About the Artist..

Dena Seiferling is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design where she later worked as an instructor. You can now find her in her studio working on drawings and needle-felted art, in a world where mice can dance and bears can talk. Dena lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband and two children.

The art that I make, drifts somewhere between a childhood fantasy and an adult’s reality. I enjoy hybridizing hypothetical human and animal experiences, drawing parallels between the two, triggering empathy for animals as well as creating a connection to the viewer in a very personal way. We are often told stories through the eyes of animals as children, and some of us lose this bond to the animal world as we grow into adulthood. It is my hope for the adult to rekindle this connection and be transported to their childhood through nostalgia when they identify with an animal or narrative in my work.

I enjoy working with graphite, exploring character, narrative and environment through my drawings. Some of these drawings are completed with colour. Others evolve through the form of needle felted sculptures and dioramas. I incorporate raw wool, wire, wood, feathers and other found objects. Working with wool is challenging yet provides a wonderful texture and ease of movement; a perfect medium to capture the magic, whimsy and thoughtfulness that I strive for in my work.