annie abdalla, Prospect Village, NS

As a child I spent lots of time looking at the ceiling wondering what a room would look like upside down. This informs my current practice in that my paintings often defy still life traditions by releasing conventional notions of weight and space.
The common artifacts of life – the kinds of scenes or objects that are so commonplace that they become somehow invisible over time, that’s what really seduces me. I often explore for months, or even years, with the same shapes, as if in an ongoing dialogue. These investigations are shaped by contemplative practices that cultivate the ability to perceive with fresh eyes each time. My years of training in Shambhala Buddhism are woven into the work.
I have an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College and a Masters in Environmental Studies from York University; I’ve also studied interdisciplinary art at Naropa University and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Since 2004 I have been on faculty at Goddard College in the Individualized BA Studies program. I live by the ocean in Nova Scotia with my furry companion of many years, Miss Maddie.