Petra Nyendick

Petra Nyendick was born in Toronto. She received her formal training in Fine Arts at York University in Toronto where she studied from 1985 to 1991. Throughout her career, the subject matter of her work has consistently involved the use of animals; animal extinction being of primary concern in her art.

Nyendick is a practicing artist who has had many solo and group shows. In the last three years, her work has primarily represented the skeletons of animals, reflecting the artist's growing concern for the preservation of the world's wildlife. Of course, out of her deep concern for animal extinction, an awareness of our earth's fragile environment has also increasingly become an issue in her artwork.

Various media is used in Nyendick's work. Usually she works on canvas and uses acrylic paints, although oils are also part of her palette. Media such as various gels, paper and objects found in nature are all important elements in her artwork.

Petra Nyendick hopes her skeletal works reflect society's apathetic attitude; that the importance of technology often supercedes the concern for nature. It is her hope that reality will be one in which nature and technology can both survive. For now, perhaps in considering and respecting nature as an equal of technology, the beginnings of balance and harmony can be reestablished within our world.