Month: March 2022 (Page 1 of 2)

Artist Spotlight: Carmen Gonzalez

March 29, 2022 / Conal

I caught up with Edmonton-based painter Carmen Gonzalez recently.

She might be most memorable due to her bright, vivid, and memorable depictions of candy that remind many of us of our childhoods, but she paints so much more than just candy. I encourage you to visit her new website to check out all of her fantastic pieces.

I really enjoyed our conversation, but it was especially poignant when she shared what changed the course of her life and sent her back down the path of being an artist (Question 05).

[Featured Artwork: “Sylvester Called” by Carmen Gonzalez. Acrylic. 24″ x 24″]

The Tile Infestation

March 26, 2022 / Conal

Like ants swarming a cake at a picnic, the tiles were everywhere.

These 4-inch by 4-inch tiles covered our kitchen. Normally, the prospect of renovating our kitchen would excite me, but these tiles showed up years before our current kitchen renovation was even a twinkle in my eye.

No, these tiles were very much a thorn. They were for a large project my artist wife was fortunate to be working on with dozens of other artists alongside residents of communities across Canada.

Artist Spotlight: Angela Stadlwieser-Smith

March 22, 2022 / Conal

I chatted with Angela Stadlwieser-Smith prior to this past weekend’s Night Of Artists in St. Albert, Canada, where she was showing and selling her amazing art alongside dozens of artists.

Angela is very much an empathetic person. She had many, many profound insights that left me contemplating them the entire afternoon after we spoke. As a dad, I especially loved one of her reasons for focusing so much on her artwork (Hint: She has a 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son).

Oh, and this is a pre-apology to her husband. He, like me, is married to an artist (obviously). I’m sure he’ll be forgiving after he reads through Angela’s response to question 11. ?

[Featured Artwork: “Just What I Need” by Angela Stadlwieser-Smith. 24″x24″. Acrylic on wood panel.]

The Heavy Lifting

March 19, 2022 / Conal

Let me make one thing more clear than a blue sky on a cloudless day: When it comes to her art business, my artist wife does the heavy lifting.

We agreed early on, shortly after she left university, that if she was going to take a run at being a successful artist, it would have to be her making the run, not me.

Nearly 15 years later, I still cling to that agreement.

Artist Spotlight: Rick Rogers

March 15, 2022 / Conal

Rick Rogers is an artist based in St. Albert, Canada, a suburb of Edmonton. He’s such a treat to chat with and is very much an open book that I enjoyed learning from.

I’m not sure where he finds the time to be a full-time IT consultant while balancing his “side career” of art while also planning a symposium of 50+ artists later this year, but he seems to be able to do it with ease.

Rick has some very remarkable insights. Enjoy reading through our chat below.

[Featured Artwork: “Consonance and Dissonance.” 36″x36″ mixed media on cradled birch panel.]

The Night of Artists

March 12, 2022 / Conal

On a sunny and calm day in late 2015, my artist wife told me she was applying to a new-to-us art show. It was called Night of Artists.

I couldn’t have been any more enthusiastic and supportive as I continued to scroll through the news feed on my iPhone while I sat docile on our living room couch.

“Great,” I said. “One single night makes it easy for us.”

Art shows usually run across an entire weekend. So, to learn it was only one night meant I wouldn’t be left as a single parent with our kids like I would for the other art shows on her annual business calendar.