Please feel free to check out this article in the Calgary Guardian online magazine.
"A Day in the Life" with Calgary Visual Artist Anne McGilvary (calgaryguardian.com)
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Anne is a Canadian landscape painter whose work is rooted in memory, place, and the quiet emotional resonance of the natural world. Born in Noranda, Quebec and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, she has always felt at home with a pencil or brush in hand. By twelve she had won a city‑wide landscape award, and in high school she sold her first painting—early milestones that hinted at the artistic path she would eventually follow. Now based in Calgary, Alberta, she continues to build on that early momentum, creating evocative landscape scenes that invite viewers into moments of recognition and connection.
Her creative process is thoughtful and layered. Each painting begins with compositional sketches and value studies, supported by journals filled with reference photos, notes, and ideas she returns to over time. Working primarily in acrylics, she often incorporates gel and paste mediums to build texture. Paintings evolve from thin monochromatic glazes into richer, opaque layers, allowing light to move through the surface and create the luminous, glowing quality that defines her work. She approaches her practice as an ongoing journey, continually refining her skills through critiques, workshops, and a personal art library that fuels her curiosity.
Anne’s professional presence extends across Canada and beyond. Her paintings are held in private collections nationally and internationally, and she participates in numerous exhibitions and art events throughout the year. She is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, a founding member of the Route 22 Artist Collective and Gallery, and an active participant in the Alberta Escape Artists Guild. Her exhibition history includes solo shows, juried exhibitions, and recurring gallery events, with long‑standing involvement in venues such as Framed on Fifth, the Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery, Route 22 Artist Collective Gallery, Vales Greenhouse, and many others across Alberta and British Columbia.
"A Day in the Life" with Calgary Visual Artist Anne McGilvary (calgaryguardian.com)
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Anne is a Canadian landscape painter whose work is rooted in memory, place, and the quiet emotional resonance of the natural world. Born in Noranda, Quebec and raised in Sudbury, Ontario, she has always felt at home with a pencil or brush in hand. By twelve she had won a city‑wide landscape award, and in high school she sold her first painting—early milestones that hinted at the artistic path she would eventually follow. Now based in Calgary, Alberta, she continues to build on that early momentum, creating evocative landscape scenes that invite viewers into moments of recognition and connection.
Her creative process is thoughtful and layered. Each painting begins with compositional sketches and value studies, supported by journals filled with reference photos, notes, and ideas she returns to over time. Working primarily in acrylics, she often incorporates gel and paste mediums to build texture. Paintings evolve from thin monochromatic glazes into richer, opaque layers, allowing light to move through the surface and create the luminous, glowing quality that defines her work. She approaches her practice as an ongoing journey, continually refining her skills through critiques, workshops, and a personal art library that fuels her curiosity.
Anne’s professional presence extends across Canada and beyond. Her paintings are held in private collections nationally and internationally, and she participates in numerous exhibitions and art events throughout the year. She is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, a founding member of the Route 22 Artist Collective and Gallery, and an active participant in the Alberta Escape Artists Guild. Her exhibition history includes solo shows, juried exhibitions, and recurring gallery events, with long‑standing involvement in venues such as Framed on Fifth, the Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery, Route 22 Artist Collective Gallery, Vales Greenhouse, and many others across Alberta and British Columbia.
Memberships:
Federation of Canadian Artists: Vancouver: Active Member Status
Federation of Canadian Artists: Calgary Chapter: Exhibiting Member Status
Route 22 Artist Collective and Gallery: Cochrane, Alberta (Founding Member)
Alberta Escape Artists Guild: Calgary, Alberta
Group & Solo Shows
Framed on Fifth Art Gallery: Solo Show: Mountains, Meadows and Wildflowers: April 2024
Framed on Fifth Art Gallery: Solo Show: From the Ground Up: June 2021
Framed on Fifth Art Gallery: Calgary Alberta, Solo Show: Meadows and More, April 2018
Palliser Art Gallery and Framing: Calgary, Alberta: Solo show: Aromatherapy: April – July 2017
Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery: 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2022 (juried)
Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery: Mini-Masters' Wall: 2023 (juried)
Cochrane Visitor Center: 150 Brushstrokes: Cochrane, Alberta: July 2017
Cochrane RancheHouse: Cochrane, Alberta: Solo Show: 2014
Bear’s Den Restaurant: Calgary: Solo Show (2014)
Route 22 Artist Collective Gallery: Cochrane Alberta: Since 2020 (bi-monthly juried shows)
Federation of Canadian Artists: Calgary Chapter: Annual spring and fall shows: Since 2012
Framed on Fifth Art Gallery: Neighbourhood Day: June 2019, 2022, 2026
Vales Greenhouse: Diamond Valley, Alberta: Cultivation of Art: June 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Pynlogs Christmas Show: Invermere, BC: November 2021
Federation of Canadian of Artists: Vancouver, B.C.: 365 Online Exhibition and Calendar Project: May 2020
The Galleria, Inglewood: Calgary Alberta: 2014- 2020 (until closing)
State of the Arts (SAS) art show: Guest Artist: October 2019
Kensington Art Supplies: Christmas Show: December 2019
Art in the Park: Invermere, B.C. 2016-2019, 2021 (until discontinued)
Calgary ArtWalk: Galleria Inglewood, Calgary: 2014 – 2019
Alberta Escape Artists Guild: Since 2018
Just Imajan Art Gallery: Cochrane Alberta: 2014-2018 (until closing)
Hughes Fine Art Show and Sale: 2018, 2022
Federation of Canadian Artists: Vancouver, B.C.: Small, Smaller, Smallest Exhibitions: 2012, 2014, 2017 (juried)
Federation of Canadian Artists: Vancouver, BC: Acrylics in Action: October 2017 (juried)
Leighton Center: Calgary, Alberta: 2013, 2014, 2017 (juried)
Leighton Center Christmas Bazaars: 2015, 2017
Rustica Art Gallery: Cochrane, Alberta: 2014-2016 (until closing)
Tour of the Arts: Invermere, B.C. 2010 - 2014 (juried) (until discontinued)
Cochrane Art Club: Cochrane Alberta, Shows: 2011 - 2018
Foothills Art Club: Cochrane, Alberta Shows: 2006 - 2021
Calgary Stampede Western Art Gallery: Western Showcase: 2006 (juried)
