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SABINE LIVA
Fa, 2011
Oil on canvas
36 x 72 inches

Throughout her work over the last decade, Sabine Liva has taken a subtle approach to painting. She challenges the viewer to find a sense of peace by quieting their mind. Liva strives to convey the, “Simple thoughts and simple feelings” present in Japanese haiku.

Her most recent [Light] Series depicts the atmosphere on Toronto’s Waterfront in a collection of abstract landscape paintings. Like the capricious landscape itself, each canvas depicts the environment in a different temperament. Liva observes subtle inflections in the light and landscape. Her treatment of her subject is entirely contemporary. She combines order in the overall compositions with tactile, often delicate textures within. Endeavoring to recreate the essence of haiku on canvas, Liva deploys graceful brushstrokes and tempered palette. The paintings whisper profound wisdom and offer order, balance, simplicity and a careful observation of nature.

Sabine Liva was born in Riga, Latvia in 1976. She attended the Jans Rozentals College of Art in Latvia and Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) in Toronto. She finished her graduate studies at OCAD in Florence, Italy and went on to study textile design at the Art Academy of Latvia in Riga. Liva’s work has been exhibited in Toronto and Riga.

PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

  • Ritz-Carlton Hotel Toronto
  • Four Seasons Hotel Jackson Hole, USA

AWARDS & COMMISSIONS

  • Awarded commission to produce three original artworks and 18,000 reproductions by Toronto Maple Leafs Organization. The artwork celebrated Gary Roberts and Tom Fitzgerald’s historic 1,000th NHL game. The paintings were presented to the players during the game at the Air Canada Center, Toronto, 2004
  • Women’s Art Association of Canada Scholarship, 1998
  • Charles Magee Memorial Tuition Scholarship, 1998
  • Ace Bakery Competition, First Prize, 1997