Undercut with Emotion: The Painting Portfolio of Bonnie Laird
When The Day Is Done, oil on board
Bonnie Laird is an oil painter who creates soft, blended images of landscapes, florals, and human figures. The artist’s works are undercut with emotion and tend to feature lone central figures on neutral or relatively unadorned backgrounds.
Woman with green background, oil on board
I really enjoy the mix of soft blending and fine detail that Bonnie achieves in her works. In many cases the artist…
A Portfolio of Text, Lettering, and Poetry by Rose Jackson Taylor
Rose Jackson Taylor is an artist and designer whose portfolio centres on text, lettering, and poetry. The artist’s current body of work includes linocut designs, rubber stamps, and chalk-based signs custom-made for various clients.
I enjoy the clean, sleek aesthetic of Rose’s work -- the artist’s calligraphy in combination with simple card stock and striking yet neutral colour schemes…
The Painting Portfolio of Michelle Marcotte
Three egg paintings of three eggs
Michelle Marcotte is a painter with a background in food science and styling. In her current artistic practice, Michelle uses oil paint to capture lush, sumptuous images of food, evoking the memories and emotions that food is so often tied to.
Be the one who lights candles against the darkness, oil on canvas
It’s really fantastic to be able to see all of Michelle’s artworks in series on her…
Quick-Sketch Aesthetic: Art by Jonathan Hertzel
Jonathan Hertzel is a painter and sculptor who works in a gestural, abstracted style. The artist’s works embrace a frenetic, quick-sketch aesthetic while suggesting all manner of figures and objects.
I really enjoy the recent paintings in Jonathan’s Inversions series -- the works here are reminiscent of early expressionist abstractions, using colour palettes that evoke wild bursts of energy and growth.…
The Tattoo Portfolio of Jessie Grant
Jessie Grant is a Kelowna-based tattoo artist who works out of The Sunroom tattoo studio. In her practice, Jessie works in colour and blackwork, producing custom permanent ink that reflects an illustrative visual style and a great attention to detail.
I’m impressed by the detail and line work in Jessie’s tattoos -- the majority of the projects in the artist’s current portfolio are larger works -- sleeves and…
Notions of Resilience: Film Art by Sarah Seené
Entre lune et balcon, 35mm film photograph, April 2020
Sarah Seené is a Montréal-based photographer and filmmaker. In her current practice, the artist explores notions of resilience in the face of mental and physical challenges. Sarah collaborates with the subjects of her photographs and film works, creating thoughtful, nuanced series on subjects like albinism, blindness, and other conditions.
A Portfolio of Photorealistic Illustrations by Dave Wishart
Dave Wishart is an artist and illustrator with an affinity for motorbikes and classic cars. In his artistic practice, Dave works primarily in traditional drawing media including ink and graphite, producing highly detailed and photorealistic illustrations of mechanical and automotive subjects, as well as realistic portraits of human faces and figures.
Browsing through Dave’s portfolio, it’s always…
Slice-of-Life Scenes: An Art Portfolio by Susan Kathryn Peck
Remembering Tom, oil on linen mounted to masonite
Susan Kathryn Peck is a self-taught artist who works primarily in oil paint, rendering landscapes, portraits, and idyllic slice-of-life scenes with equal skill and attention to detail. Based in Ontario, many of Susan’s works incorporate distinctive landscape elements that give the viewer a firsthand look at the artist’s environment.
I really enjoy the works in…
The Portfolio of Filmmaker and Video Artist Guillaume Vallée
Guillaume Vallée is an experimental filmmaker and video artist currently based in Montréal, Quebec. In his practice, Guillaume produces complex, psychedelically layered multimedia works that often incorporate analogue film techniques as well as deliberate glitches and physical interventions to the film media.
Il fait gris dans ta tête, tout à coup (still)
I really like the overall aesthetic of…
A Portfolio of Uniquely Contemporary Artworks by Amber Petersen
Hello Darkness, mixed acrylic medium on stretched canvas
Amber Petersen is a Canadian artist who lives and works between Toronto, New York, and BC’s Sunshine Coast. In her artistic practice, Amber is primarily a painter, utilizing a wild array of bright colours and illustrative stylistic choices to create uniquely contemporary artworks.
Birds of a Feather, mixed acrylic medium on stretched canvas
I really love Amber’s recent…
Diffuse Points of Light: The Art Portfolio of Dennis Ekstedt
Luna Park, 1903, oil on canvas
Dennis Ekstedt is a painter based in Montreal, Quebec. In his long-standing painting practice, Dennis works with light and shadow, capturing city sprawl as seen from far above, layering diffuse points of light over planes of dark, deeply saturated colour.
Luna Park, 1903 #4, oil on canvas
The basis for Dennis’ paintings are deep, saturated shades of blue, purple, and grey. The artist then uses points…
HeART Haven Studios: The Art Portfolio of Linnie Aikens
Linnie Aikens creates works in a variety of media for her HeART Haven Studios. The artist creates works for her personal portfolio in oil, acrylic, watercolour, and even ceramics and photography. Outside of her own personal practice, Linnie also teaches art to school-age children.
Afternoon Repose, oil on canvas
I really like the way that Linnie varies her stylistic choices to the advantage of whatever…
Between Organic and Technological: Art by Angela Britzman
Popeye, wood, aluminum, vinyl paint
Angela Britzman is a New York-based artist who works in sculpture and traditional two-dimensional media. The artist’s works, particularly her sculptures, toe the aesthetic line between organic and technological, taking a single base form as a starting point and exploring a vast range of media and materials.
It’s really interesting to browse through Angela’s…
Memory or Emotion: Art by Leslie Ann Lemieux
Up at Glacier Park, coloured pencil
Leslie Ann Lemieux is an artist and illustrator whose work takes the form of both observational landscapes and images from fantasy realms. Working primarily in watercolour and mixed media, Leslie captures a sense of dreamlike awe whether she’s painting from memory or emotion.
Imaginary Fears, mixed media on illustration board
I really enjoy the way that Leslie applies the watercolour medium in her…
Fantastic Favourites: Linda Lang, Bill Hayner, Colby Brewer
Today, let’s look inside the art practices of Linda Lang, Bill Hayner, and Colby Brewer. Working in paint, mixed media, and installation, these artists take very different approaches to their media and subjects, but all arrive at polished works that are equally evocative and visually engaging.
Colours of South Baffin, oil on canvas
Linda Lang is a painter and muralist who creates works of art depicting settings in…