Artists and Artisans of Imagine That!

Fabric and Fibre

	Tina Bonkowski Ladysmith Tina Bonkowski makes a beautiful variety of accessories for your kitchen. Her fabric choices are fabulous. Tea cozies, wraps for your French press coffee-maker, hot pads, cell phone purses, and more.
	Katie Daniel Lake Cowichan I first learned to sew after Santa brought me a tiny working Singer sewing machine when I was about seven years old. I began making rag rugs 35 years ago, inspired by those that used to be in the kitchen at my grandparents' farm. I crochet mine and recycle or re-purpose fabrics to create them. I also make aprons for children and adults, as well as other fabric projects.
	Sandra Greenaway www.sandragreenaway.com Duncan Sandra's creations are a blend of contemporary and vintage fabrics, piecing techniques, an artful eye and couture sewing. She is inspired by traditional Japanese kimono design to create garments with elements of that tradition - simple lines, quilting, piecing of fabrics, and creative use of colour and texture. Sandra has an Arts degree and trained in apparel design, pattern drafting and tailoring at the University of Manitoba.
	Sandra Holmes Cobble Hill There seems no limit to the variety of garments and accessories created by Sandra Holmes. She uses a fantastic array of fabrics and embellishments to bring her pieces to life. From jackets and scarves, to purses and tote bags, to serviettes, placemats, and table runners – you will find something special in her collection.
	Janet McDonald janetmcdonaldart.com Nanaimo Painter Janet McDonald works primarily in oils. She takes her original images, prints them on fabric, and creates lovely pillows. “My love of the natural world and of creating art started as a child and have grown and converged into my life’s mission: to help our natural world one art piece at a time! Highlighting the beauty that surrounds us, the deep affect the natural world has on us as human beings and the critical need to protect our environment are all integral to my artwork now more than ever.”
	Dana Pennington DCP Designs.com Salt Spring Island An evolving collection of hats from the west coast of Canada, hats by DCP Designs cover you in rain, sun, even a little snow.
	Carole Smith Salt Spring Island Unique purses made from 90% up-cycled fabrics is the trademark of Carole. She prefers natural fibers, such as wool, cotton, and linen. She loves fabric of any kind and has been collecting for years.
	Lorraine Taylor Chemainus Lorraine Taylor’s hand painted silk scarves are one of a kind. A life-long, and mostly self-taught crafter, Lorraine enjoys the endless possibilities of this beautiful art form using paints, dyes and techniques that allow her to play with colours that move about on the soft silk cloth to produce beautiful vibrant scarves.
	Nancy Wesley NancDesigns.ca Duncan Nancy creates felted creatures and composes felting kits that include all the elements needed for you to create a selection of her projects. “I feel that turning wool into felt is a little bit like magic. I felt all the time and joke about being addicted to it. Hand-dyeing all my felting wool is one of my favourite parts of the process. I’m sure my neighbours wonder what I’m up to, stirring steaming cauldrons of dyestuffs in my yard.”.
	Dave Woodall HartleyHillsFarm.com Duncan I like playing with wool. I like the way it feels, the way it smells. I like the way it speaks to me, of how sometimes I seem to have so little control over what it becomes. I am constantly amazed at how a two-dimensional process can develop texture and depth. I love the excitement of getting a fleece and unrolling it, touching the fibres - planning out what I will do with it - as the wool tells me what it wants to be. I make stuff that you can walk on, that you can wear, that you can wash, and that you can use every day. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. This is my work. Enjoy.

Glass

	Gail Hook Nanaimo Gail is accomplished in a variety of genre, but an enduring passion is her work with glass. Her fused glass creations highlight her expertise in floral motifs, and include night lights, tea light holders, hanging panels, and art cards which feature a detachable hanging ornament.
	Hazel Galey Parksville Stained glass work by Hazel Galey often includes found objects and three-dimensional pieces of glass. The feeling of each piece is as if you took a lovely stroll on the beach, and what you discovered was captured in glass.
	Ted Jolda Ted Jolda Glass Cedar Ted Jolda was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada and has been a glass artist since 1985. While convalescing following a traumatic injury, Ted discovered his passion for glass and went on to pursue studies at the Sheridan School of crafts and design. Now one of Canada's best known glass artists, Ted currently blows glass in his own studio, and shows in his own cottage gallery, nestled in a beautiful country garden in Cedar, BC.
	Joyce Leroux Facebook Joyce Leroux Duncan Joyce creates stained glass hangings, both small and large. "I enjoy the whole process from designing the pattern to choosing which glass I’m going to use and then putting the whole project together. The end product is always a surprise. There’s always a new piece of glass to be found that inspires you to create something new. The options are endless."
	Veronica Scott veronicascottmosaics.ca Duncan Veronica makes a variety of mosaics. “The act of transforming little pieces of disparate glass into a 'painting' strikes me as magic. Stained glass offers a glorious colour palette and an equally wide range of textures. I am especially drawn to the reflective nature of glass, the way it creates movement and a feeling of aliveness.”
	Suzanna Weimer Cinderellasglass.ca Duncan Suzanna Weimer is a small batch glass artist in Courtenay who draws her inspiration from the whimsical side of life. She selects playful colours that invoke happy nostalgia to compose her works. Patterns, texture, and surface decoration inspire her.

Jewellery

	Linda Campbell Facebook Flow Gallery Designs Ladysmith Through her studio Flow Gallery Designs, Linda creates wearable art from paint pour artwork. First she creates the artwork, then use pieces of the canvas to create unique wearable art.
	Julian Jay Duncan Birds of a feather flock together, and Julian Jay creates lovely earrings featuring many birds of Vancouver Island, including hummingbirds, quail, loons, owls, and more. Also among the collection are bees, ladybugs, and butterflies.
	Susan Koch www.SusanKoch.ca Duncan As a child, one of Susan's favourite games was playing on the beach at the family cabin on Galiano Island. Surf-tumbled sea glass, weathered crockery, and pleasing stones were set up on drift wood and sandstone. These elements are still her favourite gemstones, and they are incorporated into jewellery using traditional silversmithing techniques.
	Laurie A. McDonald Instagram Laurie A. McDonald Victoria Laurie creates jewellery that is influenced by shapes, textures, colours, and cultures from her life travels and experiences.
	Susan Jean Whyte Crofton Susan takes impressions from the bark of Vancouver Island's trees. Then she makes molds from the trees and uses these molds to create the textures that she designs her jewelry around. The designs are kept simple, to keep the textures as the main focal point. Fine silver, copper and bronze are used together to add color and interest. Patinas on the metals transform the surfaces to mimic the wood.

Painting

	Carol Borrett WestCoastWatercolour.com Duncan Carol Borrett paints in watercolours and acrylics out of her home studio in Maple Bay on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Much of her inspiration comes from her travels around Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Her award-winning paintings are realistic and reveal her fascination with water, boats and reflections. Her work captures the varied moods of the coastal area and way of life with a unique perspective.
	Maureen Coles www.maureencoles.ca Crofton The North Shore of Vancouver Island has been inspiring to Maureen, from the roar of the ocean to the calm quiet of our forests. She finds joy and peace in our natural community. Because of her lifelong vision impairment, her subject choices emphasize strong contrasts in values, shapes and colours. Painting en plein aire has become an increasingly inspiring and exciting experience for her. Being outdoors, even if it’s in your own backyard, opens the senses to the feelings of the world around you.
	Michael Dean michaeldeanart.com Ladysmith Artist Michael Dean captures the history and spirit of Vancouver Island in his realistic impressions of working coastal vessels, forests, and beach scenes. Using both watercolours and oils, Michael’s paintings are well-known for their finely crafted details.
	Laurel Hibbert roundwomanstudio.ca Duncan Laurel’s work is remarkable for its vibrant colour and for its story telling quality. It is illustrative, whimsical, and captures moments in time. Looking at her work invites the viewer to ask what has just happened, or what is about to happen. Most of her work has a joyful quality. She paints from her imagination and from deep memory.
	Jennifer Lawson jenniferlawsonart.com Duncan Jennifer Lawson is a Cowichan Valley ‘plein air’ painter, absorbed in natural wonders. She paints in watercolour on pure rag paper. The ephemeral beauty of this medium is intensified by her refreshing impressionism and delightful imagery. For her, the thrill of painting is about the beauty of translating feelings with brushstrokes of colour.
	Cheryl Painter cpainterartist.ca Duncan Born and raised in the beautiful Cowichan Valley, a career as an artist always seemed to be in the cards for Cheryl. Her schooling included time at the University of Victoria and the Victoria College of Art. She then attended Capilano College, receiving a diploma in Graphic design. After a successful career in that field, Cheryl focused on raising a family. During that endeavour, she would resume what would ultimately be her calling – painting. Amidst the Cowichan Valley’s pristine beauty, she is constantly inspired by her surroundings.
	Christine Reimer christinereimer.ca Victoria Christine has lived all her life on Canada’s awe-inspiring west coast, and her deep love of nature has infused her art with its hues, textures, forms, and vitality. Her work is noted for her bold use of colour and strong brushwork, and over her journey as an artist, her work has evolved to express the life force and mysteries of nature in new ways.

Photography

	Stuart Clarke Facebook Stuart Clarke Shawnigan Lake A wildlife photographer living on beautiful Vancouver Island for the past 20 years, Stuart goes on amazing adventures in search of all sorts of birds and animals. His images appear on cards, placemats, mugs, and posters.
	Doug Gormican Chemainus Doug Gormican observes his natural surroundings with a photographer’s eye to detail, and his images often capture up close and personal views of the natural world. His art cards feature such delights as hummingbirds at play in a sprinkling of water, owls and eagles at rest or in flight, garden flowers in their vibrant colourful beauty.
	Lana McQueen Duncan As an amateur photographer, my motivation lies in capturing “our amazing home.” Photography is an important tool, to remind us of the beauty and life that surrounds on a daily basis. It not only captures memories but sheds light on those things that ultimately share our home. Photography can bring to ones' mind an awareness of the fragility and yet tenacious force of nature.
	Richard Schick Shawnigan Lake Richard first starting his photography career in 1970. Since then he has taken thousands of images, some of which have appeared in magazines, books, brochures, posters and book covers.

Enameling

Margot Page www.margotpage.com Duncan Margot enamels on copper and steel. Her process involves drawing images such as mammals, birds, and the exotica of faraway places on the metal, sifting fine coloured silicates on to the surface, firing the work in a hot kiln and then mounting the artwork on chosen surfaces, glass vases and journals.

Pottery

	Brenda Donn Cobble Hill Potter Brenda Donn creates a great selection of functional pieces. Lots of mugs, handy little baking dishes, French butter keepers, bowls for your winter soup, and more. An avid gardener, you will often find natural inspiration in her work through colour and surface ornamentation.
	Hilary Huntley www.trialbyfirepottery.ca Cowichan Bay Hilary Huntley has been a potter since 1996. She began to develop her craft while serving as a firefighter in Alberta. She shifted careers, moved to Vancouver Island in 2006, and now sells her beautiful and extraordinarily functional pottery in several galleries, online, and at a studio farm stand in Cowichan Bay.
	Christina Lindstrom Nanaimo Originally from Sweden, Christina Lindstrom makes Nanaimo her home. Her pottery is beautiful and practical, and she creates a variety of items including dishes, bowls, mugs, and serving pieces.
	Sandi Madsen Victoria Sandi creates pottery, mixed media paintings, silver jewellery, and fabric art. She aspires to create unique items that bring charm and inspire a sense of magic. Sandi hopes that others see in the final work something meaningful and joyful that they welcome into their homes, as part of daily life or to give as a special gift.
	Patti McNeice www.popclayart.com Cowichan Bay Patti McNeice is a self-taught ceramic assemblage artist. When not up to her elbows in clay, she works fulltime as a Nurse. She is the owner of Passion Over Principles Clay Art (POP Clay Art), a home-based ceramic studio. Patti creates one-of-a-kind eclectic functional or sculptural pieces out of a mixture of glass, clay, wood, metal, and fabric fragments.

Art Cards

	Valerie Gilbert Facebook Valerie Gilbert Coquitlam Valerie has lived and traveled in many locations, but when she settled back in Canada in 2009 she began iris folding card making on an almost full-time basis. She now creates a number of her own designs, often from customer requests. She uses papers from around the world and enjoy creating unique, one-of-a-kind cards and framed art.
	Jillian Kondrat Ladysmith The line of art cards I produce begins through the process of pressing flowers and plants, using them to create floral designs, aptly named ‘Floral Tapestries’. This process has evolved over the past several years. Wanting to capture their freshness and beauty, I turned to the computer and developed skills which allowed me to do just that. I am constantly inspired by what I find in both my own gardens and those of friends and continue to enjoy the challenge of creating new designs.
	Tracy Lewis Duncan After working as an animator and teaching animation for many years, Tracy now creates a line of whimsical greeting cards.

Books

Danielle Lyon daniellelyon.com Duncan Author Danielle Lyon has written “Orange Cat,” a fantasy adventure story for children in the middle grades. Danielle has an Education Degree specializing in the middle grades and has always been interested in writing adventure stories that capture the imagination and fun of growing up. .

Candlemaking

Carolyn Morris Mill Bay Carolyn makes beeswax candles from handmade molds. She has specialty candles for each season from hearts and roses to Christmas trees and snowmen, as well as classic tapers and tealights.

Metalworks

Renae Lehmann Victoria / Birkin Together with her partner Rosalyn Stanton, Renae Lehmann brings you indoor-outdoor metal art pieces. Each piece is hand made. Rosalyn Stanton does all the cutting of the metal, Renae Lehmann finishes the raw pieces to create the rust and painted designs.

Papier Mâché

Robin Millan Nanaimo Robin uses a variety of media to create her work. She often uses papier-mâché to create three- dimensional animals. Her love of paper and glue began back in grade school and has endured and grown through the years. Flour and water have been replaced with industrial adhesives and hardeners – but newspaper is still often used in the preliminary stages. Armatures are made from just about anything to create the necessary form. Inspiration comes from everything. She also paints and keeps people chuckling with her humorous art card series.

Woodworking

	Robert Andrews Mayne Island Robert Andrews creates beautiful hand-crafted boxes from selected hardwoods found on Mayne Island. His boxes are finished in a variety of ways: a smooth velvety touch on the exterior, a superb use of live edge features, or a special colour enhancement.
	Heather Craig Nanaimo Heather works with a very tiny scroll saw to create the designs she features on her lidded wooden boxes, bookmarks, and necklaces. The designs feature aspects of our Island life including birds, animals, and shoreline scenes. She also makes intricate three-dimensional tree ornaments. She has written several instructional articles about her work for “Canadian Woodworking.”
	Ralph Erickson Parksville Personal, eccentric, highly original, both utilitarian and decorative. All of these describe what is popularly known as folk art. The work often comes from old cultural traditions, but today’s artists create contemporary folk art, and Ralph Erickson is a master of the genre. His collection of birds and beasts is legendary and always carries a witty sense of play along with it.
	Terry Foote Chemainus For the past 40+ years, I’ve had the privilege of working in the BC forestry industry, where I’ve specialized in salvaging waste timber. Throughout this time, I’ve carefully selected and stored unique pieces of wood, each prized for its natural beauty. When transformed into furniture or other wooden creations, these pieces showcase the artistry of nature, offering a timeless connection to the natural world. My passion for woodworking began at a very young age, working alongside my father on various projects – a love for the craft that I still enjoy today in retirement.
	Rod Garbutt Shawnigan Lake As far back as I can remember I’ve had an affinity for trees and wood. Growing up in Maple Bay on Vancouver Island the forest was my back yard and playground. I’d always dabbled with woodwork, but it wasn't until I turned 50 that I discovered wood turning. It has been a passion ever since. I’ve experimented with most native hard and softwood species with emphasis on Pacific yew, broadleaf maple, arbutus, and Garry oak. I specialize in salad bowls and serving platters. Each piece is finished with a food safe walnut oil.
	Jake Humphrey pacificwoodworks.wixsite.com Duncan Jake Humphrey’s motto is “designed by nature, crafted by hand.” He creates one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, charcuterie boards, and kitchen accessories from locally sourced wood, using the natural racks and fissures that form as wood dries, and the natural colours of each wood to enhance the designs.
	Ariel Rojas Ladysmith Ariel Rojas creates fantastic bird houses with his carvings as the front panel. One of these would make a fantastic addition to your garden landscape.
	Antho Santarossa Duncan Antho's creations include bowls from tiny ones to large salad bowls. Some vessels feature live edges, and many are comprised of hundreds of skillfully assembled pieces of various woods. He has a love of wood because no two pieces are ever exactly the same. He visualizes a shape in some of the most unusual parts of a tree. He reclaims or salvages wood whenever and wherever he can.
	Andre St. Cyr stcyrwoodcreations.ca Duncan A school teacher for 33 years, throughout his career he created beautiful wooden products and honed his woodworking skills. Now retired, he is able to spend more time in his shop. Andre prefers to work with unique pieces of wood with colour variation, figure, and bird’s eye.
	Bud Wilke Cowichan Bay Bud creates beautiful pens, plus special small wooden projects at Christmas, such a mice and snow men.

Salad Bowl Wax

Clapham’s Beeswax Products Saltspring Island This beeswax-based preparation is highly recommended by our wood turners. Rubbed periodically onto the surfaces of your bowl, bread board, cutting board, charcuterie board, or utensils, the wax keeps your wooden piece in fine form.

Soaps/Bath Salts

Rene Harris Nanaimo Renee makes a tantalizing array of bath salts, perfectly scented to bring some comfort and joy to your bath.

Melva Geldreich Duncan The products of The Soap Garden include approximately twenty different kinds of goat milk soaps, shampoo, and shave bars (without goat milk).This small soap company began almost fifty years ago, and the recipes are tried and true. As a result of this strong base, combinations of full bodied, light, airy, earthy, strong, citrus, spring-like – ALL are unique and appealing to someone’s nose. I am always intrigued and fascinated by each soap maker’s interpretations of scents.