Artist CV

I am a self-taught artist with a varied experience in the arts community over the last 40 years. In the 1980s, I worked at a sign and display company in all aspects of the business from display design, fabrication and installation. I worked on large scale installations such as Disney, Expo 86, Edmonton Space Science Centre, Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, John Janzen Nature Centre, Travel Alberta and many more. In the 1990’s, I worked with the Edmonton First Night Festival, the Citadel Theatre Teen & Children’s festivals. I was Marketing Coordinator for the Works Festival & PR manager for Art Evo gallery in City Centre Mall in 1992. In 1991, I formed the Blue Collar Art Company with 2 artist friends and we produced sculptural furniture and specialty store fixtures for 2 years. During this time, I also produced & recorded 3 cd’s; designed numerous cd covers and websites; and filmed & edited 2 music videos which aired on MuchMusic.

After moving to Calgary in 1993, I began to focus more on painting while continuing to produce sculptural steel work in conjunction with several glass artists. Our work was sold in 3 or 4 galleries in Calgary. I returned to Edmonton in 1995 to help run the family business and did not produce much art. In 2013, I began painting seriously again with a renewed joy. I have become an advocate and social media promoter for artists and art. I am a strong believer in the power of art to improve people’s lives.

In 2016, I was the founder of the #artforYMMHelps auctions to raise money for the Red Cross Fort McMurray fire relief. 24 artists from around the world donated 28 pieces of original art and raised over $18,000 for relief efforts. During the pandemic, I held several print sale events which raised over $10,000 for local and regional charities including Bent Arrow Society, Bissell Centre, No Period Without, Islamic Family and Social Services Association, Bear Clan Beaver Hills House, Skipping Stone, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, the Black Solidarity Fund, Win House and the John Humphrey Centre,

In, 2015, I was the creator of the Twitter event #artAdventCalendar which encouraged artists to post original art for 25 days in December. Over 20 Edmonton artists participated and the hashtag had over a million impressions. In 2023, 773 artists from all over the world participated posting over 12,000 images which resulted in almost 100,000 interactions on Twitter and Mastodon, over 25,000 contributors and close to 300,000,000 potential impressions for over 40,000,000 social media users.

In 2017, I created Turbulent Skies: A Collaborative Art Project Featuring Painting, Photography and Storms. For this project, I worked with 6 regional storm chaser photographers and accompanied each of them on a storm chase in the summer of 2017. Post chase, we chose a photograph that was iconic of that particular chase and then I interpreted each of these photographs on a large (60×44″ 152×112 cm) canvas. The project culminated in a show at Edmonton’s Udell Gallery in 2018. This show consisted of the paintings accompanied by the photographs that inspired them and text of my “chase blog” which recounted my experience of each chase. There was also a multimedia Storm Room which had sounds and video of storms running on a loop. The show was well attended and was held over for 2 weeks.

In 2022, I was the Artist in Residence for the UK based Cloud Appreciation Society for their Aurora Sky Holiday tours at Blachford Lake Lodge, Blachford Lake, Northwest Territories. During this time I held painting workshops for tour guests which had an 85% participation rate.

In 2023, I opened EarthSkyArt Studio and Gallery in Edmonton.

Awards/Nominations

2016 Alberta Foundation for the Arts 25 Influential Alberta Artists from the past 25 years.
http://affta.ab.ca/AFA25/Artists/All-Nominated-Artists

Membership

Federation of Canada Artists 2020 Member

Residencies

Cloud Appreciation Society (UK) Aurora Sky Holiday, Blachford Lake, NT Sept-Oct 2022

Touring Shows

Forward Under Shared Skies (with Dawn Marie Marchand)
- Lakeland Credit Union, Bonnyville, AB, 2020
- Bluehorse Gallery, 2021
- Smoky Lake Inn, 2022 – Present
Convection
- Akokiniskway Gallery Rosebud, AB April-May 2018
- VASA Gallery St. Albert July 2018
- Udell Xhibitions Edmonton September 2018 (as part of the Turbulent Skies show)

Solo Shows/Exhibitions

The Carrot Arts Coffeehouse – “Elements” Oct 2019
Udell Gallery – “Turbulent Skies – A Collaborative Art Project Featuring Painting, Photography and Storms!” Edmonton Sept. 15 – Oct 21, 2018
Reset Wellness – Whyte Avenue, Edmonton April 28 – Jul 28 2017
Remedy Cafe on 124^th December 1-31 2016
Alcove Gallery, Jubilee Auditorium: “Buffalo Lake Skies” Jun 15-Aug.2 2016
Jake’s Gallery – “Sun and Earth” September 12 – October 8 2016
The Carrot Arts Coffeehouse – “SDO Project” June 27-July31 2016
Gallery at Milner: “Alberta: Of Earth and Sky” Jan. 2-30, 2016
Pop Up Art Show Oct 7 2015

Group Shows/Exhibitions

Federation of Canadian Artists Fall Show Sept 23-Nov 30 2020
The Art of Planetary Science, University of Arizona Nov 15-17 2019
Strathearn Art Walk: September 2016, 2017
Spruce Grove Art Walk: August 2017
Edmonton Art Walk, July 2016, 2017
Night Of Artists St. Albert March 2017
124 Street Holiday heART Pop Up Gallery Dec 2016
Rooted, Devonian Gardens July 2016
Geo-Intuition – Lotus Gallery, Edmonton, April 15-May27 2016
Opening Show – Lotus Gallery, Edmonton, March 15- April 12 2016
Art from the Unknown, Edmonton October 23-25, 2015

Public Art Installations and Events

Set art for RealTalk with Ryan Jespersen Nov. 2020 – March 2022
The Works Festival – The Cipher Live Painting July 2019
U of Calgary Rothney Observatory, Open House Public Talk: “Science, Art and the Sky”, May 2019
Images Camera Club, Edmonton – Turbulent Skies Talk April 2019
Astral Harvest Festival – Live Painting Showcase Artist July 2016, 2017, 2019
Shaw Conference Centre Community Arts Program, Edmonton April 2017 – 2018
Deep Freeze Festival – Public Chalk Art, January 2017, 2019
Beakerhead – Calgary Sept 2017
Live Painting – Gallery At Milner Every Saturday of January 2016
Live Painting & Paint Nights – Lotus Gallery, 2016
Chalk It Up on 118 Festival – Public Chalk Art July 2016, 2017
Paint Night – Stone’s Throw Café, Blairmore, AB July 2016
Kaleido Festival – Public Chalk Art, September 2016
“See It Live: mural – 17×40 ft 121st & 120st at 109ave, Edmonton September, 2015 (permanent)
“In Good Hands” mural ID Art – City of Ft. Saskatchewan/Shell Scotford, 2015 (permanent)

Charity Painting Donations

“Winter Solstice at White Sands” March 2015, Rock n’ Robes Gala for YESS.Org
“Sunset on the North Saskatchewan” May 2015, Fire & Ice Gala for ZebraCentre.ca
“Prairie Fire”, #ArtForYMMHelps Ft. McMurray wildfire relief auction
“After the Storm” May 2016, Rock n’ Robes Gala for YESS.Org & FreeFootie
“View From The Pass”, August 2016, Hummingbird Gala, Alberta Diabetes Foundation

Turbulent Skies Project Media

CTV Edmonton: Artist Capturing Alberta Skies on Canvas

http://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1188199&binId=1.1203428&playlistPageNum=1

Global Edmonton: A local artist is combining his love of painting with his love of weather.

https://www.facebook.com/GlobalEdmonton/videos/10154672430660927/?hc_ref=ARR7DbWBMA8UFcaWKstj1I7xS2HyY-0mO-VKJl3CYt9rZIVeQJVJWcQ3RHBw0g43zTg

CBC Edmonton: Edmonton painter captures perfect storms on canvas

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/edmonton/storm-chasing-painting-photography-alberta-edmonton-1.4235582

CBC News Network (National): Storm chasers, painter make incredible storm art

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxtE7_9bnxY

Sonic 102.9: Meet the Local Artist Turning Alberta Storms into Art

http://www.sonic1029.com/2017/08/06/74149/

EdmontonAM Radio Interview: Storm Chasers