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Past Featured Artists

Inventory, pricing, etc are subject to change without notice.

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If you are interested in purchasing artwork, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Jeanette McClelland  ARTIST

Jeanette McClelland, an esteemed Canadian Artist, has made remarkable contributions to honor the Indigenous First Nations People. Her sole focus was to tell the history of the great leaders of the Treaty Seven in Alberta and those of American History. She focused on pastel portraits of the courageous chiefs and other individuals who were fighting to preserve the land and the traditions of Indigenous people. It was her spiritual connection with the creator and nature that led her on a journey to help young and old alike within the communities of the Blackfoot Nation. Jeanette made lifelong friends and they invited her to celebrations of life all over Southern Alberta.

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Due to Jeanettes dedication working with the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Canadian Institute of Pastel Artists, her work was chosen for exhibitions in cities across Canada. In Toronto her piece called the “Bearshield Blackfoot Warrior” appeared in the Casa Loma National Exhibition and as a result, she represented Canada at the World International Exhibition in Compiegne France with her piece “Mystery of the Claw.”

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As a teacher of art, leading workshops in oil, pastel and watercolour painting over 50 years, Jeanette purpose is to continue to embrace the lives of the Indigenous people. Her life’s work captures, “The complexity of spirit and the expression of human nature, which touches the soul.”

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Jeanette's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Liba Labik  ARTIST

Biography

I grew up in the forested rural area of the Czech Republic, surrounded by the beautiful nature. Living in deep connection with nature significantly influenced my artwork and my choice of career as an environmentalist. I created art aside from my studies in Prague while working for the National Park Podyji in Znojmo (South Moravian region). I arrived in British Columbia, Canada, in 1993.

By completing the Artstream program at the Bow Valley College first, I was admitted to ACAD in Calgary in 1998, and graduated in 2002 with President’s Honour and a BFA degree.
After my graduation I opened and established LIBA (Life Is the Best Artist) Art Studio. I made a living as a freelance artist ever since. I was a member of numerous artists groups, the International Encaustic Artists, the Alberta Society of Artists, the Federation of Canadian Artists, the Leighton Art Centre Gallery & Museum in Calgary, the Okotoks Art Gallery, the Harcourt House Artist Run Centre in Edmonton, and the Visual Arts Alberta Association & Canadian Artists Representation for several years. My paintings reside in many private and corporate collections in North America and in the Czech Republic.

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Artist Statement
 

“The wind is rustling the leaves of the trees and the birds are singing along as I walk through the forest listening to nature's song.”

~ Christy Ann Martine
 

My paintings are from the “Forest Walk” series. They are about time spent in the forest, the symphony of sounds, fragrances, colors, and hidden treasures in nature one can experience on their own walks in the forest. I started to create these works at the beginning of the covid 19 pandemic to remind myself, and viewers, there is hope and light in our lives to overcome dark times.
 

I used imaginative arrangements of my subjects; it helped me to focus on the magical world in the forest, the beauty of it, and to then express my admiration of nature.


I attempted to capture my feelings of peaceful greenery of the forest, berries, birds, leaves, flowers, and branches as I experienced them in the time I spent in the forest.


My paintings combine representation and abstraction. I experimented with traditional painting techniques together with the contemporary ones, to create “collages” of paintings.
 

There is a constant change in the forest and in seasons, as it is in our lives. I tried to capture these changes with combining images from different times and places. There are flowers blooming, as well as leaves slowly dying. Birds in some of my paintings symbolize for me hope and good omens.
 

I compare walks in forests, to escapes from time. Paradoxically these escapes inspire me to think of time and about changes within time. One day the forest is blooming and the next, it is experiencing harvest.
 

We are inevitably connected to the natural world that we are often sadly forgetting. My hopes are that my paintings remind viewers the beauty of nature, silence, and sanctuary, where one can relax, recharge, and get inspired.
 

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Liba's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Jim Pescott ARTIST

My paintings source nature for images of joy, light and harmony on my canvas. 

 

For many, many years, there's been nothing more satisfying for me than a walk in the woods to soothe my being. It's about connecting with nature, the feelings this brings and sensing this spirit with the trees. I've felt this since my early years. Trees always inspire me. 

 

As a visual artist 'feeling inspired by trees' is my go-to theme. Trees share so much and all this finds expression in my paintings. And my pointillist style allows me an intimacy with trees by using dots to explore how everything is connected in the woods. I love exploring the magic of trees.

 

I'm self-taught and have always painted using a contemporary pointillist style. My paintings have been seen in international venues since 2003 and includes exhibiting annually for six years (2011 – 2016) at the jury-entry Salon held by the historic Societe Nationale des Beaux-Artes at the Carousel du Louvre in Paris, France. 

 

In painting, my mission is about images of joy light and harmony on my canvas. Trees foster this endlessly. When I wonder about what to paint, I simply ask the trees. My paintings offer a place to wander visually, a place to slow down and a place to feel calm.

 

I left a national corporate role about 25 years ago to follow my heart and explore the joy of nature through painting.  

 

My studio is in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

 

My Art Awards Include

  • 2012, ArtTour International Magazine said I’m “Master Pointillist” when presenting me an award for “Excellence in The Arts and Outstanding Career Achievement”. 

  • 2014, Awarded a medal for painting by the national Academie Arts-Sciences-Lettres in Paris, France. 

  • 2018, Awarded "Landscape Artist of the Year" for my painting "Aspen Spring" at the annual Art Comes Alive exhibition held by Art Design Consultants in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. 

  • 2021, Awarded a Silver Medal for painting by the national Academie Arts-Sciences-Lettres in Paris, France. 

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Jim's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Stacey Walyuchow  (1975 Calgary, AB)ARTIST

Inspired by experiences, memories, music and the many faces of women, Stacey creates mixed media artworks. Her intention is to create stories and situations that break the passivity of the viewer by developing scenes that do not follow logical criteria. Stories that bring the spectator into a narrative that could be of dreams.  

 

Her work is based on impactful situations from her own life experiences and some inspired by story and song lyrics, though each piece is open for interpretation.  Stacey wants the viewer to personally feel something when they look at the work. A sense of wonder, a strong emotion, even a determination to figure out what each element represents. 

 

Through juxtaposing women and other human forms with birds and moody, abandoned landscapes/structures, she aims to provide a glimpse into those hidden places in our minds where we store all of the things we have yet to work through, the things we believe we should  forget, and the things we long to remember. 

 

Stacey Walyuchow is a mixed media collage artist in Calgary, Alberta. The theme of her work is is the human search of identity and recollection of memories, most often using female imagery and animals as symbols.

 

Stacey works with a technique of hand colouring fragile pieces of paper and attaching them to canvas or panel to create the narratives. She intentionally leave any imperfection that might occur in the process, as they reflect the imperfections or perhaps, the beauty of such flaws in human beings. 

 

She believes the whole process of blending delicate pieces of paper to sturdy surfaces is a wonderful illustration of the exceptional durability of human beings, women in particular.

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Stacey's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

ML Marg Smith, LAVENDER ART STUDIO

I do not paint one genre, rather I paint whatever catches my heart. My wish is to immortalize these “WOW” moments for others to enjoy. For example, the sun rising in the morning, the little bird fluffed up in a nearby tree bough or children playing or a country road in the autumn all provide such stories that need to be shared.

 

Watercolours was my first introduction to painting and from there I tried acrylics for a while.  When I tested out oils, it was this medium that I truly enjoyed and have been using them for approximately 12 years. For the most part, I enjoy vibrant colours and dramatic darks and lights in my paintings so oils have given me the opportunity to achieve that.

 

I am an Active Member of The Federation of Canadian Artiasts, a member of the Leighton Art Centre,  Mahogany Art Guild, Okotoks Art Gallery, Highwood Gallery and Gifts, From the Easel and I own Lavender Art Studio.  I also have been a member of VAAA/CARFAC ,and The Group Art Society of Calgary.

 

You can find my work at the Leighton Art Centre, Highwood Gallery and Gifts in High River, Okotoks Art Gallery, and Lineham House Galleries in Okotoks.  I also participate in various shows throughout the year. If you would like to personally see my art in my studio, please call me to make arrangements. 


My work is in corporate, public and private collections throughout North America, Panama, Korea, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

 

You may check out my other works at www.margsmithfineart.com   

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Marg's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Andrew Kiss ARTIST

Born in Hungary in 1946, Andrew and his family immigrated to Canada in 1957. He has become one of Canada’s most recognized nature artists for a style that captures both breathless images and a reverence for realism.

 

Andrew considers himself extremely fortunate to be able to thrive in the constantly changing art world. Never changing his realistic style or subject material over the years has shown how dedicated he is to his work and his love of landscape. 

 

Preservation of our world and the beauty that surrounds us is what this artist wants to convey with every brushstroke. To be able to evoke one’s memory of a hike, family camping trip, or special place visited is the vision that Andrew has with his work. He hopes each painting will be a window to our precious world and a reminder that we should never take it for granted. The opportunity he has been given to make a living and convey an important message at the same time is what drives him to the next canvas. This is what makes his work unique and has enabled him to stand the test of time.

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Andrew's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Victoria Zyluk ARTIST

I was fortunate to be raised on a farm with an abundance of plants and animals. Nature was my playground! I felt the soil, heard the sky explode in thunderstorms and even witnessed a day when it rained turtles! As a teenager, I baled hay, hoed fields of beans, cut grass, cleared stones from fields, planted and harvested gardens, fed livestock and helped prepare meals for work crews. On hot days in the summer, we would walk down our dusty gravel road to a refreshing waterfall at the bend of the river. Meadows and forests surrounded my one-room schoolhouse where my sister and I fetched wood to light in the woodstove in which we baked potatoes which sometimes exploded landing hot pieces on bare necks! I developed a deep connection with the land.

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During Secondary School I felt drawn to a career in art. It was only after University and Teachers' College that I was able to incorporate my passion for art into teaching art. My experience covers several provinces and school districts as well as making presentations at Educational and Art conferences. In addition, I have instructed for Continuing Education, been a member of several arts councils and as vice-chairman of Art for Education was instrumental in fundraising for many schools. My artwork has been selected for the Calgary Stampede Art Auction and has appeared in several city galleries.

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Travelling around Europe, across North America and to many islands has solidified my desire to preserve experiences and share them with others. Studying many artists inspired and increased my skills. Although pen and ink for clarity, pastels and oils for blending and watercolour for fluidity are all part of my journey, I am now relishing the freedom of making large acrylic paintings! I am constantly imagining new colour combinations or ways of expressing for example the vividness of a sunlit autumn in the mountains.

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Art is part of my soul! My art encourages possibilities. As I paint I ask, "What if...?" urging the viewer to also enquire "What if...?" and so releasing those possibilities.

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Victoria's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

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Piroska Pipo ARTIST

I have been an artist for over 25 years in Calgary. I have expanded my practice to include art lessons for children and adults, and proudly teach over 35 kids each week over the school year. I enjoy painting outdoor scenery, local landscapes, as well as images from Hungary, where I am originally from. 

 

I believe that all people are capable of learning to create art. I originally began drawing from library books I would check out when my kids were young. Many people talk about being an artist as having innate talent or skill, but it took years of dedicated practice and many failures to get to where I am today. I love to see people of all ages enjoying, creating, and collecting artwork. I feel so grateful to all the people along my journey who have welcomed my art into their homes, and that they continue to find joy from owning an original piece of art. 

 

 

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Piroska's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Wendy J Bradley ARTIST

"Building on a legacy of appreciation for pristine wilderness, natural environs and mountain culture, my journeys continue to carry me into new horizons to explore and to paint.  I hiked, climbed, snow-shoed and arrived by helicopter to find a place to stand or sit with my pochade and paints. I paint regardless of the weather, in daylight or moonlight hours and in temperatures to –16C degrees. A painting space and how I am able to bring life to the image."

 

Wendy was born and raised in Banff in the heart of the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park. Her passion is painting enplei air, in water colours and oils. This passion has taken her to glaciers, lakes, mountain hillsides, forests and meadows in the Bow Valley and beyond to oceans and old-growth forests. Some of her favourite backcountry studios are Lake O’Hara. Mt. Assiniboine, Bow Lake, Haida Gwaii, and the west coast in Canada and beyond to international destinations. 

 

If you are interested in purchasing one of Wendy's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Keegan Starlight ARTIST

Keegan resides and works on the Tsuut’ina Nation southwest of Calgary and has been creating art in one form or another for nearly 20 years. Art felt like a natural fit when he was in elementary school, and he understood it with an ease he hadn’t encountered in more rigid core subjects. The cultures expressed through Starlight’s work span a diverse breadth of traditions and experiences, moving through Tsuut’ina, Blackfoot, Stoney, Dene, Ojibwe and Navaho. They’re all connected, and Starlight views art as a messenger, whether it’s a piece about missing and murdered Indigenous women, residential schools or even climate change. Indigenous culture has a deep-rooted system for creativity and storytelling. 

 

Petro‑Canada commissioned Indigenous artists to create murals at six of its locations across the country—Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver— Keegan Starlight does just that with his colourful, lively work, which can be found throughout Calgary, including a mural at the Central Library downtown and on campus at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Keegan's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Cherie Wasyliw ARTIST

Cherie splits her time between the Okanagan, BC and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Her paintings focus primarily on nature and the reflective qualities of water.  She strives to create art that reminds the viewer of those moments when “we were lucky enough to be surrounded by nature and witness a little of it’s glory”. 

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If you are interested in purchasing one of Cherie's pieces, please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

Janet B Armstrong ARTIST, AFCA, SCA

“When I paint, I am capturing a special place that will soon become only a memory. Whether an early morning or evening scene, I enjoy bringing that particular scene to the viewer. Seeing the connection between the viewer and my art is such a reward.  When emotions are stirred up, through a painting, it is truly a reward for me as an artist. My passion for painting in and out of the studio will continue for many more years. It is who I am and my journey.”

 

Landscapes, architecture, animals and vintage paintings make up my collections. Many of my Landscapes are created from my plein air studies, created from my travels across Canada and other destinations.

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​AFCA - Federation of Canadian Artists (Calgary & Vancouver) 

SCA - Elected Member with the Society of Canadian Artists (Toronto)       

Member - Alberta Escape Artists, Blueridge Art Group, Alberta Plein Air Painters 

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www.cracklinghollows.com     jbarmstrong@xplornet.com

Cynthia Makara ARTIST

I initiated my professional career as a Graphic Designer with a Bachelor’s Degree in Packaging Design. I started to paint at the age of fifteen with a passion for colour, lights, shadows and texture, taking art classes in drawing and painting, plastic expression and human figure with Nicholas Menza, in Argentina, where I was born. 

I moved to Alberta in 2005, and continue my development as an artist participating in different associations and workshops. Introduced to encaustic medium in 2009, I committed myself to evolve and perfect this unique technique.

 

Skies are my favourite subject to paint, most of them are inspired on the western skies of Alberta, the beauty of nature. My paintings are peaceful and relaxing, they tell the glory of the sky and its magnificence. I love texture and explore the volume of the material. 

Kathleen McCallum ARTIST

Calgarian Kathleen McCallum is an Alberta College of Art Visual
Communications (1981) graduate. Her artwork can be found in private and corporate collections and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts provincial collection.

 

She is represented by several Alberta galleries and is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (Vancouver) as well as the Leighton Art Centre.

 

Kathleen's rewarding career as a graphic designer constantly influences her compositions and subject matter. Her colourful acrylic and mixed media paintings exude beauty and a playfulness – inspiring her popular greeting card series.

 

“The world always seems brighter when you’ve made something that wasn’t there before.” - Neil Gaiman

Bonnie Scott ARTIST

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"I work in oil and watercolor, with a commitment to painting images reflecting the beauty and joy found in this world.

 

My art practice explores the visual language of abstraction, particularly modern geometric and formal abstraction.  The use of the grid helps me represent both issues of interrelationships and interconnectedness.

 

My paintings reflect my responses, both emotionally and intellectually, inclusive of the poetic possibilities of colour, form and pattern."

Cherie Sibley ARTIST

Cherie is a native of Southern Louisiana, is married to a Canadian and lives six months in the Okanagan, British Columbia, and six months in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  Art has been central to her life from her formative years.  She received a BFA with honors from Louisiana State University.  Her career has included Graphic Design (before and after the advent of computers), Art Direction, Marketing, Advertising, Real Estate and Fine Arts.

In 1996 she moved to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with the goal of returning to painting and the arts.  She started teaching adult painting classes (19 years ago) and continues to hold weekly classes as well as specific workshops.

Her paintings, now primarily focused on water and life living in and on it, have evolved through these last 21 years.  She is still drawn to ethnic people and unique views of life around her.  Her use of color and keen eye make her subjects come alive and live.

​Her primary focus at the moment is exploring the newly discovered world of underwater reflections.

Four years ago she fulfilled a lifelong dream of learning the art of metal smithing, studying with Candians' William King and Marilyn Fraser.  She focuses on works in copper and silver, with no two pieces ever being duplicated.   She also teaches metal smithing. 

Dean Tatam Reeves ARTIST

Dean Tatam Reeves’ studio is under an open sky, wherever he plants his painting chair. In this way, he produces an ongoing series of works in pastels and watercolours that investigate diverse Canadian landscapes. Dean is at home whether he is exploring cool Central Alberta forests and wetlands of the Beaver Hills UNESCO Biosphere, windswept open prairies, rugged Great Lakes shores, the wilds of Algonquin Park, or the tidal basin of the Bay of Fundy.

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Born in England, Dean has lived in Western Canada since 1956. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alberta in 1978 Dean established ongoing art practice. Throughout his career, he has served the public in roles as an art educator, arts manager, and curator. His artworks can be found in numerous public, corporate, and private art collections.

Learn about the artwork in the year-round, outdoor gallery of the Native Gardens, The Artisan Gardens, and The Branded Patio at Bow Valley Ranche!

All original artwork is for sale. Please inquire on site at the Bow Valley Ranche Restaurant or email to info@bowvalleyranche.com

Art sales help support The Bow Valley Ranche Historical Society (30% of sales), and, of course, the artist! Thank you.

Artwork for Sale

If you are interested in purchasing one of their pieces,
please contact info@bowvalleyranche.com*

*please note not all pieces may be available in the artists' present inventory.

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