“Inspiration. Time to think. Freedom. Love.”

For Cecile Albi, these are the fundamentals that make an artist, tick.

Cecile Albi’s passion for the creative process began when she was a young girl growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

“I enjoyed expressing my love of colour and form on paper and canvas. As a natural consequence of my devotion to art, I completed my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Manitoba in 1987. I also received a diploma in Advertising Art from the Red River Community College in 1991. Thereafter, I moved to Calgary and embarked on a career in graphic design,” Cecile explains.

While her professional pursuits have flourished, Cecile’s affinity for fine art has never waned. She describes painting is a sentient experience: “When I immerse myself in a canvas I allow all my senses to express themselves. As such, my paintings have a certain whimsical style that seek to captivate the senses of the viewer.”

Cecile’s paintings are acrylic and employ a variety of mediums in order to create a complete visual, emotional, and tactile experience for the viewer.

“Whether I’m exploring impressionism or abstract, large canvases or small, my foremost consideration is the colourful expression of the beauty I perceive in my subjects,” she says.

We tracked Cecile down for a get-to-know Q&A to learn a little bit about the why and how of what she does.

Q: Why do you do what you do?

A: For me, creating art is my voice. It enables me to tell so much more than I am capable of saying in words.

Growing up as the second youngest in a family of five children, I seldom felt like I was heard. It didn’t take me long to discover that my drawings and paintings attracted an audience. One that was willing to stop and spend a few moments to observe what I was portraying. Today, this is my driving force as an artist; to communicate thought through the aesthetic emotion of my art. I hope to display an impactful feeling in each of my paintings through their unique rendering.

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Q: What role does the artist have in society?


A:  An artist’s role in society is to inspire thought and provoke emotion.

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Q: What role does the creative sector play in Calgary – how does the creative sector nurture the city and play a part in its evolution?

A: The role that the creative sector plays in Calgary is to encourage thought and inspire intuitive thinking. Calgary’s creatives nurture the city by aiding growth through creative ideas.

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Q: What will you bring to cSPACE and why do you feel it’s the right t for you?

A: My devotion to art as a piece of the whole creative community. My paintings will hopefully ignite and inspire creative thought and processes for other artists around me. My desire to continually learn, change, share thoughts and promote ideas will aid in this. I hope to bring my friendship and camaraderie to support fellow colleagues. I believe cSPACE King Edward is the right fit for me as it is an artist-hub where groups of artists come together to learn, produce, exhibit and teach. I foresee there being a sense of community amongst the tenants and an ability to inspire the city communities around. The opportunity to be with other like-minded people who are open to learn and share with each other is critical in my development as an artist. My private studio space enables me to have the solitude to think and the time to create.