Ira Hoffecker-Sattler

I am interested in exploring the intersection of abstraction and representation, particularly in plant-inspired subjects set within imagined habitats. My paintings extend organic forms into abstracted environments and dreamlike landscapes, where I play with depth, line, and layering to create a sense of movement and spatial ambiguity.

As part of my process, I analyze and interpret organic materials, using them as a foundation for creative exploration. I work primarily in oil paint, drawing inspiration from organic imagery. Unlike acrylic, oil allows for extended manipulation, enabling me to build subtle transitions and nuanced gradations across the canvas.

In my recent series, Imagined Landscapes, I did not aim to replicate plants or real-world scenery. Instead, I created dreamscapes inspired by garden visits and the natural forms I observed. I do not reference photographs in the studio; I rely entirely on memory and imagination, painting what comes to mind rather than what I see.

Color plays a central role in how I merge organic ideas with abstract forms. My study of fine art included focused research into color theory, drawing on the work of influential thinkers such as Johannes Itten, Josef Albers, and Johann Wolfgang von Goe...

Ira Hoffecker is a German-Canadian artist who immigrated to Canada in 2004 and is now based in Victoria, Canada. She is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists.

Ira holds an MFA (2018) from Plymouth University (England) and Transart Institute, New York (USA) and a First Class Bachelor (Honours) in Fine Art (2015) from the University of Gloucestershire (England). She previously obtained a Diploma of Fine Arts (2013) from Vancouver Island School of Art, Victoria (Canada).

Her work has been exhibited in solo, duo and group exhibitions in Germany, England and Canada. In 2015, Ira was one of 20 UK graduates whose work was shortlisted for the Graduate Art Prize in London. She won the first prize in the juried ‘Abstract Show 2015’ in Vancouver with her painting Alexanderplatz VIII. Her Camp Moschendorf II painting was shortlisted for the British John Moore Painting Prize 2016. The painting was also exhibited at the 2016 Liverpool Biennial.

Ira has completed a 3-month residency in Berlin at Takt and in 2020 in Buenos Aires at Projecto Ace. Her work continues to be promoted in various magazines, recently in Victoria’s Boulevard Magazine and New York’s New Visionary Art Magazine.

Over 20 solo exhibitions in Canada, Germany and England
Over 250 paintings sold since 2008 through galleries in Canada and Germany