Our 2025 Artists: K-Z
Karen BlickerKaren uses acrylics and other mediums to create abstract artwork that inspires joy and a sense of peacefulness. Her goal for each painting is to engage, delight and uplift the viewer. She has been described as a colourist, and enjoys mixing her own custom colours and experimenting with different styles and techniques.
Karen grew up in Montreal but has lived in Winnipeg since 2001. She rediscovered her passion for creating art when she left her job as a lawyer and policy analyst in 2014 for more creative endeavors. Her paintings have been sold throughout Canada and the United States. Karen's Instagram |
Karen SmithKaren Smith of Winnipeg, has worked with glass for 40 years. Glass can have infinite variations through the artist’s techniques, use of colour, depth and firings. Multiple effects can be accomplished before, during and after firing. Some pieces are fired up to 10 times to achieve a desired outcome.
The translucency of glass is explored by layering transparent colours over one another to achieve a more complicated vibrancy. Incorporating opaque glass allows the viewer to appreciate the level of depth in the art. Karen designs and makes a range of tactile decorative fused glass which is functional, contemporary and complements most interiors. Every piece offers something different – drawing the eye and enhancing a room. Karen's Instagram Karen's Facebook |
Kathleen BlackKathleen was fortunate to be allowed to draw and paint on the walls as a child. She is comfortable in many mediums - acrylic, oil, encaustic, fabric, jewelry, glass sculpture, and pate de verre. It is the strength and beauty of people and the prairies that inspires her. Her work expresses an overwhelming interest in time and mortality. Time of day, time of life, how little or great the time. She continuously works on developing new and creative techniques -- such as merging her love of painting and glass. Her current series gives extinct maps new life and explores the history of the north as well as the changing climate.
Kathleen holds a BFA from the University of Manitoba and has furthered her studies in glass at the Alberta College of Art and Design and Red Deer College. Kathleens Website Kathleens Instagram |
Lucas KostLucas is a young professional wood sculptor from Winnipeg who creates a variety of works ranging from wall hanging relief carvings, to large scale human and animal figurative sculpture. Working from sustainably harvested materials (usually found wood) he aims to capture a sense of a living internal presence in each piece. This is done through careful observation and interaction with life models. Lucas is fortunate to be one of very few North American artists to have studied the traditional Italian methods of sculpting the human figure in wood. Lucas' Instagram Lucas' Website |
Margaret SwitalaMargaret had her mind set on becoming a full time artist at age of fifteen when she won her first provincial students art award. She has attended Red River College (Advertising Art) as well as intermediate/advanced painting lessons under Wanda Koop. She worked as a graphic designer/illustrator for many years before returning to painting full time.
Her preferred medium is oil paints, but on occasion dabs in pastels and mixed media. She is known for her surrealism paintings as she likes thinking outside the box and creating paradoxes and riddles. Margaret also enjoys traditional still life, flowers and prairie scenes, as she is inspired by beauty and bold colours everywhere. Margaret's Website Margaret's Instagram Margaret's Facebook |
Maria GivnerMaria is an established, graduated artist and illustrator working in a wide range of media from digital art to collages and acrylic paintings.
In her art she applies to the cultural legacy of humankind, but on the contemporary level – by mixing old symbols with the new ones or by placing them in a new environment that provides them with a new meaning. Originally born in Russia, she lived in Israel for many years until finally moved to Canada. While living in countries with a multicultural background she realized that the best key to understanding other people and to connect with them is to learn about their historical roots and their culture. You will see 3 different series of works - collages on cardboard, acrylic paintings of flowers on canvas and prints of digital paintings of Canadian iconic animals on canvases. The diversity of subjects and styles will provide the viewer with a better understanding of her art. Maria's Website Maria's Instagram Maria's Facebook |
Melissa MillerMelissa is a Brandon-based mixed media artist. Her recent focus has been studying the combination of abstract and realism within one piece. Abstract art has been a passion of Melissa's for many years. She enjoys the freedom of expression in painting loose abstracts. Her more recent study into rendering subjects in a more realistic manner has elevated her work and the growth she's seen has been truly inspirational. The challenge of combining the two has been a journey of self discovery that she plans to continue delving into. Melissa uses both acrylic and oil paint, as well as a variety of other mark making tools.
Her wish is for her art to inspire uplifting, peaceful feelings in others. She desires to spread the message that art is for everyone! She believes there is a type of art out there for every person and enjoys helping others find art that brings joy, intrigue and enrichment into their lives. Melissa' s Instagram |
Melodie MeakinGrowing up in the Eastman area, Winnipeg artist Melodie Dawn Meakin followed in her mother’s footsteps with a love for drawing. Surrounded all her life by lush forests, lakes and rivers, it is easy to see how nature’s beauty inspired her to expand her range to create with a variety of mediums including alcohol inks, acrylic and resin.
She uses that inspiration to produce original abstract artwork that is bold and beautiful. Each work of art will anchor your décor and add the finishing touch to your space. Melodie's Website |
Michael Beaudry (Mad Mike Studio68)Mad Mike Studio68 is the creative home for the fabrication of functional art works by Canadian Michael Beaudry. A Mechanic & Firefighter, with a love of tinkering & an affinity for robots, his scrapyard finds include vintage tin, metal parts & gears from broken machinery, automobiles & tractors. Each piece is carefully selected for its unique shape, style, & potential for movement, welded together & transformed into striking original works of functionality, creativity, & endless imagination.
Michael's Instagram Michael's Website Michael's TikTok |
Michelle BlackmonMichelle's plein air paintings and still lifes include amazing effects of light and shadows and colours that she sees in everyday life and in her imagination. Feel the passion and excitement in each brush stroke with the thick layers of oil paint. Her collectors enjoy her representation of local landscapes within urban surroundings and the hidden beauty in common objects around us as seen through the eyes of the artist. Michelle definitely paints with passion! Michelle's Website Michelle's Instagram Michelle's Facebook |
Nicole MckinnonNicole was born in Toronto where she studied Fine Arts at York University. It wasn’t until moving to Winnipeg in her early 30’s that her creative spark truly ignited, inspired by her exploration of nature and travels across the country. Nicole has developed a deep appreciation of the environment and takes steps as an artist to make a positive impact on our planet. She re-use canvas, layering images over time and get prints of my work printed on recycled papers. The images she creates are a reflection of the “Awe” experienced while immersing herself in nature. She aims to create beautifully rendered images that can inspire the viewer to appreciate and protect the beauty and wonders of the delicate environments that surround us.
Nicole's Instagram |
Nikki BraunNikki Braun is a self-taught artist who holds an associate degree in graphic design. Even though she has spent her adult life in a creative field, 12 years ago Nikki felt the need to rediscover her artistic self. She now enjoys the freedom that comes with being an abstract artist.
Her work revolves around the idea that two things can be true at once. Soft can coexist with harsh; chaos and order can be intertwined; boldness and serenity can complement one another. Through her abstract paintings, Nikki attempt to find balance and harmony in this world of contradictions. She focuses on bold strokes, deep layers, and high-contrast elements that evoke strong emotions and invite viewers to explore the complexity beneath the surface. Nikki’s Instagram nikkibraun.abstract.art |
Patti FernieInfluenced by her love of texture, Patti creates fine art mixed-media paintings, whimsical canvasses, and alcohol ink paintings on both tile and Yupo paper. Her work is unique, incorporating many layers of paint, collage bits, and paint medium, to create visual interest in her paintings. Iconic images; primarily prairie, lake, and nature based, serve as inspiration for her work.
A high school art teacher for over twenty years, Patti began selling her work under the Lake Gal Artworks name in 2015. Her chair logo is derived from a pencil drawing her daughter made when she was eight, of her grandfather’s favourite lake chair. Patti's Website Patti's Instagram |
Rachelle DiddensIt was with reclaimed zinc that Rachelle began developing the unique kind of canvas that anchors most of her current work. The edges are folded back to form an elegant, ready-to-hang frame that is integral with the surface. Then she paints with acrylic – and sometimes with the oil-based liquid, – directly onto the porous metal surface.
Rachelle’s painting is abstract, often with patterns or networks that spread across the surface like fractals. There are repeated, recognizable elements that diagram myriad units which are all different but, in the wider scheme, largely the same – in connection with each other, but also broken and separated. These, she says, can be read as an allegory for the interrelationships of people within our system. Rachelle’s Website Rachelle's Instagram |
Renay Taylor-BesantFrom her wooded acreage in rural Manitoba, Renay’s creative flow is channeled into joyous and dramatic explosions of colour and texture in her art. Time spent in the studio provides her with refuge and rejuvenation from the daily demands of human service work, and shines a rainbow of light into the dark corners of human experience.
Renay seeks to reflect the abundant beauty in the world and convey a sense of positive energy and vibrancy through her intuitive manipulation of paint. Renay's Instagram Renay's Website Renay's Facebook |
Robert MacArthurRobert is a self-taught artist who has always felt a strong affinity for, and curiosity about the natural world—an attraction that has found expression in his painting, photography, and an academic career in zoology. A career spent working with wildlife has immersed him in the natural beauty of wild places, be they beaver ponds in boreal forest, alpine meadows, or prairie marshes. The Winnipeg River in northwestern Ontario and nearby scenery provides inspiration. Proceeds from the sale of his artwork are directed to environmental organizations committed to conserving and protecting Canada’s critical natural ecosystems.
He has always painted in oils, and the painting knife is his tool of choice. He works with pure, undiluted paint straight from the tube and finds there is a three-dimensional, sculpted quality to knife painting that harmonizes perfectly with the rugged boreal forest and Canadian Shield landscapes he often paints. Robert's Website Robert's Instagram |
Rosella FarmerRosella is an award winning painter. Her art education came as an adult, in bits and pieces, as she took a few courses at the Ontario College of Art, joined a local art group, took local Workshops with well known artists and studied many art books and videos. She loves to create colourful paintings, and also loves to try different techniques, mediums, and subject matter. She hopes you enjoy looking at the works she has created. Rosella’s Website Rosella’s Instagram |
Sandra ProulxSandra Proulx of Sandy's Scapes is a rural Manitoba based oil painter. She is a self-taught artist that began painting about 25 years ago, but in the last 3 years, her creative desire grew exponentially. While landscapes were her initial love, the desire to learn and to try and paint other subjects led to painting airplanes, animals, and people. Often asked why she paints airplanes leads to a conversation about Sandy’s primary occupation which was as a pilot, now having flown for 22 years, and professionally as a Flight Instructor for 18 years. Just recently, Sandy accepted a position with Air Traffic Control and is currently undergoing training. As a result of her love of painting and aviation, Sandy had the opportunity to complete a collection of paintings for the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada that are on permanent display in their multi-purpose meeting room.
Sandra's Website Sandra's Instagram |
Tanis GrayTanis is a mixed media artist. When She was young you would often find her drawing animals, especially horses. However, it's only recently that she has pursued art as a career. She loves colour! She loves to paint with bright, bold colours, using all kinds of materials. Often her process includes collage, water-based spray paint, all kinds of mark making materials and tools, acrylic paint, and then she often finishes with oil paints to add richness to the colours. She loves trying out new materials and often adds them into her creative process. She loves combining realism with abstraction.
Tanis' Instagram |
TreetreetesTreetreetes (also is known as Tree Tree) graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University (School of Design – BA (Hons) Art & Design in Education) in 2015. She is a Professional Member of the Hong Kong Society of Illustrators.
Her media speciality includes Watercolour on paper, Acrylics on canvas, Technical Pen, Wacom, Pro-create, Adobe CC. She works in design and illustration field since 2002, her earlier works published in newspapers and magazines. She was crossover artist with Visit Britain in 2011. Additionally she is the watercolour illustrator of an ecological map (The Ma Shi Po’s ecological map) which published in 2014. Treetreetes' Website Treetreetes' Instagram |
Trish O'SullivanTrish's earliest memories of art are from her childhood at Rabbit Lake where she would draw and sketch with her Gramma Helen. She continued to grow from her bedroom wall murals to teaching art to youth at risk in Winnipeg's inner city. After working with visiting artists and learning their different styles of art she decided to leave the school of art at the University of Manitoba and grow as an artist by creating. Over the years her art has developed and grown but always comes back to her time with her Gramma and her love of nature.
Trish is a Canadian artist who takes inspiration for her contemporary works from nature. She shows her work in Manitoba and Ontario. Trish's Website Trish's Instagram |
In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are gathered on Treaty 1 Territory, the traditional land of the Anishinabe (Ojibway), Ininew (Cree), Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people, and the homeland of the Métis Nation.
ans un esprit de réconciliation, nous reconnaissons que nous sommes réunis sur le territoire du traité n° 1, la terre traditionnelle des Anishinabe (Ojibway), des Ininew (Cris), des Oji-Cris, des Dakota et des Dénés, et la patrie de la nation métisse. |
Winnipeg Fine Art Fair
April 4-6 2025 Red River Exhibition Place |