Monika Behr
Monika Behr is an acrylic and mixed media artist who draws on her surroundings to paint landscapes and florals. She does not limit herself to paper or canvas, but paints on wood, stone, shells, glass, plastic, and even leaves; materials often collected from walks on beach or countryside. Her own photography provides her with much of her reference material.
Primarily self-taught, through the help of extensive reading, online research and occasional workshops, her work is usually realist in nature, although whimsy and love of colour can lead to fantasy and abstract works. Becoming more familiar with watercolours and Plein Aire are on her bucket list. Art is a meditation, an expression, an escape.
Other diversions include music, gardening, fibre arts and reading.
Fort Amherst in Morning Light
Acrylic, 2018, 16”x20”
I am lucky enough to count Lisa Bokelmann Sells among my friends and look forward to the photos she shares of the beautiful scenes of our province. Her photo of this early morning scene at Fort Amherst affected me deeply and I was grateful that she was willing to let me try and capture that emotion in acrylic. Lighthouses are iconic. They exemplify the indomitable nature of the human spirit and the will to survive an ocean as punishing as it is beneficent. Fort Amherst stands implacable in the face of a churning sea, as the gold and pink light of morning breaks.
Lobster Claws of Kew
Mixed Media/Acrylic, 2023, 11”x14”
Trained as a botanist, flowers of all sorts are an obsession and indulgence. Having visited Kew Gardens twice, the glass houses in fall are hot, humid, lush and a riotous explosion of colour. Birds of Paradise, and their relatives, are everywhere, with their flashy bracts and swordlike leaves. Heliconia bihai, a native to South America, is also known as the Macaw Flower. It can tower to 15 ft, so the second level walkway around the glass house brings you up close and personal. Individual bracts can be larger than your hand.
Heirloom Ornaments
Acrylic on Glass, 2024, 4”
Art does not always have to be on canvas. Renaissance artists worked on paper, wood, canvas, even walls. I enjoy creating Heirloom Ornaments that can be displayed throughout the year, and can be designed to fit specific wishes.