/reddeerartscouncil
Community Gallery
The Red Deer Arts Council's office features a Community Gallery, a small meeting space, an intimate space for music or theatre, and a resource space. This space is also available for short term event and meeting rentals. Please contact Suzanne at for more details!
Red Deer Arts Council is pleased to present
upon return: Landscapes by jessica symons
Oil on Canvas
Jessica Symons
On display in the Community Gallery from February 23rd until April 10th, 2026.
Description: Born in Alberta and shaped by years spent exploring the breathtaking landscapes of the Canadian Rockies, Jessica returns with a powerful new body of work that bridges memory, distance, and rediscovery. After moving to the United States as a child, she carried the majesty of the Rockies with her only to find, upon her return as an adult, that while communities and perspectives had shifted, the land itself remained steadfast.
This exhibition is a moving tribute to Alberta’s enduring wilderness: a series of evocative paintings that serve as both love letters to the landscape and a deeply personal journey home.
Artist Statement: Jessica Symons is a self‑taught artist whose practice is rooted in community, storytelling, and resistance. I create because art is one of the few places where complex emotions can coexist without needing permission. My work takes the form of landscapes, and while these scenes may initially appear quiet or apolitical, they are deeply tied to my values and lived experience. Land holds the weight of what has happened on it, from displacement and extraction to care and refuge.
Working primarily in an impressionistic and expressive style, I focus on mood, movement, and emotional truth rather than strict realism. Texture, layered colour, and visible brushwork allow the land to feel active and alive. I often begin intuitively, letting the work unfold through response and experimentation, mirroring how people relate to land through feeling before language and understanding.
Oil on Canvas
Jessica Symons
First Fridays Red Deer Opening: March 6, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with the artists in attendance.
Open to the public during the Community Gallery Hours
Tuesday to Friday: 10am - 5pm
Saturday and Sunday: Closed
