Artist Elfrida Schragen
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Biography
Interest in art started early. I was the daughter of a professional artist, CW Kettlewell. Color, design, layout and self expression was a constant thread through our dinner conversations, and during reports on his latest commissions. I started wanting to "please Daddy" with daily drawings on the cardboard that came out of his laundered shirts. In his loving ignorance he tried to teach me, and to my horror he actually drew on my work, when all I wanted was approval and attention. At 10 years old I pulled back from my offerings and directed my energies to becoming as smart as possible and learning how to manage my extreme sensitivity.
We lived in a rural setting, grew up with horses, animals and all the trappings of small town thinking (the influence of the country life strongly directs my present plein air works). I escaped as far away as possible to the very international McGill University in Montreal, got my degree in general arts and moved out to Victoria BC. In Victoria I worked with disturbed children in various facilities as both a teacher and a social worker, at the same time as I invested in bioenergetics, Rogerian therapy, and bodynamics. I also raised a family, and we kept a chicken/pig/horse farm running for some 8 years.
At the age of forty (mid life review time) I decided to pursue a career as an art therapist and was directed to take a couple of drawing courses by the art theapy school. Well, my real love of creating started then. I bagged the idea of therapist, kept teaching and delved into the artistic process strictly for myself. It lit a fire in me - it was like coming home!
I began by using acrylics in the mid 80's, went on to sculpture in the 90's, then [...]
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