ARTISANS GALLERY

Advika Clothing is inspired by the postures of yoga and the movements of dance.  They take pride in their ethically made clothing line, using locally sourced and sustainable materials.

“I don’t paint to express any beliefs I have or to share a political point of view or to make a statement. I just paint because I love to paint. I love the fluid movement, I love the colour and the flow of the paint, and the feel of the brush in my hand as it moves across the canvas.

I love the soft sound it makes. It’s a very meditative and relaxing experience for me and it brings me much joy. I hope for all who see my work, that this feeling is showed through my art.” – Alana Lovone Squair

Alana uses alcohol ink on acrylic panels.

Founded in 2018 by Edmontonian, Ang Johnson, Ang Hill is an ethical women’s clothing brand inspired by the power of femininity and the pursuit of passion. Since she was a little girl, Ang’s dream was to become a fashion designer. With this dream and a lot of determination, she made it happen. Ang designs all clothing in the Ang Hill line.

Here you will find super soft and cozy capsule wardrobe essentials ethically crafted by their local sewists. By creating a collection of pieces that are easy to style without compromising comfort + style, Ang takes the guesswork out of fashion. Her ultimate vision is to create an entire capsule wardrobe of the coziest pieces for you that can easily be mixed and matched to create gorgeous outfits.

Ang Hill clothing is exceptionally soft, high quality and made in Canada.

Discover the eco-conscious elegance of Anne Mulaire. Led by the visionary Métis designer Andréanne Mulaire Dandeneau, Anne Mulaire is celebrated for its sustainable fashion practices. Each piece is crafted with environmentally friendly materials, ensuring that style goes hand-in-hand with respect for the planet. Anne Mulaire’s commitment to eco-friendly innovations in fashion brings both beauty and purpose to her collections, making each garment a statement in sustainability. Experience how Anne Mulaire’s designs make it easy to look good while doing good.

Darlene Kokotailo has been designing, carving and decorating real eggs for the past 34 years.  As a Calgary-based, self-taught artist, she has gained inspiration from nature.  This is reflected in the intricate floral carvings and detailed animal scenes of many of her designs.  Darlene also enjoys the challenge of creating a wide variety of carved eggs for many special occasions and diverse tastes, including custom designs. Each egg is beautifully unique, and depending on the design and shell, it takes anywhere from several hours to several hundred, from start to finish.  Whether Goose, Ostrich, Duck, or Quail, the shell is a strong and versatile medium that drives her passion for producing egg art.

Back of the Spoon officially started in 2017.  Artist Erin Chromik had been making perogie casseroles whenever she would host parties and making them for other friends and events. Always the star of the party, word quickly spread and people started to ask if they could buy them.  As Erin’s concept began to grow, she decided to make it official and start to cook out of a certified commercial kitchen.

“The name Back of the Spoon is an homage to my Grandmother who would always tell us to stir with the back of the spoon when boiling the perogies so we wouldn’t tear the dough. The Mushroom Dill idea came from mixing together a few of my grandma’s Ukrainian recipes. They were always touching on the plate, so I decided to combine them and create a Mushroom Dill Perogie casserole.” – Erin Chromik

Erin and her team create each tray of perogies in her inspected kitchen in Calgary.  They do everything from peeling potatoes to making dough and sauce to assembling each casserole by hand.

Artists  Jen Abra and Natalie Ruby are the owners and operators of Black Star Studios, an Art Gallery and art workshop studio located downtown Invermere, B.C.

“We represent over 70 Canadian Artists. Our gallery is stocked floor to ceiling with colourful handmade works of art.  We opened our doors 14 years ago with 12 artists. Our biz has grown and has a life of its own. When in our space, people want to be creative themselves. We started art workshops over 10 years ago. We now run workshops daily in the summer, Christmas, March break, long weekends and every Saturday. We host Paint and Sips, do birthday parties, date night paint nights, family nights, ladies nights, team building, and community projects including many murals and public art that can be found in our community. We are all about taking the frustration out of Art, and promoting the fun while building confidence.

During Covid, we developed many DIY Art Kits inspired by our favourite art workshops. Our DIY Art kits are designed by us, and packed with love right here in our studio. We have both video and written instructions. Our kits are fun for kids, teens, and adults of all artistic abilities.

We love what we do. Every day we come to our little studio in our little mountain town surrounded by beauty and art.
When they aren’t teaching classes, developing workshops, or packing kits, you will find Jen at her sewing machine and Natalie at her torch making glass beads. We feel very fortunate to do what we love every single day!

If you find yourself in Invermere come on in and say Hello!  Get Creative! Get inspired, Get in HERE and make ART!” – Black Star Studios

Kyle used his global travel as a muse and relevant experience in the food industry as a spark to realize BLINK.  BLINK was launched in the humblest of beginnings back in 2011. Till then, chocolate bark was most often pre-broken almond bark in white, milk or dark chocolate. BLINK was borne for those seeking tablet-sized, unbroken sharing planks of chocolate with high-quality topping arrangements in sleek, upscale, classy and fit-for-a-gift packaging.

The chocolate gets small-batch melted and tempered, the bark is then poured individually into moulds where it is shaken to remove any air pockets and then hand topped with whatever flavour or topping. They are then chilled on racks before being brought back up to room temperature where they are sealed and hand packaged.

Each bark is meticulously hand-crafted from start to finish with thought, care, intimacy and affection that is not felt in chocolate that is mass-produced. The resulting tablets are unique, often quirky and unique to the buyer.

Bob uses Western Canadian stoneware clay and paperclay to form each sculpture. After a lengthy drying process, he fires them in an electric kiln to approximately 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. He uses stains and oxides with porcelain slip (liquid clay) to colour each piece.

“I love making my own glazes and infusing muted colours to allow the form to take center stage. I often add media such as found objects, gold, and encaustic wax. A small seashell I found in Central America, or a splash of gold invites the viewer to consider the piece in a different way. These playful touches add vitality to individual pieces.

I need to make art that brings me joy. Not only must the work emerge from my joy, but it must express an energy. I draw out that energy in the clay through the juxtaposition of rough and smooth surfaces, colour, and movement in each piece. People have said that each of my sculptures seems to have a personality. I love to hear how the work touches my collectors’ hearts in that manner.” – Bob Acton

Daryl Wasson is passionate about working with wood and its many different natural colours and grains. Daryl began in the retail market before an opportunity came up in 2002 that would allow him to work with his passion. He is proud to say that he “was finally able to do what he really enjoyed as a ‘job’.”

Apart from milling his own wood from the Maritimes, he collects end pieces that are discarded from a factory in Nova Scotia that would otherwise have been burned or thrown into the landfill. Daryl rescues these remnant pieces to recycle them into works of art that can be used every day.

Daryl designs and handcrafts each piece, taking into careful consideration his customer’s needs.

Brenda Banda Johnson Fine Art features a collection of bold, textured palette knife paintings that reach out from the canvas and invite you into the scenes they portray – both real and imagined. Every piece you find here is an original.  Brenda paints almost exclusively with large palette knives, and she finds vibrant and high-contrast colour palettes irresistible.  Brenda is based in Calgary, Alberta.

“With my palette knife and loads of acrylic paint and thick gel mediums, I attempt to capture the depth and textures of nature that intrigue me. I tend to use an “exaggerated” colour palette. The majority of my paintings are vibrant and exaggerated beyond what you’d literally see in nature, attempting to capture not just the visual image, but also its energy and life. The other extreme is subtle neutrals that are all about shadow, light and texture. I occasionally use a high gloss resin finish – sometimes in the traditional manner and sometimes very selectively to highlight certain elements of a painting. The result is a collection of highly textured pieces that reach out from the canvas and invite you into the scenes they portray.” – Brenda Banda Johnson

Kayley Therrien is the designer and craftsperson behind the Edmonton-based jewellery brand Burlap Sac.  Kaley received her training at the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in San Francisco.  Upon completion of her studios, she returned to Edmonton and began working as a bench jeweller for a fine jewellery store.  After honing her skills as a goldsmith, Kayley began longing for a more creative outlet.  In 2004 she began designing and creating her own signature line of jewellery and that year launched the first Burlap Sac collection.

The organic lived-in feel of her jewellery is derived from her childhood memories.  She spent her days collecting small found treasures and storing them away in a burlap sac her grandmother had made.  Inspired by nature and the world around her, she would collect all sorts of items from stones and shells to bits of ribbon and old rusty bolts.  The foundation of her love of unexpected materials and textures began in those early days of collecting.

Kayley is continually pushing her brand towards more sustainable practices and works hard to ensure her materials are ethically sourced.  Specializing in a mixture of material and texture has enabled her to push the boundaries of traditional jewelry and produce unique collections year after year.

Calgary Chocosweeats Factory is an international award-winning local Calgary chocolatier who loves creating one-of-a-kind chocolates that can be appreciated every day for their design, style, combinations, and taste. They craft a wide array of handcrafted premium artisan chocolates, artisan caramels, dipped chocolates, organic gourmet hot chocolate mixes, gift boxes, and other confectionery.

Their chocolates are the perfect gift for the festive season for your loved ones, as a stocking stuffer, gift baskets, for holiday parties, corporate gifts, or maybe just for yourself to enjoy with a nice cup of tea, a good strong coffee, or a glass of wine.

All of their products are 100% handcrafted and hand packaged.

The Calgary Fudge Factory began 30 years ago with the Pattison family making and sharing their creamy, delicious fudge.  Ken and Linda take great pride in creating new delicious and exciting flavours to add to the time-tested favourites. Each 110g piece comes wrapped in clear/ white dot cello complete with a flavour sticker in English and French on the front and an ingredient label on the back, in English & French.  Our fudge is all made by us in our certified kitchen.

Most of their flavours of fudge are gluten-free – only flavours with added baked goods are not, such as:
Cookie Dough,​ Cookies & Cream, Gingersnap, Key Lime Pie, Mars Bar, Mint Oreo & Nanaimo Bar.
If you have a gluten allergy, you can be confident that they have taken steps to ensure that all their other flavours will be safe for you.

Candles by Car are made of all-natural soy and coconut soy wax. Clean and long-lasting burn candles, carefully hand-poured in small batches to ensure quality results.

Danielle handcrafts baked goods for dogs. She uses local Alberta ingredients to make fun, healthy, and beautiful treats for your dog. There are no dyes in any of their treats, and they use beet, spinach, spirulina and other vegetable powders to create their one-of-a-kind treats. They are proud that the majority of their packaging is made by a Calgary company called Print Three. They make their Happy Meal and Advent calendar boxes.

ChopValue are the ones that recycle bamboo chopsticks and remanufactures them into home and office furniture and decor.  They – a six-member team – have been around for just under three years and currently source their raw material from 206 local restaurants, malls, and casinos.
They have standard products that they make, such as phone stands and coasters, but our favourite projects are inspired by their customers – if you can dream it, we can make it!  Currently, they are making custom benches and table tops – all from recycled chopsticks!

They are all inspired by being part of a company making a difference, and they are equally proud of the high-quality products they make.

“Making a Difference One Chopstick at a Time”

Cloverdale Forge focuses on preserving the craft of blacksmithing while designing for modern-day life. They work with clients to build architectural pieces for their home or cottage — they like to call it house jewelry – and offer a line of products to make living more fun, whether entertaining friends or chilling at home alone.

With over 40 years of combined metalworking experience, Matt Jenkins and Karen Rudolph use the traditional tools and techniques of blacksmithing to design for your modern-day needs. Dedicated to the creative process, they have developed a product line for your home and garden and work with clients to build custom-crafted works.

At Coal and Canary, we take pride in creating artisanal, small-batch candles that are hand-poured with the utmost care and attention to detail. Our craft blends traditional methods with contemporary design to ensure each product embodies the high-quality and aesthetic appeal that our customers love.

Each candle is designed and hand-poured in small batches at our Winnipeg-based facility. This hands-on process ensures that every candle is consistent in quality and appearance. After curing, candles are trimmed, labelled, and packaged by hand. We use eco-friendly and recyclable packaging to align with our sustainability values. Every candle undergoes a thorough inspection to ensure it meets our standards before being shipped to customers or retailers.

Coal and Canary remains a boutique, founder-led company that is deeply involved in every aspect of the creative and production process. As the founder and creative director, Amanda Buhse oversee design, branding, and product innovation, ensuring each product reflects the brand’s identity. Their team is a close-knit group of artisans who work collaboratively to maintain the personal, handcrafted essence that defines Coal and Canary.

Coconama Chocolate is famous for its sensual qualities: the richness, the fragrance, the harmony of bitterness and sweetness, and the melt-in-your-mouth smoothness. Each piece is an extraordinary new world of chocolate decadence that is yet to be discovered with inspired flavour.

All are handmade in North Vancouver.

Every wooden bowl starts with a tree. Corin works primarily with western maple which grows around Nanaimo where he lives. Most of the trees he uses are removed from urban areas due to disease, age, hazard or development. The logs are cut into slabs, rounds are cut from the slabs, rough turned and cored. Coring uses a special tool to cut one or more bowls from within another. After the drying process, the rough bowls are turned to their final form and finished.

“I like process – the small details that make my work flow, whether it’s eliminating a step, making a better tool or mastering a technique. To me that’s the craft, and when it flows, when technique, tools and body come together time slips away. The shavings stream off the gouge as it arcs through the blur of spinning wood. The movement is smooth, poised, in balance, hands light on the gouge, eyes on the curve as it bends off the tool, revealing the bowl’s form.

If you consider purchasing a bowl, know that to me, they are about more than the object. They are about fostering community, treading more lightly on the planet, creating a more sustainable economy, preserving hand skills and making things that last. In doing something I enjoy, in a small way, I hope to bring joy to you. – “Corin Flood