Collection: Marlene Kallstrom-Barritt

Artist Statement:

Looking back over the years, I can connect the dots where creativity popped up through the activities of a busy life. There was the dot where as a child, I turned my playhouse into a hotel, then a schoolroom, to a restaurant. Years later, another dot showed up in figuring out how some items that were on the way to the trash might still have some play value for my little boys.

Then there was the dot of designing the interiors of several homes and the landscaping of the surrounding yard’s. All this was happening while the only activity for painting for long periods of time was how the dust settled on my paint box. Perhaps the creative life dots were a substitute for painting…

A few years back, I took out all my painting supplies and promised that they would never be neglected again. It was time. High time. I became purposeful in creating art. I started participating in Art Shows and Sales. I even got a website.

My favourite art mediums are oil, acrylic, watercolour and ink which help me create paintings of places, people and animals. I started out painting in a Realism style but recently have moved more into Abstract-Realism. I include “thankful bubbles” in many paintings to remind me to be grateful.

Kallstrom Studio, where creative work is carried out, is in my home in Red Deer, Alberta.

I sign my paintings “Kallstrom” as it is my birth name and an important part of who I am. It is also to pay homage to my late parents who were my first encouragers.


Marlene Kallstrom-Barritt

Kallstrom Studio