What’s four kilometres from one end to the other, takes three days, and has more than 450 painters, potters, photographers, fibre artists and others all lined up in a row right now?
It’s the Whyte Avenue ArtWalk, didn’t you know? The annual event is a staple on the cultural calendar, taking up a grand promenade along the prominent Edmonton strip from 101 Street to 108 Street, and running daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from July 6 to 8. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of art that cannot be missed.
Nicole Coursen is one of those 450 artists but I bet she’s one of the few if not the only needle felting artist.
What the heck is needle felting? Just find her on 105 Street between Whyte and 83 Avenue to ask and she’ll tell you that it’s done with wool that hasn’t been spun yet.
Better yet, she’ll show you. Coursen, like many others, offers live demonstrations during the ArtWalk.
“They dye it many different colours. I have pretty much every colour in the rainbow. I use different sizes of barbed needles. It’s one single needle that has tiny little barbs on it and I poke it – poke, poke, poke at the wool … what happens is the wool roving will slowly start to tangle. The little tiny fibres of the wool will tangle up together. That’s what creates felt. There’s other ways of creating felt but if you do it with a single needle in this way, you can really control down to the tiniest minutia of detail,” she said.
A long-time painter, she started needle felting after she saw photos of it on the internet and thought how cool it looked.
“I just had this immediate ‘a-ha’ moment. ‘This is my thing. I know it.’ I just felt this immediate connection to it. I just hit the ground running, immediately producing awesome little sculptures.”
Coursen also does two-dimensional felt images that she calls painting with wool. This isn’t her first ArtWalk but before she was strictly offering her paintings. This weekend will be her needle felt coming out party, which she hopes will attract the same kind of sales and commissions that she would usually get. She knows that she will get more out of it than just that though.
“I love getting out there, getting out in the community, seeing other people’s work and hearing feedback from people, getting fresh ideas, and just seeing so many amazing artists. It’s not just about me. It’s about the whole community. It’s just a fabulous event.”
Nicole Greenwald paints for fun. Don’t believe me? Just visit her social media page at www.facebook.com/NicolePaintsforFun and find out. She also paints for a greater purpose too.
“Art is my stress relief. I do it to escape and relax … very much a hobby for me. I love anything with colour and explore a wide range of subjects. If I see something I think is pretty I try to catch it in paint,” she said of her fun animal paintings and art objects.
Last year, she rode in the MS bike tour and sold her art to fundraise for that effort. This year, she’s supporting the Alzheimer Society and decided that the ArtWalk would be more fun than riding her bike for two days. She can be found in front of Reset Wellness at 10324 Whyte Ave.
This is Jaye Ann Buzikevich’s second year at the ArtWalk. She too is thrilled at the opportunity to get out there and be among artists, art lovers and the general public alike.
“It’s an event for all artists, not a select few. There are so many kinds of art, and it’s such a wonderful thing when our community can come together, where we can meet, learn about each other and about our common interests. I’m not nearly as established or as good as other artists being featured, but it’s nice to be there and show my work. I love that I can share my passion for painting with others,” she said, adding how great the organizers are to work with also.
Find Jaye Ann on the corner of 102 Street and Whyte Avenue.
Among the multitudes of artists with booths are many who come from St. Albert or Morinville including Gina Adams, Madeleine Arnett, Kaytlyne Dewald, Olga Duk, Karen Klassen, Denise Lefebvre, Lorraine Shulba and Shauna Vollmer among many others. Visit www.art-walk.ca to learn more.
Art on the Corner July 7
If you see the big 'Art Sale' sign on Mark Pesklewis's front lawn at 10 Sturgeon Road, then you know that there's an art show going on that can't be missed.Art on the Corner is back for the summer. Starting today and running every second Saturday afterward, the show offers a house-full of art by local photographers, painters, sculptors, jewellers and others, plus live music by the koi pond and refreshments and fresh bread by artisan baker Peter Mireault.
Call 780-699-3322 or visit ‘Big Picture Photography’ on Facebook to learn more.
