Self, place, belonging and land are central themes in Irma Soltonovich’s (b. 1941 — d. 2023) abstract landscape paintings. Using the simplest of line and shape, the subtlest shift of color, Irma’s works evoke an emotion, a feeling, a memory. She grew up on a Saskatchewan farm where the prairie landscape dominates: blizzards, lightning storms and the overarching sky instilled in her a feeling of freedom and limitless space. Irma’s predominant memory is a feeling of independence in the sky’s overwhelming presence. With a B.Ed. from University of Saskatchewan and a M.F.A. from Central Washington University, WA, and credits towards a doctorate in Art Education, University of Oregon, OR, Irma was known and respected throughout British Columbia for her advocacy in the fields of literacy, mental health, FASD and delivery of programs in the criminal justice system. She returned to painting in 2002, and made her living as a full-time artist since 2013. With numerous awards and previously-held exhibitions, Irma's paintings live on in private and corporate collections throughout Canada and America.