An upcoming Edmonton arts festival is giving St. Albert some pretty strong representation, all thanks to one of this city’s visual artists.
Aynsley Nisbet has long been a fixture with her vendor’s booth at the two-day event, held every year on the first weekend of June. Her delightful and warm abstract cubist works must have impressed organizers.
“Last year, at the end of the festival, they came and asked me if I would like to design the logo up for this year,” she related.
She said yes, naturally. It’s a pretty big deal, complete with some major exposure.
“It’s their tenth anniversary. Their slogan this year is ‘Ten years beating strong’ so I did the painting with a heart beating in the ground and then it roots up toward the inner city. They were really impressed with that.”
The full-time artist will soon see her work, entitled Inner City Love, emblazoned on posters, t-shirts and other promotional items when Heart of the City starts up in a few weeks. The painting itself will also be featured at the festival. She has eight-by-10-inch prints available for $20 too, or $40 for framed images.
The St. Albert native is no stranger to this kind of commission. She also designed the ticket for last year’s Astral Harvest Music Festival in Driftpile, the same event where she was the headlining artist in 2010.
She explained that it’s humbling and energizing, all at the same time.
“I get all of these little projects and then they inspire me to keep doing what I’m supposed to be doing instead of getting distracted by working,” she laughed.
She’s also part of a show coming up next Saturday with Sheppards of Abundance. The proceeds from the show will help finance a restoration project of the historic W.H. Sheppard House.
Nisbet said the house would become “a collaborative space for the arts, fundraising events, and community living.”
She will be one of the artist residents of the house when it opens.
Nisbet’s work will be on display while the artist herself will do a live painting. There are numerous other performers and artists participating as well.
That event takes place at the Theatre Arts Centre on Saturday, May 18. Ticket prices run on a sliding scale between $15 and $30. Call 587-588-5547 or visit on.fb.me/518soal for more information.
The Heart of the City Festival starts June 1 at 11 a.m. and goes until 7 p.m. Sunday, June 2 . It takes place at Giovanni Caboto Park on 95 Street in the heart of Edmonton’s Little Italy community.
For more details on Nisbet and see a gallery of her work, visit aynsleynisbet.livejournal.com.
For more information on the festival, performers, workshops, and all participating artists, please visit www.heartcityfest.com.
