ROOTED: A Solo Exhibition by McKenna Prather

ROOTED

A Solo Exhibition by McKenna Prather

What makes a place feel like home?

In Rooted, McKenna Prather explores that question through a collection of immersive landscapes inspired by Alberta and Newfoundland—two places that have profoundly shaped her life. Rather than focusing on iconic landmarks, the exhibition celebrates the quieter experiences that become woven into memory: mountain trails, rugged coastlines, weathered buildings, family gardens, campfires, and the natural textures that connect us to the places we return to again and again.

Layered with quilt-inspired patterns and stitched details, these paintings explore the relationship between landscape, heritage, and memory, inviting viewers to slow down, step into each scene, and rediscover the beauty found in the familiar.

Born and raised in Alberta, McKenna Prather has long found a second home in Newfoundland, where her mom’s family has lived for generations. Annual visits to the East Coast became part of her family’s rhythm—time spent at her grandparents’ cabin, fishing from familiar wharves, walking rugged shorelines, gathering around the warmth of a wood-burning stove, and exploring landscapes that quietly shaped her understanding of home. Today, with her parents having returned to Newfoundland to live, those two places feel more connected than ever.

Rooted explores the idea that home is rarely defined by a single place. Instead, it is shaped over time through the landscapes we return to, the traditions we inherit, and the quiet moments that become woven into everyday life. Whether it is the scent of wildflowers along a familiar trail, waves breaking against weathered rock, the warmth of a campfire after a day outdoors, or the comfort of a family cabin, these experiences become meaningful not because they are extraordinary, but because they become part of who we are.

Inspired by two provinces that have deeply influenced her life, Prather’s paintings move beyond recognizable landmarks to celebrate the places that quietly stay with us: mountain trails, prairie skies, forests, rugged coastlines, weathered barns and saltbox houses, gardens planted by grandparents, and the natural textures that tell stories of time and place. Each composition is designed to invite viewers into the landscape, encouraging them to pause, wander, and experience the scene through light, atmosphere, and texture.

Quilt-inspired patterns and stitched details are woven throughout the collection, echoing handmade traditions and the ways memory pieces together places, people, and experiences across generations. Like a well-loved quilt, our sense of home is stitched together over time—through family, heritage, and the landscapes that continue to shape us long after we leave them.

While Rooted is inspired by Prather’s own experiences between Alberta and Newfoundland, the collection ultimately invites viewers to reflect on the places that have shaped their own lives. It is a celebration of belonging—not as something tied to a single location, but as something built slowly through memory, tradition, and our enduring connection to the natural world.