courses with Canadian and international artists: Robert Genn, Donna Jo Massie, Brent Laycock, Robert Kelly, Stephen Quiller and Alvaro Castagnet.  Life Member
Life Member
Glen was born in 1934 in St. Stephen, N.B. He lived there until 1953 when he moved to Calgary. From an early age Glen spent most of his spare time roaming the woods, participating in sports and drawing. Glen always had an interest in art. In 1953 he came west to Calgary and after a summer of working, went to SAIT taking a course in Surveying and Drafting. Next came a summer of surveying for new bridges on the Alaskan Highway. Returning to Calgary he worked for the City of Calgary Waterworks Division for thirty five and half years. Glen and his wife resided in Cochrane since 1989. Glen passed away in 2022. During his working life Glen spent most of his spare time climbing and skiing in the mountains having little time to do any art work. Upon retiring in 1991 he got serious about his favourite pastime drawing and painting. Since retirement he spent much of his time immersed in his art work, joining the Cochrane Art Club in 1992. Glen was well known, both in the art community and in the climbing community, for his work in pen and pencil and acrylic. Known as the “Alpine Artist” Glen co-authored/authored two books on the Canadian Rockies and Columbian Mountains.    
Originally from rural Saskatchewan, Carol now resides in Calgary. She is interested in showcasing our Canadian western heritage through portraits of western and mountain legends. As well, Carol enjoys depicting unusual and true to life rodeo images.
She primarily uses graphite and charcoal to capture the character of her subjects with detail and realism. Her work has been exhibited from 2008 to 2011 in the Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery and Art Auction.   
Deanna Braun
 Life Member
Life Member
Mary Lou was born and raised in the Calgary area. She has lived within sight of the Rocky Mountains all her life and it is from them that she draws her inspiration. Her creative works capture the moods and moments of the land, people, and animals that share her world. A grade nine teacher got Mary Lou started with an art course and had her enter the Calgary Stampede Art Show. Her entry took second in the oil category but it wasn’t until she joined the Cochrane Art Club in 1972 that she started to paint on a regular basis. A former member of the A.C.A.C.A. her work was juried into a number of shows. Mary Lou works in oil, watercolour, pastel, acrylic and pen & ink. She finds the light and colour of the Cochrane/Calgary area a challenge to capture on paper and canvas. One must feel a connection with the subject and work to communicate this to the viewer. Mary Lou’s paintings are in private collections in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, England and Ireland.  
Donna was born in Los Angeles California in 1953. She grew up on a farm in the wintering hills near Hussar, Alberta which is approximately 60 miles east of Calgary. She went to school in Hussar to grade nine and then onto high school in Drumheller , and university in Calgary; graduating in 1976 with a BSc and in 1978 with a BEd. Donna worked for the Government of Canada for the past 30 years retiring in January 2011.
Her interest in drawing has been with her from an early age when she drew animals in all her school books as a child. She took lessons in oil painting through a Calgary leisure learning course years ago. After joining the Cochrane Art Club she has explored oil painting further. In 2010 she rediscovered drawing and is now exploring pen and ink as a medium and enjoying the experience.     
Norma, born in Fairview and raised in Grande Prairie Alberta, has resided in Calgary since 1970.
She is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and enjoys drawing, primarily landscapes in pen and ink, pencil or watercolours. She is been a member of the Cochrane Art Club since 2013. Norma may be reached at norma@casa-sapo.com     
Annabelle Denson is a veterinarian from Crossfield who recently
retired to pursue a lifelong love of art and colour. She works in acrylics and pastels to capture a variety of local landscapes, wildlife and livestock. Annabelle is still exploring her own style and takes many classes and workshops to advance her technique. After a career in science and medicine, painting offers relaxation and a creative outlet that is a wonderful antidote for stress. Annabelle joined the Cochrane Art club in 2018 and especially likes the paint weekends at Beaupre Hall. Contact Annabelle on Facebook at AnnabelleDensonArt 
Linda moved from Belgium to Cochrane 2 years ago.
As a youth she enjoyed drawing. About 10 years ago she started painting and felt so happy about working with colors. For Linda everything is about Colour. For Linda, everything is about color! Working mainly with oil, she enjoys painting portraits, animals & nature. Linda says - “Painting is an exciting and continuous learning process and I just love it! "  Life Member
Life Member
 Life Member
Life Member
Although she had an interest in art at an early age growing up in Millet, Alberta, it would not be until she joined the Cochrane Art Club in the mid-seventies that would spur Marlene to paint. She has recently become a life member of CAC, an organization she says provided both inspiration and education. The CAC’s monthly paintouts and professional artist workshops over the years, were invaluable in her development as an artist. As a founding member of the Bragg Creek Artisans, she also learned from Stanford Perrot, noted watercolorist and educator at the Alberta College of Art. Stan was a friend and mentor, pushing her to the watercolor medium. Inspired by her ranching background, in addition to western themes, her subject matter includes florals, landscapes, animals and people in her oil and watercolor paintings. An accurate sketch, followed by the use of color, values, interesting shapes, the effect of light and shadow are used to convey her emotional response to what she sees. She is “always learning” and strives to achieve a painterly quality to her work. Recognition for her work came when the Stockman’s Memorial Foundation Western Art Auction awarded Marlene with the best oil painting in the early 80’s. She has participated in eight Calgary Exhibition and Stampede Western Art Auctions beginning in 1995. A highlight in her career was when her oil painting “Desert Blooms” was accepted into the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. She has won three Cochrane and District Heritage Awards in the past. Her paintings hang in corporate and private collections around the world.     
Life Member
Dixie was born and raised in the Crowsnest Pass, surrounded by her horses and the beauty of the mountains. Dixie has worked in radiology and cardiovascular disciplines since 1980, and resides with her husband and family on a ranch in the magnificent Wildcat Hills west of Cochrane. On the ranch, Dixie divides her time between raising a family, painting and training horses. Inspiration from her mother’s painting laid the foundation and passion for a lifelong bond with art. She is a self taught artist, who strives to capture mountain scenery, the western way of life and is focusing on portraying the working cowboys with oil on canvas, linen and as well as watercolours. She has been a member of the Cochrane Art Club since 1988. In 2000 and 2004 through 2007 Dixie was honoured with the Cochrane Area Heritage Award. Dixie’s paintings can be found in many private and corporate collections and she has participated in the Calgary Stampede Art Auction since 2003. With endless subject matter and inspiration, Dixie will strive to ignite an emotion and the feeling of being there in her pieces.     
Life Member
Shirley and her husband ranch in the scenic foothills west of Cochrane, Alberta. She has been painting landscape, local wild flowers, portraits and western way of life for the last thirty years. Shirley, for the most part considers herself self taught, however she has studied with many notable artists such as Joe Abbrecia, Michael Coleman, and Neil Patterson to name a few. She joined the Cochrane Art Club in 1977. Shirley's collection of more than fifty books by great artists, has allowed her to review, summarize and experiment, leading to the development of her own personal approach and individual style of painting. Over the years Shirley has won several provincial awards as well as a millennium competition which resulted in a commission from the Department of Agriculture. Quote: "If I can portray to the viewer, even a touch of the emotion I felt in selecting the subject matter, I will feel have succeeded."   
Life Member
Life Member
Judy was born in Windsor Ontario but has lived most of her adult life in northern Ontario and Northern BC. She moved to Cochrane and joined the CAC in Aug. 2017 . Judy’s work is mostly in acrylic but she also enjoys pastel, coloured pencil and silk painting . Most of the subjects are nature and wildlife or pet portraits worked in a realistic style. Her art work can be seen in Kamloops Art Gallery or Peace Gallery North. She enjoys learning and sharing with other artists and has been a Federation of Canadian Artists member since 2014.   
Life Member
Irene grew up in Denmark and in 1954 she returned to her place of birth - Calgary AB. Irene joined the Cochrane Art Club in 1978. He medium of choice is oil and she paints with a rich pallet of colour. Her subjects vary from landscape, floral and urban street scenes. Catching the light in the painting is of special interest to Irene. Shannon Luyendyk
Colleen Stan
Mary comes from Quito, Ecuador and now makes her home in Cochrane, Alberta. She was formally educated in both the Legal profession and as an educator teaching art at the high school level. Mary also studied languages, cultural clothing design, history, business administration and accounting.
Coming from a very artistic family, she has been involved with art since she was seven years old. Many of Mary’s family work as commercial artists, painters and gallery owners. Mary first started painting using oils but in recent years migrated to using acrylics. Inspiration for her paintings comes from her love of nature, landscapes and urban designs studied during her many travels around the world. She restarted her painting career a few years ago to take her mind off treatments for cancer. This renewed her passion for creating her art and prompted her to explore the use various mediums and painting styles. Mary can be contacted at: latitudezeroart55@gmail.com 
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R. F. (Bob) Morris was born in Stratford, Ontario. He has lived in the northern boreal forest cities of Canada for over 35 years and took non-credit level watercolour painting courses at Keyano College, Fort McMurray. In 2007 Mr. Morris moved to Calgary and lives on the western edge of the city overlooking the Bow Valley with vistas of the Rocky Mountains.
Bob’s northern lights paintings have been exhibited at galleries in Fort. McMurray and his paintings can be found in private collections in England, Germany, South Africa, Japan, United States and in most of the provinces in Canada. Since moving to Calgary Bob is now focusing his watercolour painting on local subject matter such as mountain scenery and the western lifestyle. Bob has been an active member of the Cochrane Art Club since 2009.  
Rose has called the Cochrane area home since 1980, after moving from Manitoba with her husband and daughter. In the mid 90s Rose rekindled her love of art and began classes with Nancy Lynne Hughes. She joined the Cochrane Art Club in 1999 to have more opportunity to learn technique and paint with other artists.
Learning from club members has been enhanced by participating in several workshops with artists such as Neil Patterson, Doug Swinton, Ursula Reynolds, Michelle Austin-Bachmeir, Brent Laycock, Mary Lou Brooks and Linda Thomas. Her medium of choice is acrylic for its ability to produce vivid colours, but she has experimented with watercolour, colour pencils, and even collage. As an amateur photographer, Rose has used the camera lens to capture inspiring “moments in time”, providing excellent subject matter to draw inspiration from, whether it be a vibrant autumn scene or city skyline, curious yearlings set in the prairies, or sunlit pansies growing in her garden.     
AJ Pearson
 Life Member
Life Member
Karen is a self-taught artist living in Carstairs AB. Karen's has a loose interpretive style, that allows her the ability to portray feelings and emotions onto the canvas. Having had the privilege to study with a number of notable Canadian and American artists; she believes that art is a continuous process of study and learning. Whatever the medium her focus remains the same: to achieve a quality of movement, form, and light. Her favorite quote is from Sergit Bongart - "Paint all subjects - Paint your first impression; that first glimpse which excites you" Karen is represented by Leighton Centre Gallery, SW of Calgary To view more of Karen's work go to: www.karenpedersenfineart.com karenpedersenart@gmail.com 
Maria Phan
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Darcy was born in Alberta. During her early childhood she lived on a farm near Granum, in southern Alberta, that had been homesteaded by her grandfather. Darcy’s art reflects her early upbringing and depicts the western way of life from everyday situations to rodeo. She currently resides in Calgary.
Darcy works in several mediums: oil, watercolour, pastels, charcoal and graphite. Her pieces have been shown at the Calgary Stampede, the Leighton Center Juried International Figurative Art Show and Le Cadeau du Cheval Mural Mosaic, both in 2008 and the Mount Royal University Mural Mosaic in 2011. Darcy’s work can be found in the Parks Canada collection and in private collections in Canada, the United States and New Zealand. She is represented by Against the Grain Gallery in Nanton, Alberta. View her work at: www.darcypresiloski.com     
Lorri was born in Calgary and has lived in Cochrane for the past twenty years. Lorri studied art at the University of Calgary.
She loves to spend time in the mountains and gets most of her inspiration there. She is fascinated by the mountain's elusive and vibrant light. To try and capture that in paint, she starts with transparent glazes in warm colours and paints layers of cool hues, until the subject matter emerges. Lorri's paintings are realistic but capture a mood as well. Lorri's paintings have been part of the Stampede Showcase Gallery from 2006 to 2010 and she won the Gallery Choice award in 2006. Her work has been published in ATB calendars and Topline Printing Christmas Cards. 
Sheri has always had an interest in the creative world, whether it be playing musical instruments, baking or cake decorating. She decided to try her hand at painting in 2012. Sheri is primarily self taught, although has attended some workshops.
When Sheri is not painting, she is an avid outdoor enthusiast. You can find her hiking, biking, kayaking or snow-shoeing. She finds a lot of her inspiration for her work in nature. She is very thankful that two of the thinks she is most passionate about enrich and compliment each other beautifully.
Julia Trites
Brenda first became interested in art in high school. While residing in Airdrie for
many years, Brenda continued initially taking many workshops and lessons from artists whose technique interested her and eventually spent some time in programs at the Alberta College of Art. During this time Brenda was active in the Airdrie Art Guild. Brenda moved to Canmore where she spent 13 years exploring the rich talent and landscape of the Bow Valley. Now living in Cochrane, with a new landscape and art community to explore, Brenda has set up her studio in their home and is a current member of the Cochrane Art Club. 
Life Member
Janette grew up in the Bottrel district north of Cochrane, AB. She attended Mount Hope School, and it was there that she received her first recognition for her artistic talent when a teacher posted one of her drawings on the bulletin board. Janette is a self taught artists working primarily in pastels. Her work often showcases old buildings, birds and animals. After studing watercolours from Stan Perrot and George Alig, she easily expanded her skills to this medium and more recently Janette has been working in acrylics. A member of the Cochrane Art Club since 1980, and has won the Cochrane and Area Heritage Award in 1983,1989,1990 and runner up in 2007. |
Cochrane Art Club
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email: cochraneartclub1959@gmail.com
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