KAIJA SANELMA HARRIS
Kaija Sanelma Harris was born in Turku, Finland in 1939, but has lived long enough in Saskatoon to think of it as home. Kaija thinks of herself as a 'true northerner'. She "prefers the beauty of ice and snow to the glare of sand", and is "obsessed with light and how it affects colour and pattern. The light on the prairie is special". Kaija has used many different textile techniques but ultimately chose weaving as her main medium, and for the past two decades has explored doubeweaves. The visual impact of her tapestries is accomplished by combining imagery, structure, materials, and finishing methods that influence the surface.
Kaija has studied architectural tapestry in Banff and Iceland. She has won the "Premier's Prize" four times from the Saskatchewan Craft Council's "Dimensions" juried exhibition. She was presented "Best in Weaving" four years in a row - as well as "People's Choice" award at the same competition in 1989. Kaija has been nominated five times for the Canadian Museum of Civilization's Saidye Bronfman Award - one of Canada's most prestigious visual arts prizes.
Kaija exhibits and sells her pieces in Saskatoon and internationally. Commissioned projects include tapestries for the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower in Toronto and Agriculture Canada in Saskatoon. Harris' pieces can be found in numerous private collections in her native Finland, as well as in private and corporate collections including Government of Canada, Department of External Affairs and International Trade, Canada Council Art Bank, City of Regina, Mendel Art Gallery, and the Stewart Hall at Pointe Claire Cultural Centre, Quebec.
Kaija has studied architectural tapestry in Banff and Iceland. She has won the "Premier's Prize" four times from the Saskatchewan Craft Council's "Dimensions" juried exhibition. She was presented "Best in Weaving" four years in a row - as well as "People's Choice" award at the same competition in 1989. Kaija has been nominated five times for the Canadian Museum of Civilization's Saidye Bronfman Award - one of Canada's most prestigious visual arts prizes.
Kaija exhibits and sells her pieces in Saskatoon and internationally. Commissioned projects include tapestries for the Toronto Dominion Bank Tower in Toronto and Agriculture Canada in Saskatoon. Harris' pieces can be found in numerous private collections in her native Finland, as well as in private and corporate collections including Government of Canada, Department of External Affairs and International Trade, Canada Council Art Bank, City of Regina, Mendel Art Gallery, and the Stewart Hall at Pointe Claire Cultural Centre, Quebec.
