ANSGARD    THOMSON


 

Young Lovers

 

 
I  was born in 1923 in Silesia, Germany. That part of Germany is Polish today. I grew up surrounded by art. My father painted in watercolors and my uncle was a well-known Silesian painter in oils, my brothers and sisters were also exploring art in one form or another, we were 7 children. I claim that my early influences gave me a lifelong interest in art. My secret desire to enter an art school was not practical at that time (wartime) I entered nursing instead. After losing everything at the end of the war, the attachment to art became very strong (when everything lost its values the artists spoke an appealing language).I socially entered the art circles in Germany and later in Paris, where I worked for 10 years. I immigrated to Canada in 1959. I married in 1970 Walter F.Thomson an Agrologist after working in Edmonton for 11 years.

We moved to the farm in Fort Assiniboine in 1972.While working as a coordinator for the Fort Assiniboine Museum and Recreational Planning I came in contact with local art teacher Margaret Nadeau .As a founding member of a local art club I joined the provincial A.C.A.C.A (Alberta Community Arts Club Association) .I explored pen and ink, acrylics, watercolors, oils, mixed media and colored pencil and later computer art. My first interest was historical illustration, due to my work for the museum.

As a traditional painter in traditional media I started using the computer to generate art on the computer since 1993. Attracted by the new media and the many programs one could find on the Internet to explore the differences as well as the similarities to the natural way of making art My choices of programs were related to my aim to produce 2D works .

In 1997 I designed my first home page and ventured on the Internet. I still have no commercial site, but had very many invitations to show my art in virtual galleries around the globe.

I joined the artist den in New Mexico and had over 5000 hits to one of my traditional paintings. I also made my first friends sharing my interests to dedicate my goal and energy towards creating digital art.

In Sept 1997 I added a Digital Camera "Mavica" from Sony to my tools. This has given me a great opportunity to get photographs faster into the computer.

November 1998: I have added a Wacom Intuos pen to my tools, so my collection of my traditional works on canvas or paper will only be shown on demand or to make a point of comparison

2000 After long search for producing archival prints .I am now able to print limited editions ( limited to 5 prints on high quality archival papers in my own studio) on demand.
 

Resume as a traditional painter:

Art Education:

My highschool art courses in Germany made me aware of my interest in the arts and helped me to understand my own abilities.

Formal instruction in arts I received by courses taken by the further education courses prepared by instructors of the Extention Department of the University of Alberta over a long period of time between 1980- I have taken advanced courses in Westlock 1988-89,U.of A.Extension  . 1993 last course taken.

1980-99 As a Member of the A.C.A.C.A. (Community Arts Club Association) and the Fort Assiniboine Art Club, I have participated in group shows since 1980 .I had many works selected at jury ACACA Shows. I had my first painting chosen in the Alberta Wide jury shows in Red Deer Alberta in 1984. In 1987 I won the Lillian Nunn scholarship award. I had my first solo show at the Barrhead Public Library the same year. In 1993 I entered A.C.A.C.A. jury zone show in Redwater, in the senior advanced category, after winning first prize in a special jury show in High Prairie in the advanced category in 1992.

Canadiana Galleries Feb. March 1991 Represented by Canadiana Galleries until its closure in 1992 .

 As a Member of the A.C.A.C.A. (Community Arts Club Association) and the Fort Assiniboine Art Club, I have participated in group shows since 1980 .

I had my first painting chosen in the Alberta Wide jury shows in Red Deer Alberta in 1984.

In 1987 I won the Lillian Nunn scholarship award.I had my first solo show at the Barrhead Public Library the same year.

In 1993 I entered A.C.A.C.A. jury zone show in Redwater, in the senior advanced category, after winning first prize in a special jury show in High Prairie in the advanced category in 1992.

I have taken advanced courses in Westlock 1988-89,U.of A.Extension  . 1993 last course taken.

Canadiana Galleries Feb. March 1991 Represented by Canadiana Galleries until its closure in 1992 .

Public Collection- Fort Assiniboine Museum-1980;

Ponoka Hospital 1990;

1993 ACACA Redwater - 2 works of 3 selected.

1994 Red Deer " INTO THE GARDEN"- 2 works of 5 selected

1994. Drayton Valley"A WINTER'S TALE" Hamdon Gallery Civic Center;

1994 March/April Barrhead Library . I am working on my own for a number of years and had several commissions and private sales.
 

Part 2:
 

Digital Fine Art Resume:

On April 15th,1998 I was inducted into Cyberculture Art Museum the Truly Virtual Web Art Museum by
Dr.Rodney Chang,Ph.D. and curator at http://www.lastplace.com.

Also inducted to Webmuseum Theater, showing two of my animation's "Hawaii"and " New Life"

1998: R2001 Virtual Slide Show in New York, also accepted as member of R2001 Webring and included in the permanent display in the members Gallery-   Country Without Boarders - R2001 Group Show - Abraham Lubelski , p;                        Gallery - 473 Broadway, Manhattan, New York City

1999: Won NASA Conservatory Earth Day Contest with computer generated work "Cloning of New Life."

1999 -To present. Featured in the German Virtual  Gallery Cybervernissage

1999: As a senior artist I am proud to represent Canada for the U.N. designated International Year of OlderPersons with my painting "65 Winters Old" in the 1999"ARTS IN AGING CALENDAR" at the Huffington Center of Aging for the month of January at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA.

1999: Great Wyrley High School Millennium Art Exhibition Nov .18th,19th,20th with the computer generated work "Play" print and floppy.

1999: October 20th,21,22 participated in "ART FOCUS Magazine's 8th FALL SHOW" at BCE Center in
Toronto /Canada and won the Artist's Award "BEST IN ELECTRONIC MEDIA."

.1999: October 23,24 participated in R2001 members' show at Keio University in Japan.

Dec 99 International Calcutta Show 1st. India International Digital Art Exhibition December 10-17 1999 in Calcutta  India

1999: October 23,24 participated in R2001 members' show at Keio University in Japan.

1999. Painting selected for Millennium Art Foundation Show around the globe "Edible Lawn Beauties"

Dec/1999 Fort Assiniboine Show (First time display of mounted works ,recreation hall ,farmers market) Featured in local Express Paper.

1999 November Featured in Barrhead Leader

1999-2000 "Virtual Millennium Show" at lastplace.com Virtual Museum (open to public Dec.1999 to Dec.2000

http://www.lastplace.com/EXHIBITS/Millennium/index.htm

Featured at IONONE .com " Cyberart "  with Millennium show    http://ionone.com/art.htm

Featured in Fort Assiniboine Community paper after showing mounted works at the Fort Assiniboine

FEBRUARY 1/2000 Featured in the opening of Digital Art Museum at the official opening

March 2000 participated in International Virtual Group Show in Scottland Venue: Circular Art Gallery,

April 10/2000 Featured in Alberta Report Magazine.

April 29,2000 As a self taught digital artist I was awarded the  Lillian Nunn scholarship award for presenting first mounted "Digital Fine Art Prints"to the Extension Department of the University of Alberta as a member of the Alberta ACACA.

2000 Nehru Centre, Worli, Mumbai  2nd India International Digital Exhibit

Dates: 11th to 17th April   Participating artist in group June 2000 -2001Participating in New York: http://www.fine-art.com/valweb/lincoln2000/digitalartists.htm    Poster "Hands on" selected for show, still participating in group shows with the Visual Art League.

2000 Digital works accepted at Art Beat Gallery ,in Alberta Canada represented with permanent works on display.

2000 Contract signed with http:// www.artcanadiana.com for virtual representation with archival prints.

June 2000 Inducted to Rave Museum of Cyberart with digital work   "Millennium Babies"

July -August 2000 Participated at SEED Show By R2001 http://r2001.com/exhibiting/seeds/seeds_j.html and
ututu in harappa:
 http://olive.zero.ad.jp/~zbh47600/ututu/ututu_e.html

August 2000 Featured  with 4 works in publication "Silicon Valley North"

2000 Female artist Archive http://www.218ac.it/pulcheria/index.htm   participated at the virtual show 2000 and was added to the archive

Virtual presentation with portfolios on several different Websites.

Magazine and local newspaper reviews
 
 

2001 Digital Painting "Free Brush" selected for  "ARTS IN AGING CALENDAR" at the Huffington Center of Aging for the month of January at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA.

2001 March -April participating in Digital Salon in the Stele Gallery , Las Cruces , New Mexico with 4 archival Prints.

2001 selected 2 works for permanent special Poster Show by the Visual Art League"Handon" and"Opera" http://www.valweb.org/   also in their permanent flower show of digital art and 2 works selected for the 3Americas show organized by valweb and poster selected for promoting the show ."Celebration in Cyberspace"

2001 Judge at MOCA ,Museum for computer art in New York for selecting  the winner of the "Donnie Award "for  computer art a virtual competition.

2001  April accepted as member of the International Association of Computer graphics.

2001   June Interview with curator of Digital Art Museum

2001 Joined Visual Arts Alberta Association http://www.visualartsalberta.ab.ca

2001 participating in the XI Biennial International Art Exhibition Vila Nova de Cerveira
[August 25 through September 27, 2001]

2001 Featured in Philadelphia  October 21st  After tragedy, an outpouring of art

 2001 November 24th New York  3 Americas show. See my pictures celebrate.htm

News about the 3 Americas show I was there at the Cork Gallery at the Lincoln Center   http://www.valweb.org/3americas/3americasart.htm

2002 January 4 - 25,   East Hawai'i Cultural Center's

International Cyberartist  traveling show 2002

2002   Barrhead Leader interview January 15th 2002

2002 Fort Assiniboine Library Solo show " Souvenirs" retrospective till 1993.



 
 

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