Strathmore Library shines a spotlight on Marjorie Hembroff's art

Local artist Marjorie Hembroff has been painting since elementary school and hasn't lost any love for it since then.

She has a history of displaying her art at places like Kaleidoscope Art Gallery and Crescent Heights Community Centre for Spring and Fall Shows. Hembroff is mostly self-taught but has learned techniques and styles from wet on wet oil techniques taught by Alex Preston, Correspondence course through ICS Canadian Ltd., and Fundamentals I and II at the Alberta College of Art, extension program.

Now Hembroff has brought her art to the Strathmore Municipal Library in a new art showcase for the month of July!

Her art consists of acrylic paintings of flowers and pets along with many other subjects. It is available for viewing at the library and a portion of purchases go towards supporting the Strathmore Library. 

Hembroff isn't just an artist though, she is also a talented writer. Her work consists of two self-published children's books, "Grandma Mouse Tells a Story" and "Bess’s Magical Garden". She illustrates how her love of writing and art came together.

“I've always been creative ever since I was a little kid. When I was living in Calgary the ideas started to come to me about 'Grandma Mouse Tells a Story' and 'Bess's Magical Garden'. It just flowed. I did all the illustrations for 'Grandma Mouse Tells a Story' when I was a member of The Crescent View Artists Association in Calgary, some of the ladies all had a little bit of feedback on it on the artwork and stuff and gave a little bit of guidance.”

Hembroff’s love of writing and painting comes from her childhood farm and community where she spent a lot of time creating stories in her head as she played on her farm and learned in the one-room schoolhouse of her hometown.

She hopes that a similar love of painting and creativity is passed down from her art to the locals of Strathmore, particularly younger generations of budding painters and writers. Hembroffs creative and detailed work In both writing and painting could be the spark of inspiration for many young people who visit the exhibit.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@strathmorenow.com