ARTISANS GALLERY

Troy Townsin is a proud Canadian! Born in Melbourne, Australia, he worked as an actor and playwright before embarking on a round-the-world backpacking extravaganza taking him to six continents. Troy has won several awards for his writing including a prestigious ‘Travel Writer of the Year’ award with TNT Magazine UK and four Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. A Moose in a Maple Tree Productions is a division of Polyglot Publishing created for children and for those who have a love for all things Canadian. The Moose in a Maple Tree collection and the exciting Canadian Monster Club series are true celebrations of Canada.

As well as writing children’s books, Troy has also co-authored a series of cookbooks based on the wineries of British Columbia. The ideas behind his books were conceptualized while he was in the process of becoming a Canadian resident. There was a period of over a year where he was prohibited from working or studying in Canada in accordance with Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s regulations. In order to keep himself engaged he began writing books. The Canadian children’s books are a celebration of him becoming a Canadian citizen – a process which took five years. Troy fell in love with a Canadian girl, married her and then fell in love with Canada, his new home.

Through their books and CDs, Troy and Polyglot aim to educate children and adults about the beauty and diversity of this great nation in a fun and entertaining way. They try to include every corner of the country in the contents of their books and CD. Their stories take readers across Canada visiting each province and territory and the musicians on their CD come from all over Canada with diverse backgrounds.

Advika Clothing is inspired by the postures of yoga and the movements of dance.  They take pride in their ethically made clothing line, using locally sourced and sustainable materials.

For Cecile, the process of creating a work is as important as the finished piece. Painting is a sentient experience and when she immerses herself in a canvas, she allows all of her senses to express themselves. As such, her paintings have a certain whimsical style that seeks to captivate the senses of the viewer. It is her intention to convey beauty in a multi-sensory fashion.

Cecile’s paintings are acrylic and oil on canvas and are created with the intention to convey a complete visual, emotional, and tactile experience. When she’s exploring abstract impressionism in large canvases or small, her foremost consideration is the colourful expression of the beauty she perceives in her subjects. Cecile gets her inspiration from nature. As a reference, she pulls from her memory, sketches, and photography. Her paintings are created intuitively, and the images evolve as she paints.

Alison’s process always begins with her imagery. In most cases, she uses her own imagery, and sometimes she will use a client’s photo or will create a digital image by combining several. Once she has it in that form, she prints it onto a specific canvas material. She then cuts it apart. She picks and chooses the elements she wants to keep to use in her final piece and the rest she discards.

Alison’s subject matter is created by layering small pieces of various fabrics. She uses a lot of sheer fabrics to get subtle changes in tone, similar to the way a painter would mix pigments. She then uses her sewing machine to stitch the elements together, using the thread to mimic the textures and details that are found in the original subject. She uses a free-motion stitching technique that allows her full creativity over how she wants the thread to move.

The final result draws from both mediums – the imagery brings the photo realism where it is needed, and the textiles bring life and dimension.

Jason spent much of his childhood exploring the wild. His love of nature inspired him from a young age and significantly shaped his adult life.

Jason’s artwork is authentically photographed in the wilderness of Canada. He has been a wildlife photographer for over 25 years and has participated in the One-of-a-Kind Artisan Show for many of these 25 years. 20 years ago, Jason opened All in the Wild, featuring his wildlife photographic artwork. Today, Jason’s artwork can be found across Canada in six “All in the Wild” galleries: Niagara on the Lake, Canmore, Banff, Saskatoon, Christopher Lake, and Waskesiu.

In 2010, Jason started the “All in the Wild Land Fund” to directly contribute to the conservation of nature. Since then, 6% of all his artwork sales go into this fund, to be set aside for purchasing land for wildlife conservation. All in the Wild has purchased 1,600 acres of land in several areas across Saskatchewan to date. Although small relative to the areas under threat, every contribution provides a place where nature can be nature without human interference.

Jason is a true voice and advocate for nature. His mission is to bring appreciation, awareness, respect, and enjoyment of nature and the wildlife that inhabit it.

From her studio in Montreal, artist Karla Morales Rios uses her knitting machines to create beautifully knit pieces. Karla designs all of her pieces and participates in the entire process, hiring temporary help for small tasks with an eye on all stages.

“Since I was young, I have always been attracted to the world of crafts, without realizing it at the time. I loved working with textures and colours, but most of all, I always loved the idea of making my own designs. Once my mom introduced me to knitting and crocheting, my love and passion for the craft has done nothing but grow.  All the knitting work I have made so far is the result of self-taught training and a continuous exploration of the craft. I love knitting and crocheting by hand as much as I love working with my knitting machines.

Ampara was founded as an expression of my passion for knitting and design. The word “Ampara” means “Hand” in the Aymara language. It was chosen because it represents the craftsmanship displayed in our products.” – Karla Morales Rios

Artist Amy Gaulin draws with charcoal on paper. She uses charcoal, erasers, and her hands to saturate the paper with values from crisp white to velvet black.  Adding that extra touch, Amy is also a framer and will build frames for some of her artwork. Her drawings are inspired by her own sketches, photos, and imagination.

Andrew Glazebrook is an Alberta artist who spent most of his growing-up years in the hamlet of Rosebud, Alberta. He is inspired by craftsmanship of any kind and draws from the satisfying feeling of being a maker of things which others can see, touch, feel and cherish.

Andrew has recently expanded his business to include the manufacturing of wooden kitchen products. Using the lathe as the primary design tool for each product, his line of kitchen products is intended to be functional art, yet keeping design, quality and craftsmanship in the forefront.  To remain food safe, and uniquely different to common kitchen items, many processes had to be developed further and in many cases, the machines to assist had to be made or modified.

Over the years of learning his craft, Andrew has made a name for his work and has been recognized for his high quality of craftsmanship and willingness to share his knowledge with others. Andrew has taught the art of Woodturning at many schools, universities, and conferences across North America.

Andrew currently resides in Red Deer County with his wife and three children.

Founded in 2018 by Edmontonian, Ang Johnson, Ang Hill is an ethical women’s clothing brand inspired by the power of femininity and the pursuit of passion. Since she was a little girl, Ang’s dream was to become a fashion designer. With this dream and a lot of determination, she made it happen. Ang designs all clothing in the Ang Hill line.

Here you will find super soft and cozy capsule wardrobe essentials ethically crafted by their local sewists. By creating a collection of pieces that are easy to style without compromising comfort + style, Ang takes the guesswork out of fashion. Her ultimate vision is to create an entire capsule wardrobe of the coziest pieces for you that can easily be mixed and matched to create gorgeous outfits.

Ang Hill clothing is exceptionally soft, high quality and made in Canada.

At Apple Island Naturals, they believe that everyone deserves to enjoy the beauty of nature and are committed to creating special products for you using natural ingredients. All are handcrafted and never involve animal testing or synthetic ingredients. They are constantly searching for new ways to “go green” and reduce their environmental impact. They use only ethical Canadian suppliers for their ingredients, supplies, and equipment because they believe in employing Canadians. We support local businesses as often as possible.

“I still make everything in small batches so it’s always fresh. I have learned a lot more, and continue to learn, and though I’ll always miss nursing, I still get to help people with my products.  I especially like helping people with skin conditions and allergies, and getting people to switch to natural products by teaching them about synthetic ingredients which are often irritants at best – many are even cancer-causing.  There is no need for anything like that to be in our skincare.   Because I’m getting older, I’ve developed a strong interest in anti-aging ingredients as well and look forward to creating more facial products.”

We are all on this life journey together and my goal is to help as many people as I can, any way I can while also trying to be easy on our planet.  I’ve learned that change happens, that’s just life.  You can be bitter and fight against it, like I did for a while, or you can adapt to it, change yourself, go with the flow, and turn lemons into lemonade.  Apple Island Naturals is my lemonade stand and proof that you can survive and thrive as long as you don’t give up.  Follow your dreams!  If I can do it, you can too!” – Kathy Lind

Jessica designs and makes all of her pieces. She sketches and creates paper models, digitizes the patterns and cuts with a laser cutter. She cleans, sands and edges the pieces and then adds colour and polish. Some pieces are hand-stitched together and others are rivetted, some both.

“I believe with all my heart and soul in the power of accessories. They can be empowering, comforting and expressive.” – Jessica Graham

Bhuddi and Kupu are collaborative artists. Inspired by the magnificence of the natural world, their paintings reflect interpretations of their shared reality and outdoor adventures. From the lens to the canvas and beyond, their art journey begins with photographs taken during their travels. A little photo editing of their favourite shots leads them to the next step, paint on canvas! They each find ways to enhance and amplify each other’s vision as they complete paintings together.

Artist Olufunke Olotu has been sewing for seven years and her sustainable clothing brand is three years old. Her sustainable clothing brand uses organic fabrics to create beautiful day wear and accessories that are super soft, breathable, and comfy with a touch of heritage.

“The climate change and fast fashion negative effects, plus the birth of my last child, made me to consider how I can affect my world positively. I source eco-friendly fabrics such as bamboo from BC and ethically create in Calgary beautiful pieces that are soft, breathable and comfy.” – Olufunke Olotu

Darlene Kokotailo has been designing, carving and decorating real eggs for the past 34 years.  As a Calgary-based, self-taught artist, she has gained inspiration from nature.  This is reflected in the intricate floral carvings and detailed animal scenes of many of her designs.  Darlene also enjoys the challenge of creating a wide variety of carved eggs for many special occasions and diverse tastes, including custom designs. Each egg is beautifully unique, and depending on the design and shell, it takes anywhere from several hours to several hundred, from start to finish.  Whether Goose, Ostrich, Duck, or Quail, the shell is a strong and versatile medium that drives her passion for producing egg art.

Back of the Spoon officially started in 2017.  Artist Erin Chromik had been making perogie casseroles whenever she would host parties and making them for other friends and events. Always the star of the party, word quickly spread and people started to ask if they could buy them.  As Erin’s concept began to grow, she decided to make it official and start to cook out of a certified commercial kitchen.

“The name Back of the Spoon is an homage to my Grandmother who would always tell us to stir with the back of the spoon when boiling the perogies so we wouldn’t tear the dough. The Mushroom Dill idea came from mixing together a few of my grandma’s Ukrainian recipes. They were always touching on the plate, so I decided to combine them and create a Mushroom Dill Perogie casserole.” – Erin Chromik

Erin and her team create each tray of perogies in her inspected kitchen in Calgary.  They do everything from peeling potatoes to making dough and sauce to assembling each casserole by hand.

Artists  Jen Abra and Natalie Ruby are the owners and operators of Black Star Studios, an Art Gallery and art workshop studio located downtown Invermere, B.C.

“We represent over 70 Canadian Artists. Our gallery is stocked floor to ceiling with colourful handmade works of art.  We opened our doors 14 years ago with 12 artists. Our biz has grown and has a life of its own. When in our space, people want to be creative themselves. We started art workshops over 10 years ago. We now run workshops daily in the summer, Christmas, March break, long weekends and every Saturday. We host Paint and Sips, do birthday parties, date night paint nights, family nights, ladies nights, team building, and community projects including many murals and public art that can be found in our community. We are all about taking the frustration out of Art, and promoting the fun while building confidence.

During Covid, we developed many DIY Art Kits inspired by our favourite art workshops. Our DIY Art kits are designed by us, and packed with love right here in our studio. We have both video and written instructions. Our kits are fun for kids, teens, and adults of all artistic abilities.

We love what we do. Every day we come to our little studio in our little mountain town surrounded by beauty and art.
When they aren’t teaching classes, developing workshops, or packing kits, you will find Jen at her sewing machine and Natalie at her torch making glass beads. We feel very fortunate to do what we love every single day!

If you find yourself in Invermere come on in and say Hello!  Get Creative! Get inspired, Get in HERE and make ART!” – Black Star Studios

Kyle used his global travel as a muse and relevant experience in the food industry as a spark to realize BLINK.  BLINK was launched in the humblest of beginnings back in 2011. Till then, chocolate bark was most often pre-broken almond bark in white, milk or dark chocolate. BLINK was borne for those seeking tablet-sized, unbroken sharing planks of chocolate with high-quality topping arrangements in sleek, upscale, classy and fit-for-a-gift packaging.

The chocolate gets small-batch melted and tempered, the bark is then poured individually into moulds where it is shaken to remove any air pockets and then hand topped with whatever flavour or topping. They are then chilled on racks before being brought back up to room temperature where they are sealed and hand packaged.

Each bark is meticulously hand-crafted from start to finish with thought, care, intimacy and affection that is not felt in chocolate that is mass-produced. The resulting tablets are unique, often quirky and unique to the buyer.

Bob uses Western Canadian stoneware clay and paperclay to form each sculpture. After a lengthy drying process, he fires them in an electric kiln to approximately 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. He uses stains and oxides with porcelain slip (liquid clay) to colour each piece.

“I love making my own glazes and infusing muted colours to allow the form to take center stage. I often add media such as found objects, gold, and encaustic wax. A small seashell I found in Central America, or a splash of gold invites the viewer to consider the piece in a different way. These playful touches add vitality to individual pieces.

I need to make art that brings me joy. Not only must the work emerge from my joy, but it must express an energy. I draw out that energy in the clay through the juxtaposition of rough and smooth surfaces, colour, and movement in each piece. People have said that each of my sculptures seems to have a personality. I love to hear how the work touches my collectors’ hearts in that manner.” – Bob Acton

Brenda Banda Johnson Fine Art features a collection of bold, textured palette knife paintings that reach out from the canvas and invite you into the scenes they portray – both real and imagined. Every piece you find here is an original.  Brenda paints almost exclusively with large palette knives, and she finds vibrant and high-contrast colour palettes irresistible.  Brenda is based in Calgary, Alberta.

“With my palette knife and loads of acrylic paint and thick gel mediums, I attempt to capture the depth and textures of nature that intrigue me. I tend to use an “exaggerated” colour palette. The majority of my paintings are vibrant and exaggerated beyond what you’d literally see in nature, attempting to capture not just the visual image, but also its energy and life. The other extreme is subtle neutrals that are all about shadow, light and texture. I occasionally use a high gloss resin finish – sometimes in the traditional manner and sometimes very selectively to highlight certain elements of a painting. The result is a collection of highly textured pieces that reach out from the canvas and invite you into the scenes they portray.” – Brenda Banda Johnson