FEATURE ARTISTS
ANNEX SUSPENDED
Art comes in many forms and
suspended art brings added dimension.
Collaborating through a shared love of
three dimensional art, Brina Schenk
and Michelle Galway formed Annex
Suspended in 2017. The pieces they
create favour organic themes and
geometric shapes, a mix of materials
and a light touch. Through simple
combinations of subjects, textures,
and arrangements, they hint at stories
of family, nature, and worlds beyond
imagination.
Brina Schenk has a background in
illustration and graphic design, evident
in her confident use of line, colour
and negative space to add weight and
texture. Her story ‘The Traveller’ was
featured at the 2017 Wapiti Music
Festival and played out through a series
of original paintings. Michelle Galway
has studied, among other things,
horticulture and textiles, and has a
skilled approach to woodworking. She
produces the sewn and felted pieces
in the collection, often favouring the
animal kingdom – whales, bighorn
sheep and birds have featured in
past works.
Having first collaborated on a project
for the Fernie Lantern Festival, the pair
continue to draw on the diversity of
their local environment for inspiration.
With 4 young children between them
they also have an endless source
of wonder through the unlimited
imaginations of young minds. Their
mobiles often feature local cedar, local
aquatic life such as bull trout, bicycles
and space themes. They recently joined
forces with Wild Wolves Design to
add laser cut hangers to their work.
In addition, Brina creates paintings to
hang with the pieces – by combining
two pieces, the story develops as it
catches the breeze and pulls influence
from its surroundings. The creations are
a unique and inspired look at family life
in the Rocky Mountains.
Find Annex Suspended online or watch
for them at local craft fairs.
annexsuspended.com
31