McKenna Prather: Autumnal

21 October - 12 November 2025

Through richly detailed paintings and embroidered textures, McKenna captures the warmth and romance of Alberta’s fall landscapes. Inspired by Dutch still life and vintage botanical drawings, each piece blends cozy textiles, intricate patterns, and vibrant seasonal colour — weaving a tactile story of the season.
In Her Own Words

Get a glimpse inside McKenna Prather’s studio and discover how Autumnal comes to life through layered paint, thread, and texture.
About The Artist
McKenna Prather
I create detailed paintings of plants, animals and landscapes using acrylic paint and embroidery on stretched canvas. Since graduating in 2018 with a BFA from Alberta University of the Arts, I have worked as a fulltime artist. I am currently represented by Gibson Fine Art Gallery and was selected as the Homes by Avi Stampede Rotary Dream Home Artist in 2019 and again in 2023. I have sold work through locally owned businesses and events like the Calgary Stampede, Red Door Home Living, Maillot Homes, Sparrow Artspace, Amanail Boutique, FivePoint and the Calgary Home Show. Private Collections of my work and a social media following continue to grow throughout Canada, the U.S. and U.K.

Painting from a Calgary-based home studio or at live events, I create custom commissions and collections largely inspired by the changing seasons and the landscape of the two provinces I call home: Alberta and Newfoundland. My representational style is informed by traditional portraiture and still-life paintings through my compositions and high contrast colour palettes. Furthermore, elements of folk art are dispersed in each piece through my use of hand-painted pattern or whimsical details.
I bring care and consideration to every step of creating my paintings, valuing traditional mediums and methods. My hand-made canvases are complimented by meticulous patterns I add to every painting edge and finalized with hand-stitched embroidered details. Once I complete a painting, I lay it flat and stitch directly into the canvas using a needle and embroidery floss, creating a world of paint and thread that is rich in texture.

This mixing of mediums bridges painting and textile art in a way that feels contemporary as well as time-honored. In a sense, my work is process based, valuing detail and doing things “the old-fashioned way” in attempt to honor the fellow artisans in my family who are gifted in crafts like needlepoint, quilting and woodworking. These people have inspired my work the most through their patience and skill that craft humble materials into something beautiful.
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McKenna Prather, Heulyn

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McKenna Prather: Autumnal

In Her Own Words

About The Artist

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