Kelsey Walker - Treeline Apparel A child of the prairies, and a natural-born wanderer, Kelsey has lived all over this big beautiful country of ours. A recovering Landscape Architect, and life-long environmentalist, Kelsey is inspired by the confluence of art and environment, and her clothing line "Treeline Apparel" reflects such an intersection. Now settled on the west coast, Kelsey is proud to be a part of Octopus Studios, and to be surrounded by such a diverse community of artists on a daily basis.

Jennifer Mitton. I’m a romantic-impressionist oil painter and writer. I joined Octopus Studios from Parker and Portside Studios. I love this studio: I’m upstairs with a big window, lots of artists always at work here. If I want to draw people I walk across the street to Oppenheimer park. My big news in 2015 was to receive the honour of signature status at the Federation of Canadian Artists. This was a wonderful milestone for me. In other happenings my seascape, Quicksilver Sky, Tofino, won 2nd Prize in the Landscape Show at the FCA. I’ve been painting big, 36x48” and as usual oil on canvas. Evening Shore, Tofino, was my contribution as a juror to the Scenes from Western Canada show in September and another big one, Crashing Surf was selected for the Icon show in October. Jennifer still shows at Arts Off Main Gallery, on 28th Ave. at Main St. I’ve also been continuing sketching and writing little stories. And of course I continue to draw and paint at Basic Inquiry Life Drawing. I host the session on Sunday afternoon, and all all welcome to drop in. Drawing live models at Basic Inquiry Life Drawing is at the heart of my art practice. For me, staying in shape with drawing is essential to creating a painting even if I don’t happen to outline or use the point of a brush. My first intensive training was with Ted Seth Jacobs at his art school, L’Ecole Albert Defois, in France (named after the mayor of the town.) That is where I met my husband, figurative artist Cyprian Libera. (Our 20 year old is studying biology, and she did get my writing bug.) Later I went on to study with Antony Ryder, Michael Grimaldi, and more recently with artists such as Stephen Early, from Studio Incamminati. Closer to home I’ve got degrees from UBC and Emily Carr and in 2015 I took a short workshop with Ingrid Christensen.

Margo designs and creates handcrafted artisan jewellery using a variety of materials and techniques, although her favourites are sterling silver and natural stones. She studied the art of silversmithing and macramé with several different schools and artisans while living in Peru. Each piece is inspired by her travels and the natural beauty of the world around us. Using top quality materials sourced, repurposed and collected from years of traveling around the globe her vision is to create quality jewellery that expresses bold individuality.

Terelui Antoni I was born in Caracas, Venezuela.  After I left my country, 30 years ago, California became my second home. Since I recently moved to Vancouver, I have found the perfect environment and the support to embrace Art/furniture-making as a way of life. For the most part I am a self-taught artist trying to devote my time to the whole purpose of doing something meaningful and creative that aligns with my true nature.

Emily Ludington graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, concentrating in Ceramics, from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2013. She is inspired by forgotten, lost/found objects, imbued with an energy from their past-life; she liberates these pieces and rebirths them into new materials, like porcelain, new purposes, and new existences. Ludington finds the tension between the past and present materials fascinating, and our intention to use and inclination to waste, the conversations surrounding what and how we consume and abandon, and our awareness of these processes both stimulating and horrifying. Ultimately, Ludington chooses to explore our material, industrial, and aesthetic choices, interactions, and detachment through opportunities to reengage with these relinquished objects, moments, and thoughts.

Ricky Castanedo-Laredo is an artist and designer based out of the rainy west coast of British Columbia. He graduated from Emily Carr University (BFA) with honors and a tenuous future to show for it. Trained as print maker and graphic artist, Castanedo-Laredo's primary output is two dimensional work and media exploring themes of aloneness, disappearance, binaries, divination, freak occurrences, and the widening gaps that exist between places, ideas, and people (and all of the things that fall in chasm between.) Castanedo-Laredo works in a variety of mediums such as acrylic, intaglio print, lithographic print, text, ink, and watercolour and is largely experimental in his work, opting to let the material navigate his chosen themes in its own native tongue.

Verena Strigler, a German born and educated goldsmith, spends her time happily designing and handcrafting jewelry and other crafts in beautiful Vancouver, British Columbia. You can see by the uniqueness of her pieces and her ability to make the ordinary, extraordinary, that Verena was meant to create. Her designs are lighthearted, fun, unique, and strongly inspired by her worldwide travels. Verena hopes that her pieces will inspire you to embark on your own adventures, because if not now, when?

Mark McCarvill is a self-taught photographer who makes black-and-white images of the Canadian and international landscape. His artistic influences include photographers like Ansel Adams and Michael Kenna, and painters such as Tom Thomson and Lawren Harris. Mark is originally from Prince Edward Island but spent many years in both Ottawa and Toronto before moving to Vancouver. Mark’s photographs have been exhibited at the National Press Club in Ottawa, the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg (Ontario), and the Vancity Credit Union in Vancouver, among other venues. In 2015, Mark was among the artists chosen to participate in the juried Eastside Culture Crawl Firehall Preview Show at the Firehall Arts Centre.

This year at ECC soigne.ca will surprise us with some new designs.

Another year another crawl, visit us at Octopus Studios and check over 20 participating artists at Eastside Culture Crawl, 393 Powell street. November 19,20,21,22nd.