Angela Lane
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Angela Lane, featured in Create! Magazine Issue 54 and AQ Volume IV, holds a B.F.A. with Distinction from the Alberta College of Art & Design (2007) and an M.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore (2011). Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including participation in the 2021 London Art Biennial.
Lane was MICA’s 2011 nominee for the prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant and was recognized as the Alberta finalist in the 2007 BMO 1st Art! Invitational Student Art Competition. Her paintings are held in private and corporate collections, including the Bank of Montreal Corporate Collection and the Telus Art Collection.
Artist Statement
Art historian Helen Gardner defines form as “a total organic structure, a synthesis of all the elements of which that structure is constructed, and the manner in which these elements are related and united to create its distinctive character.” At the core of my painting practice is an exploration of form as a dynamic organization—one that actively engages with the textures, rhythms, and contradictions of the contemporary world.
While rooted in the legacies of abstraction, the forms in my work emerge as hybrids—products of a globalized, digitized culture shaped by the Internet. The hybrid form, in this context, reflects a collective desire to transcend fixed boundaries and embrace multiplicity. My work acts as a computational aggregate of diverse influences and visual sources, inviting viewers to reconsider what form can be and how it functions today.
Play and discovery are the starting points of my process. I bring together disparate elements through collage—fusing organic and geometric shapes, sculptural presence, illusionistic space, and layered imagery. This visual choreography negotiates the tension between the concrete nature of constructed forms and the ephemeral qualities of illusion.
I see abstraction not as a closed historical chapter, but as a field rich with potential for reinvention. My aim is to create paintings that amplify the act of seeing—works that immerse the viewer in the vibrant, evolving energy of contemporary form.
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What inspired you to become an artist, and how did you decide to commit to this path?
My interest started in high school. I had an amazing art teacher who introduced me to the art world. She encouraged the best in everyone. I didn’t know I could draw until this point. Since this time, I was hooked.
Could you share the story or concept behind your recent work?
In my work, I am using quilting as a metaphor, offering a way in for the construction of my work. It draws on inspiration from a variety of influences negotiated with contemporary painting. This metaphor is deliberately ambiguous, allowing for, and even encouraging the simultaneous consideration of opposing points of view of the connections in the work.
I am interested in the conversation between visual experiences found in the domestic environment or interior design, the history and language of painting, geometric designs, and architecture. I am challenged to negotiate these ideas within the parameters of the painting. These works strive to be an amalgamation of abstraction, illusion, decorative, concrete form, and geometric design. This is our contemporary notion of sampling or hybridity. In the end, the works created are a fusion of ideas forced together into an original choreography.
What was the most challenging part of your path so far? How are you navigating this obstacle?
The most challenging thing so far has been pursuing my education and art practice while supporting and caring for my two children. Now that they are grown, I have a lot more time to dedicate to my work.
What role does experimentation and exploration play in your artistic practice?
The concept of free play is very important in my work. In undergrad, I was introduced to the book Free Play: The Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts by Nachmanovitch, Stephen. Since this point, I use play as a path to creation. Starting with no expectations allows me to experiment and let the ideas flow. Some ideas are good, and some are not. It is an avenue to begin working without fear.
Share a mantra or favorite quote that keeps you going.
My art preceptor told me once, if I’m not having fun with what I am doing, then it’s not worth doing.
