MOOSE MOUNTAIN PROVINCIAL PARK ARTIST COLONY — Ashley Berezowski always enjoyed drawing and colouring as a young girl and she took this talent further when she got older. She realized that art was going to be much more than a career. This passion was going to help her with life struggles.
She was born in Moose Jaw, but her family moved around a lot, with her first year of school in Coronach. They then moved to North Battleford, where Berezowski spent Grade 2. Once again, they were on the move and went back to Coronach from Grade 3 through Grade 8. Following another relocation, Grades 9 and 10 were attended in Regina. The moving would not end there, as they moved to Melfort and Berezowski finished her Grade 11 and graduated Grade 12 in Melfort.
Berezowski continued with her education by going to Lakeland College in Vermilion, Alta., getting her diploma in conservation and restoration ecology. She also earned a degree in environmental management.
Although Berezowski is not married and has no children, she does have a three-year-old Norwegian elkhound shepherd dog named Sarge. Her dog is considered family and is a loyal companion to her.
Berezowski used drawing and colouring as she got older to cope with grief, heartbreak, and life changes especially after her father passed away when she was 17 years old, and then she lost her best friend. During this difficult time, she became passionate about nature, and this is why nature brings her peace. “Art is one of the ways I connect with those I have lost in my life,” said Berezowski. “It gives me a sense of peace and calming through my art.”
During COVID, she returned to art, experimenting with acrylic pour painting, floral pieces, and eventually sculptural acrylic works. Her sculptural paintings are of florals, wildlife and nature using heavy texture acrylic paint.
Berezowski likes to play around with different techniques and tools, using paint brushes and palette knives to create the background of each of her pieces. The flowers and stems are made using paint, which is applied with a piping bag to form a dense texture.
She then uses cake decorating tips to create each of the petals on the flower. Once the flower is dry, she will once again use the heavy paint to attach it directly to the canvas. It is a unique and almost 3D effect of the picture, giving it a realist look.
Berezowski’s art journey has taken off in the last year and a half and now has art at the Coffee House in Regina and at 13th Avenue Food Market. Her mom, Monique George, is her number one supporter and often accompanies Berezowski at art shows.
Berezowski attended the Moose Mountain Provincial Park Artist Colony on July 13-22, in the same cabin as Chylisse Marchand who is a regular at the Colony. Berezowski had the opportunity to be in the cabin with Chylisse last year for a few days and loved the atmosphere.
She had extra flower pieces so that visitors could feel the flowers and give them a firsthand look at what they are like. Berezowski remembers being at an art show when she was a child and told not to touch. She wants people to feel the texture without touching the art.
It is also her hope that this experience helps people connect with nature and wildlife and that it brings them a sense of peace and calm as it has done for her. Berezowski is a true believer in getting back to nature.
“Through my career and passion for the environment, sculptural art has allowed me to bring to life plants that cannot wilt, wildlife that cannot age and landscapes that cannot be impacted by the everyday world,” said Berezowski.
