Monique Westra - Canadian Artist
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a Calgary-based artist who loves to paint pets on commission. Each
portrait in oil on canvas depicts a specific dog or cat cherished by its
owners. Many are posthumous images which preserve the memory of a beloved furry
family member. These realistic portraits are small and intimate representations
of a recognizable pet set against a fanciful, abstract background. A distinctive
and eye-catching background is the hallmark feature of my signature
style. In this way, I combine realism and abstraction. I use careful
observation and precision to capture the individuality of your pet and
I use a more imaginative approach to create varied and colourful
backgrounds, often lively and patterned. However, if this is not your
preference, I can do a more neutral, single colour or a landscape
background.
Another passion of mine comes from my experience as an art historian and
curator. I make faithful copies of famous works of art. I have reproduced in
oil on canvas works by Canadian artists like Emily Carr, Marion Nicoll, Edwin
Holgate and Suzor-Coté as well as French 19thcentury masters like Cézanne, Mary
Cassatt and most recently, Pierre Bonnard. I work largely on commission.
Artist Biography
Monique Westra comes to art through an unusual route. Although art had
always been in her life, her passion was largely devoted to art history and
not the practice of studio art. For the past thirty years, she was
professionally affiliated with art as a curator, writer and teacher.
Most recently, she was an art curator at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary
following more than a decade of teaching art history at the Alberta College of
Art and Design. But, something was missing. As she was surrounded by art and
artists all the time, she began to yearn for a creative outlet for herself. So
she began to pursue her love of painting by attending classes with different
instructors.
Now, this Calgary-based artist has been painting for over ten years and could not be happier.
Oil on canvas
14” x 14”
unframed
SOLD to a Vancouver family
An amazing Bengal cat, alert and poised for
action.
Oil on canvas
14” x 11”
unframed
SOLD to a Montreal family
An intricately pattern calico cat against a soft,
nuanced background.
Oil on canvas
12” x 12”
Unframed
SOLD to a family in the USA
This big boy has a gentle gaze as he turns to see who has entered the room. The background is reminiscent of stained glass.
Copy of
Emily Carr, Forest, BC, 1930
Oil on canvas
36” x 24”
SOLD to a Vancouver family
One of my favorite Emily Carr forest painting
full of movement and light.
Oil on canvas
24” x 30”
Unframed
SOLD to a family in Australia
This is one of Bonnard’s most famous masterpieces, showing his wife looking into their dining room at his country house in a small town outside of Paris on the Seine River. The landscape is rich and complex as it recedes into the distance.
Copy of Suzor-Coté, Symphonie pathéque, 1925
Oil on canvas
36” x 30”
Unframed (deep profile canvas)
SOLD to a Calgary family
I love this haunting painting by this
wonderful Quebec artist. It was featured in the exhibition The Nude seen as the Glenbow Museum.
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