Andrea Stajan-Ferkul

Biography

Andrea Stajan-Ferkul has had an intense relationship with color for as long as she can remember. Says the artist, “I don't have a single favorite color - it is the potential of mixing paint and creating new color combinations, that can often be my inspiration, long before subject matter.”

Stajan-Ferkul’s post-secondary studies began in Fashion Design, but ultimately she graduated from the Interpretive Illustration program at Sheridan College School of Art and Design. She studied painting under renowned Canadian artist, Helen Lucas. Stajan-Ferkul can vividly remember Helen Lucas telling her students that teaching was just a job and that she couldn't wait to get home so she could tie her hair back and paint. Stajan-Ferkul watched as Helen Lucas’ career took off and flourished.

Upon graduating, Stajan-Ferkul spent several years working in the advertising industry as a fashion layout artist, creating ads for newspapers and magazines. This exposure influenced her greatly and continues to be a source of inspiration in her style and subject matter. Years of Graphic Design further developed her style, as dedication to detail and strong composition shaped the future of her work.

Stajan-Ferkul’s work eventually became secondary during the many years of raising her family. She feels her vision was broadened during this time as she began to see things through the eyes of her children. Stajan-Ferkul was also able to re-immerse herself into painting and illustrating during this time. She experimented with textures and mixed mediums to create dimension, as backgrounds became an integral part of each painting.

Acrylic paint is her medium of choice but she usually incorporates graphite, prisma and mixed media into her final pieces. “I paint what I love - and being a self-proclaimed aficionada of fashion, my work often depicts that subject matter. Strongly aware, and moved to express stylistic trends, I also enjoy textile studies, interpretive room settings and impressionistic florals or landscapes. My paintings seem to jump from one subject matter to another, depending on what I'm feeling, and what inspirational material life offers me that day.”