Bio/Profile
Sylvia Kavanaugh was born on the Canadian Prairies. Saskatchewan, Alberta, southern Manitoba and the shores of Hudsons Bay in northern Manitoba were the sweeping backdrops of her early years. As an adult, while living and traveling in Europe for several years, she was fortunate to experience other cultures and art. Currently she resides on the West Coast of British Columbia where she finds the transient moods of ocean expanse often echo her memories of vast minimally accented prairie fields or the translucent white blanketed north.
Kavanaugh cannot remember not drawing and creating visual stories. She received her BFA in painting from the University of Alberta, Fine Arts. She studied Interior Design, completed Fashion School training and has taken part in a variety of workshops where she has researched and experimented with other art processes such as porcelain doll making. Her life path included having a family while working in a variety of occupations including enjoyable work as a graphic artist and fashion illustrator. An appreciation of art in clothing led her to design and manufacture her own line of clothing for several years. When she returned to painting, her experiences in other creative endeavors and media encouraged her to explore mixed media and sculpture along with her painting. Her current works integrate beeswax and resin to further express her visual narratives and add another dimension to her art.
CV
2017 ‘In The Water’Ferry Gallery, West Vancouver, group
2012 ‘Corsette’Eastwood Onley Gallery, Vancouver, group
2011 ‘Veils & Visions’Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver, 2-person
2010 ‘Dancer’Eastwood Onley Gallery, Vancouver, solo
2010 ‘Dancer’ Harmony Arts Festival, West Vancouver, group
2010 ‘2010 Legacies Now’‘Dancer’, Penticton Art Gallery, Penticton, group
2006 ‘Perchance To Dream’Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver, group
2005 ‘Body Language’Ferry Gallery, West Vancouver, group
2005 ‘Pithy’Seymour Art Gallery, North Vancouver, group
2004 ‘Nude Study’ Harmony Arts Festival, West Vancouver, group
2004 ‘Nude Study’ Leo’s Gallery & Café, West Vancouver, group
1987 ‘Passages’ Wade Gallery, Los Angeles
1981 ‘Passages’Grace Gallery, Vancouver group
1979 ‘Repose’ Citadel Theatre, Edmonton, solo
1978 ‘Snow’ Arts Faculty U of A, Edmonton, group
Publications
‘In The Water’North Shore News, North Vancouver
‘Once Upon A Time’ Lucy Hyslop, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver
‘Sylvia Kavanaugh: Dancer’ Mia Johnson, Art Preview Magazine, Vancouver
‘Body Language’North Shore News, North Vancouver
‘Lost by Design’British Columbia Report, Vancouver
‘Kavanaugh Keen On Originality’Stevie Mitchell, Vancouver Courier, Vancouver
‘Skin Deep’Virginia Leeming, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver
‘Prize Winning Designs’Rene Daugter, The Province, Vancouver
Education
1987-88 Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion, Vancouver, BC.
1986-87 Small Business Development, Langara College, Vancouver BC.
1974-78 BFA, Art & Design, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alta.
1970 Interior Design NAIT, Edmonton, Alta.
1970 Interior Design, Dept. Ext. U of A, Edmonton, Alta.