Join us for conversations with artists and creatives across Canada. Inspiring, engaging and educational, the Conversation With Creatives Podcast aims to connect members of our creative community throughout their artistic journey.
In this episode of Living A Creative Life, we're taking time to recognize artist Gordon A. Smith Renowned Canadian artist Gordon A. Smith, co-founder of Artists for Kids, epitomised the idea that art is a gift. Painting until the age of 100, his lifelong dedication to creativity was a journey he generously shared throughout his career, leaving an indelible and far-reaching impact. To see more of Gordon A. Smith, visit: Equinox Gallery - The Estate Of Gordon Smith | Artist James Rottman Fine Art - Gordon Appelbe Smith Vancouver Art Gallery - Gordon Smith: The Black Paintings
We are thrilled to be introducing Shantel Miller in this episode of Living A Creative Life. Artist Shantel Miller is a Jamaican-Canadian visual artist known for her vibrant reimagined spaces that intricately depict pivotal moments in Black lives. In this episode of Living A Creative Life, we continue our theme of Materials At Work. To see more of Shantel Miller, visit Shantel-Miller.format.com
In this episode of Living A Creative Life, we were fortunate to speak with artist Shawn Hunt about our theme of Materials At Work. As an artist, Shawn taps into his imagination, as well as his Heiltsuk, Scottish, and French heritage to create utterly unique, surreal and sculptural artworks. Shawn prioritizes the flow state, preferring to utilize minimal materials that allow him to work more instinctively. To see more work from Shawn Hunt, visit ShawnHunt.net/
Emmett Sparling is a travel photographer and videographer, capturing engaging stories from his adventures around the world. In this episode of our Living A Creative Life series, you'll get insight into Emmett's creative process and career. He speaks about building careers with his peers, pushing boundaries, and translating photography into print at Opus.
Anong Migwans Beam, painter and founder of Beam Paints, is thoughtfully and methodically building her art practice and art materials business. Beam Paints (the business) is like a natural extension of Anong. The idea for the business came after sharing images of taking her two sons on rock/pigment gathering excursions. The positive response and interest online had Anong thinking about how she could share her handmade paints. In this episode of our Living A Creative Life series, you'll hear from Anong about her approach to combining traditional and modern knowledge, and the backstory of the Beam Paints business – all part of Anong's Creative Adventure.
To delve into this theme, we asked plein air oil painter Sheree Jones to share her insights on the exciting experiences of painting outdoors. Get inspired by the adventures Sheree has had, as she learned to take her art practice out of the studio and into the outdoors. Sheree is enthusiastic about the workshops she teaches, both locally and abroad.
Our theme at Opus for the upcoming summer is "Creative Adventure". To help launch our theme, we thought to explore the experience of plein air painting through artist Gaye Adams. In this video, she shares the excitement, inspiration and challenges faced when painting outdoors. Gaye is an enthusiastic plein air and landscape painter who is fascinated with catching the effects of light in her paintings. She teaches plein air workshops in Canada and internationally. - - - About our theme: Creative Adventure As we move into the Summer season, we're exploring the theme 'Creative Adventure' - a celebration of fresh air and fresh interactions in the artistic process. Being out in the open as well as coming together as a community can reinvigorate our spirits and spark our creativity. Whether we're Plein Air painting, sketching, photographing natural landscapes, exploring the world (through lens, pencil or brush) or creating site-specific installations, these shared experiences and the inspiration gathered from our surroundings are stepping stones towards the creation of something truly unique and meaningful. So let's get out there and fully immerse ourselves and interact with the outdoors. Let's connect with fellow creatives. Nurturing our spirits through these experiences will set us up for a memorable summer full of inspiration and creativity, enabling us to gain new perspectives, find inspiration, and appreciate our artistic pursuits more deeply.
Join us for a colourful conversation with artist James Wiens as he shares his insights into the world of art and the beauty of blooms. In this interview, James discusses his experience in the commercial art world and how it influences his approach to colour. He also shares his fascination with flowers and the intricacies of their design, which inspire his art. Discover the creative process behind James's stunning floral paintings and the techniques he uses to capture their vibrant colours and unique structures. Don't miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the world of art and the beauty of nature. This audio is from our video interview available online at www.OpusArtSupplies.com
Born and raised in S'olh Temexw, Artist Carrielynn Victor (Xémontalot) combines ancient and modern design principles to create murals, illustrations, and exhibition pieces. Her works offer insight into local history and stories, and feature elements from the natural world. LIVING A GREENER PRACTICE Artists have long been fascinated by and respectful of the planet we inhabit. Through the creative process, we have the power to promote environmentalism and make green initiatives a priority in cultural conversations. This April, we're diving into the myriad ways that artists can forge meaningful connections with nature and integrate sustainable practices into their artistic pursuits, while exploring diverse perspectives on the interplay between art and environmentalism. How does a connection to nature influence our work? What sustainable practices can we incorporate into our creative process? How can we use our platform as artists to promote environmentalism and inspire others to prioritise sustainability in their work and daily lives?
Artist and amateur lichenologist Natasha Lavdovsky is committed to continually deepen their understanding of anti-colonial theory and environmental stewardship. She utilizes salvaged and scavenged natural materials – to be returned in order to operate as ecologically responsibly as possible. LIVING A GREENER PRACTICE Artists have long been fascinated by and respectful of the planet we inhabit. Through the creative process, we have the power to promote environmentalism and make green initiatives a priority in cultural conversations. This April, we're diving into the myriad ways that artists can forge meaningful connections with nature and integrate sustainable practices into their artistic pursuits, while exploring diverse perspectives on the interplay between art and environmentalism. How does a connection to nature influence our work? What sustainable practices can we incorporate into our creative process? How can we use our platform as artists to promote environmentalism and inspire others to prioritise sustainability in their work and daily lives?
Artist Marcus Bowcott's works combine his landscape painting roots, sculpture, and a good measure of irony and humor. In his works, you'll find reflections of our society's often contradictory relationship with our natural environment. In this Artist To Artist video, he shares with us his thoughts of our theme of the month, "A Greener Practice." LIVING A GREENER PRACTICE Artists have long been fascinated by and respectful of the planet we inhabit. Through the creative process, we have the power to promote environmentalism and make green initiatives a priority in cultural conversations. This April, we're diving into the myriad ways that artists can forge meaningful connections with nature and integrate sustainable practices into their artistic pursuits, while exploring diverse perspectives on the interplay between art and environmentalism. How does a connection to nature influence our work? What sustainable practices can we incorporate into our creative process? How can we use our platform as artists to promote environmentalism and inspire others to prioritise sustainability in their work and daily lives?
Living A Creative Life Not all of us make a living selling art, but creativity is essential to everything we do. It can help us navigate the highs and lows of life, constantly bubbling beneath the surface of our thoughts and emotions. So, what can we learn from those who have dedicated their lives to their craft? Take the 80-year-old poet and painter who reflects back on a lifelong "addiction to art." Or the successful illustrator and muralist who confronts male violence towards women, yet didn't embark on her career until the age of 41. And what about the mixed media creator who not only balances her own work with running a community of artists, but who also grapples with the emotional impact of a deeply personal show? She explored her harrowing and unresolved IVF journey in the public domain. Their stories show that there is no one way to define a creative life. Each of us has a unique relationship with our art. Watch the full series for more at www.opusartsupplies.com
Living A Creative Life Not all of us make a living selling art, but creativity is essential to everything we do. It can help us navigate the highs and lows of life, constantly bubbling beneath the surface of our thoughts and emotions. So, what can we learn from those who have dedicated their lives to their craft? Take the 80-year-old poet and painter who reflects back on a lifelong "addiction to art." Or the successful illustrator and muralist who confronts male violence towards women, yet didn't embark on her career until the age of 41. And what about the mixed media creator who not only balances her own work with running a community of artists, but who also grapples with the emotional impact of a deeply personal show? She explored her harrowing and unresolved IVF journey in the public domain. Their stories show that there is no one way to define a creative life. Each of us has a unique relationship with our art. Watch the full series for more at www.opusartsupplies.com
Living A Creative Life Not all of us make a living selling art, but creativity is essential to everything we do. It can help us navigate the highs and lows of life, constantly bubbling beneath the surface of our thoughts and emotions. So, what can we learn from those who have dedicated their lives to their craft? Take the 80-year-old poet and painter who reflects back on a lifelong "addiction to art." Or the successful illustrator and muralist who confronts male violence towards women, yet didn't embark on her career until the age of 41. And what about the mixed media creator who not only balances her own work with running a community of artists, but who also grapples with the emotional impact of a deeply personal show? She explored her harrowing and unresolved IVF journey in the public domain. Their stories show that there is no one way to define a creative life. Each of us has a unique relationship with our art. Watch the full series for more at www.opusartsupplies.com
To start 2023, we want to reflect the untapped year. ‘I Wonder…' is a conversation starter, opening up the dialogue about art and techniques. It's an exploration of the creative process, including planning and development, to discover how we continue to renew, experiment and evolve. Celan Bouillet, Cody Lecoy and Paige Bowman are three artists we asked to consider how they got here and where they are going. What impact do they want to have and how will they achieve this? Mixed media painter and installation artist Celan Bouillet's upbringing in the American South influenced a love of spinning a good tale, textiles, and fantastical landscapes. At the start of the pandemic in early 2020, she moved to Vancouver with a newborn and three year old. Everything was shut down and we didn't know anyone - I was one of the artists that found it difficult to work. Celan explains how she navigated these trying times and the way they shaped her new collection of large body works, ‘Field Guide to Staying Lost.' An artist of Syilx (Sailx and Lekwung-en) ancestry, Cody Lecoy was born in Richmond, British Columbia in 1989. Most of his work is acrylic on canvas, using Northwest Coast formal design elements and surreal expressionism to create a visceral response that connects us to the environment. Before coming to art, Cody grappled with where he stood in the world. These days he feels part of a lineage, making work that is informed by shared values. My hope is that the art I make serves to show common ground where people can come together within subjects and concepts that affect all of us within this time period. Paige Bowman is an illustrator who is constantly inspired by the natural world. Their childhood growing up on the west coast enriched their upbringing with a passion for wildlife and the aesthetic of flora and fauna. It was a period of personal upheaval and artistic disillusionment in 2018, which opened up a new world of experimentation, colour and creative expression. I felt aligned, aligned more with my work than ever before. And I think I've just been kind of coasting off that since. Although they struggled through the pandemic, Paige's wheels have kicked up again and they share their passion for fostering creativity. What has your journey looked like and how will you continue to evolve through 2023? We'll be carrying on the conversation virtually through Artist Talks, where you'll have the chance to ask your questions to this podcast's panel, and engage in the dialogue around art and creativity.
Step into the studios of artists participating in the Eastside Culture Crawl. Get into the headspace of preparing for the open studios with Louise Solecki Weir, Girish Chandok, Tess Paul and Brandy Mars!
In this episode, we're further exploring the profound connection and relationship between artists and materials. Our guest artists Rande Cook, Alanna Sparanese, and Renee Nault each speak about their respective connections between art material and creative process. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a comment! This time, we'd love to hear what materials have opened new doors for you creatively. Was there a branching path in your art practice? What mediums did you use in the past that are the foundation for how you work now? Also, please like, subscribe, and share this Opus Art Supplies podcast with a friend!
In this Conversations with Creatives episode, we'll be discussing the profound connection and relationship between artists and materials. This time we are joined by artists Angela Fehr, Tiko Kerr, and Misako Flodin. We'll hear about the artists' connection to their mediums of choice – watercolour painting, mixed media, and oil pastel, respectively. If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a comment! We'd like to hear what kind of materials you are using in your own art practice. How did you choose your current medium, and how do your materials help you create the work that you want to create? Also, please like, subscribe, and share the podcast with a friend! – Artist Links @Angela Fehr Watercolour https://www.angelafehr.com – Instagram: @angelfehr Tiko Kerr http://www.tikokerr.com Instagram: @tikokerr – @Misako Flodin https://www.eydear.com Instagram: @misakoflodin Shop for art supplies online at Opus Art Supplies: https://opusartsupplies.com/ – Chapters: 0:00 Podcast Intro 1:03 Angela Fehr 10:28 Tiko Kerr 20:53 Misako Flodin 29:48 Podcast Outro
In this final episode of our current series, Conversations with Nature, we're joined by Charlie Easton, Andrea England, Ken Faulks, and D F Gray to discuss how to communicate landscapes in Plein Air.
From a homegrown oasis to the public park, gardens provide the lifeblood to private lives and local communities. In this episode, learn how artists Marney-Rose Edge, Ken Clarke, Paula Barrantes, and Anaïs Lera each employ a unique approach to art in the garden.
We're stepping outdoors and will be speaking with an exciting new range of artists about a myriad of subjects, including "A Greener Practice". How can artists' creating high impact artwork, reduce their impact on their environment with climate-friendly products and practices. Let's hear from artists,Valerie Arntzen, David Ellingsen, Gaye Adams, and Alex Stewart!
Opus Visual Podcast • Season 2, Episode 4. We've now reached the final episode manifesting your creative success. How do we realize our vision grow as artists and get our work out into the wider world? Featuring Zoë Pawlak, Sam Siegel, WKNDRS, and Colette Tan!
Opus Visual Podcast • Season 2, Episode 3 In this Opus Podcast, artists Cori Creed, Ian de Hoog, and Nikko Saturnus Mercialo share techniques they employ to develop and execute their vision, as well as their thoughts and tips on practicing. The artists tackle questions that we all face in our artistic journeys. What does it take to develop our vision, especially when contending with the constantly evolving reality? Can daily practice and routine ground us? What other tips can artists provide to help us navigate such rapid change? If you like our podcast please, subscribe & rate! :)
Opus Visual Podcast • Season 2, Episode 2. In our second of two Imagining Endless Possibilities podcast, artists Levi Nelson and Lauren Brevner speak about how art allows us to navigate transitions and re-imagine new, better futures. The Conversations With Creatives Podcast by Opus Art Supplies is available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Youtube, and more streaming platforms. Check out the artists featured in the episode: Levi Nelson http://levinelson.ca Lauren Brevner http://www.laurenbrevner.co
Opus Visual Podcast • Season 2, Episode 1. Exploring the Power of Art. Through art, we can express ourselves, our thoughts, and our feelings about the times and surroundings we're living in. Our first podcast looks at ways we can get in the right head space for creating this year, with artists Kari Kristensen and Lee James Abbott.
Checking in with Cool Arts, Vancouver Outsider Arts Festival, Artist for Kids and Langley Arts Council. Last year, we challenged you to help us raise $16,000. You smashed this goal. So we launched a second round. Turning to our community to choose where those extra funds went in the end, thanks to your overwhelming support, we managed to provide 1000 dollar opus gift cards to 23 local arts related organizations with 2021. Art brings us together program well underway. We thought it would be interesting to hear back from a few of those recipients and learn a bit more about the vital work they do and how the donation helped their organization.
Art Is A Gift It connects us, moves us and engages us, enhancing our lives and the lives of others. We hear from a group of artists participating in the 2021 East Side Culture Crawl on their take on art is a gift and their practice.
In this Opus Art Supplies Conversations With Creatives Podcast, we interviewed Alex Sandvoss, Odera Igbokwe, and Tyler Keeton Robbins about what Living a Creative Life means to them. Listen as they discuss their aim to bring positivity and happiness to the community around them, themselves, and the world at large.
This is a Conversation with Creatives podcast. We're currently exploring the theme living a creative life. In this second episode we're discovering what a creative life looks like for four career artists Alice Parmelee Rich, Emilie & Mike Fantuz and Preston Buffalo.
In this conversation with creatives, dive into the creative lives of four Emily Carr University of Art & Design graduates. Discover their creative journeys and what led them to a career in the arts. Featuring Alison Chan, Kirk Gower, Michelle Chan, Zandi Dandizette.
In this first ever long format version of our podcast, dive deeper into the creative process of these four Plein Air and Urban Sketching artists through our theme of Exploring the outdoors through art. This episode features Zandro Thumaliuan, Jose De Juan, Maria Josenhans, and Dominik Modlinski.
Opus Art Supplies explores the outdoors through art! In this episode of the Opus Visual Podcast, we hear from Maria Josenhans and Dominik Modlinski on why they choose to paint plein air and the process, thoughts, and trials that come with it. As we explore the outdoors, we explore our inner world!
Opus Art Supplies explores the outdoors through art! In this episode of the Opus Visual Podcast, we hear from Zandro Tumaliuan and Jose de Juan. As we explore the outdoors, we explore our inner world.
Listen to the new podcast featuring conversations with three FCA artists and past winners of the FCA On The Edge Exhibition on how going beyond boundaries helps them grow and the value they find in entering juried exhibitions.
We're continuing to explore the final stages of the creative process with artists Steve Chmilar and Blythe Scott, and artist consultant Pennylane Shen.
Our journey through the creative cycle continues and we've arrived at the last steps. So what do we do with the art we've made? In this visual podcast, we explore how our guests found their artistic voices, learned to get comfortable with self-promotion, and more. We're speaking with Janna Yotte, Jean Paul Langlois, Nicholas Tay, and Pennylane Shen
Listen as 3 artists reveal refreshing takes on the universal frustrations artists experience and why they're necessary for our growth. Practice adds power to our creating by toning our creative muscles and exercising our vision around what we want to put out into the world. This episode features conversations with Mandy Boursicot, Zoe Is, and James Harry.
Continuing our exploration of the Creative Cycle. After, Re-imagining and Experimentation, what's the next step? Practice, practice, practice! In this visual podcast, we get to hear from four artists on what the idea of practice means to their creative endeavours and what it looks like in their studios. Featuring Mandy Boursicot, Amy J Dyck, Eric Louie, and David Tabatabaei.
With our focus on Re-Imagining and Experimentation this January, we want to know how different artists approach and set their creative pursuits in motion, and deal with their inner critic along the way. We speak with Danielle Krysa, Sandrine Pellisier, Thompson Brennan, Jane Kenyon, and Shawn Hunt to ask them about their processes for dealing with self-doubt and their inner critic, and their steps to get started with the next project or experimentations with something entirely new.
In this episode we are exploring the different ways artists are realizing their creative endeavours. It can be hard to make art your living but these art leaders are making it happen. During these evolving times, the pursuit of creative endeavours, professional and recreational, can enrich our lives. When we produce something fresh and unique through any form of art, it offers a sense of self-worth and purpose. Now more than ever we should reflect on our next creative moves.
In the second instalment of Opus Creative Lives, we hear from Leah Pipe, Roy Henry Vickers and Michelle Stoney, all participants in the creation of the mural The Return, located in Old Hazelton, BC in the heart of Gitxsan territory. They share a vision of the artist's role in healing and moving societies forward, navigating obstacles from social crisis through to pandemic, with stories of the past and hopes for the future.
North Vancouver artist Ross Penhall is always looking for a fresh perspective to capture. Take a listen to our podcast interview where Penhall discusses his fascination with light and shadow and the way landscapes lead the eye.
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