ALLEY DOOR ART & ARTISTS 2020
ARTIST: Stephanie Bellefleur
TITLE: GrowUP (2018)
2002 Victoria Avenue – Avord Tower
GrowUP speaks to chaos in motion. Here the artist took the opportunity to transform her pain into triumph. Here we allow for deep self love and introspection. The artist is excited and thrilled to share this work and hopes to inspire others to continue to use art as a catalyst for both positive and sustainable social change.
ARTIST BIO
Stephanie Bellefleur is a Contemporary Visual Artist who was born in Venezuela, South America. She has created a style embodying both elegance and grit, creating colorful projects incorporating bold graphic line work for the likes of Street Art Toronto, Facebook, Skechers, K-Swiss, and Baycrest Foundation. Stephanie’s high impact projects include contributing to the 8-story Phlegm mural at Yonge and St.Clair. Most recently, Stephanie contributed to the unique 23-story “Equilibrium Mural” alongside International Muralist, Okuda San Miguel. Stephanie’s personal pledge to positively stanchion diversity, inclusion, and equity in order to create space for sustainability in the art sector is what led her to her field of choice. Stephanie is humbled to serve the public in order to continue to progress in a spectrum of unity and colour within the art sector.
ARTIST: Amber Armstrong
TITLE: Bike Ride (2020)
Copper Kettle – 1953 Scarth Street (north door)
This piece is a representation of the Land of the Living Skies; my favorite part about Saskatchewan is the ever changing, often breath-taking skyline. The contrasts of the vibrant colors of our beautiful Saskatchewan sunsets against the silhouette of urban city life remind me of one of my favorite summer activities: evening bike rides around Regina.
ARTIST BIO
Originally from the rural community of Mankota, Saskatchewan, Amber Armstrong is a resident of Regina, SK. Many of Amber’s works focus on the juxtaposition of nature and mankind with pieces looking at the starkness of life in the 21st century. Amber’s works often have a deep texture which comes from a sometimes aggressive use of paint coupled with frequent mixed media experimentation. Self taught, save for some local classes, Amber works predominantly with oil but integrates acrylic, collage and resin with many of her pieces.
ARTIST: Brianne Urzada
TITLE: Daphne (2019)
Siam Thai Restaurant – 1946 Hamilton Street
read more
ARTIST BIO
Brianne Urzada lives and works in Regina, Saskatchewan, CA. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Education and a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) from the University of Regina. At the age of 23, she was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and underwent a rigorous but ultimately successful treatment program. As a response to her experience Brianne’s work explores how trauma affects identity, specifically her experience as a woman and mother. Using abstracted figures she documents the healing journey and conveys powerful messages of hope.
READ MORE
In 2015 Brianne opened Arthouse, a local arts business, where she works primarily as an artist, but also offers cooperative arts-based team building and private painting lessons. Her experience with cancer allowed her to develop a deep appreciation for the therapeutic and meditative properties of art. With private funding, Brianne now offers free therapeutic art classes to cancer patients and survivors. The participants of the classes are often the subjects of her paintings.
Brianne recently revealed her latest body of work at her solo show, Someone You Know. She was featured on CBC as an emerging artist. Brianne received an award of excellence from the 34th Chelsea International Fine Art Competition (2019). She is currently the University of Regina’s Michele Sereda Artist in Residence.
ARTIST: Cyril Chen
TITLE: Postmodern Bazaar (2020)
CK Pizza – 1958 Hamilton Street (south door)
A celebration of Regina’s cultural and culinary scene, and an anticipation for what’s to come. Different languages and people are displayed in a fresh graphic style which borrows visual sensibilities from new wave animation and indie comic books. The door is vibrantly coloured and references street styles in a poppy and fun manner. This door provides BIPOC-inclusionary images as a way to welcome the many peoples and guests of Regina.
ARTIST BIO
Cyril Chen is a Cantonese Canadian expanded media artist and director. He has worked around Halifax NS, Toronto ON and Regina SK with various organizations including CBC East Coast and Charles Taylor Theatre. He was born and raised in Regina. He had his creativity nurtured since childhood, as his grandmother in Hong Kong would send calligraphy sets, 80’s cartoon DVDs, and Chinese illustrations for him and his older sister. To this day, Cyril still draws back to those media for inspiration. He is currently working on his Bachelors of Animation degree at Sheridan College.
ARTIST: Rawry & Pohly (Jamie Mason and Kevin Chow)
TITLE: Choose Your Character (2020)
Comicreaders (Downtown) – 2125 11th Avenue
Titled Choose Your Character, this mural was created using a collection of artworks originally designed and painted throughout 2015-2020. Across the top of the work are New Zealand kiwis (the animal, not the fruit) portrayed in a variety of outfits representing various professions. From top left to top right are Chef Kiwi, Business Kiwi, Dentist Kiwi, Dr. Kiwi; second row from left to right are Sask Kiwi, Speedwi, Safety Kiwi, and Liberty Kiwi. Liberty Kiwi is the single exception and represents Rawry & Pohly in their first adventure to New York City as artists. Each of these fictional kiwis lives as a canvas inside a home in Saskatchewan.
read more
The kiwi collection was inspired by Kiwi, the artists’ beloved small parrot. The first in the series, Business Kiwi (second from top left), represented the two co-founding partners when they began their journey as Rawry & Pohly, while both working full-time in offices. The artwork resonated with customers and was followed by a series of requests for images of other kiwi professions, so the artists began to explore a collection with kiwis at the helm. This series grew in popularity as people saw themselves in each kiwi, just going about their day, doing their best. The artists played with the idea that the kiwi series was one kiwi trying out different professions to find their true passion and to experience more of life. The essential tenet behind the kiwi collection is experimentation, discovery, and exploration. When trying to find your purpose in life, or your passion, sometimes all you have to do is choose your character.
ARTIST BIO
Established in Regina in 2015, Rawry & Pohly is a business partnership between two Saskatchewan-born artists, Jamie Mason and Kevin Chow. The goal of their art is to celebrate the inner child and recapture the wonder of innocence. As artists, the co-founding partners strive to use pop-art minimalism to reconnect with and reflect on the nostalgia of youth. Their mixed medium approach uses line-weight, negative space, and bold, brilliant colours in a unique and eye-catching style. The artists have showcased and sold their artwork across Canada and the United States to hundreds of thousands of viewers, and their canvas artworks – all originals created through a mixture of both hand screen-printing and hand-painting – now hang in homes across the world.
ARTIST: Ingrid Van Opstal
TITLE: Dreamscape Horizons (2020)
O’Hanlon’s – 1947 Scarth Street (south door)
There is a certain magic in the moment between dusk and twilight on the prairies. Hyper-surreal color palettes paint the endless horizon. No matter what end of this beautiful country we live in, there is no comparable substitute for the tranquility of a Saskatchewan summer.
Saskatchewan is a place of endless opportunity, with a vast sea of talented artists and visual creators. With arms open and a warm welcome for those of us who left and returned with a new found sense of gratitude for this province.
The heartland of the country beats with fervor for its children.
ARTIST BIO
Prairie born and raised, Ingrid Van Opstal has been a part-time commissioned artist since 2004. Having just recently returned from nearly a decade ski-bumming on the West Coast, moving across inter-provincial borders back to her roots in Saskatchewan is a welcome change.
READ MORE
Inspired by the simplicity of nature, surrealist dreamscapes, and the nostalgia of a bygone era, Ingrid has combined her love of rebellious pop art, interactive psychedelia, bold/high contrast colors, and traditional mediums, to be a well rounded illustrator and fine artist. She has produced and curated an Independent music magazine between 2010-2011, Profane Pit, showcasing local, regional, and inter-provincial artists and musicians. She was featured in an artist-run series at the Whistler Brewing Company and Prospect Hotel in Pemberton, British Columbia.
The main mediums she works with include acrylic, watercolor, UV reactive ink and pen.
Instagram: whiterabbitgraphics
ARTIST: Madison Pascal
TITLE: As Long As The Sun Shall Rise (2020)
Good Spirit Kombucha – 1939 Scarth Street
I was inspired by two things that I love dearly, the rolling prairie and my family. I chose to personify our province as a woman, a symbol of fertility and comfort. The maiden proudly dons a wheat crown to pay homage to our farmers and is dressed in traditional Saulteaux regalia to honour my kokum. The figure is holding a bison skull to represent Wascana Creek’s early name oskana kâ-asastêki” (lit. “Bones, which are piled.”) When I think of our province, I see my most favorite wildflower, a prairie icon, the Western Red Lily. At first glance our province is hardy and unforgiving but, if you look close, it’s beautiful and fragile.
Madison’s works are based on emotional experiences, which she uses to open a unique poetic vein. Multi-layered and finely detailed images seduce the viewer into a world of nostalgia and intimate moments. Art lets her immortalize objects and preserve feelings that are important to herself and that can easily relate to the viewer. The figure will never age, the flowers will never wilt, and the beauty captured will outlast the test of time.
ARTIST BIO
Madison Pascal, born 1990, Regina SK, Canada, is an emerging artist of Saulteaux and French/Ukrainian ancestry working mainly in painting and drawing. In 2014, she studied abroad in Sunderland, United Kingdom where she was able to expand her skills in darkroom and digital photography. In 2016, she graduated from the University of Regina with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree: International with a major in drawing and painting. She received many awards including: Academic Silver Scholarship (2014), Maurice Neitzel Award (2014), Elizabeth Blight Memorial Scholarship (2015), and the Kiley Carlson Memorial Scholarship (2015).
Madison is an active board member of the Art Gallery of Regina, a non-profit, public gallery. Her works have been included in group exhibitions in Saskatchewan and Manitoba including, the MacKenzie Art Gallery, the Art Gallery of Regina, and downtown Winnipeg and can be found in many private and corporate collections.
Madison works from her studio in downtown Regina, SK.
ARTIST: Pepito Escanlar
TITLE: Downtown Regina Reflections (2019)
Copper Kettle – 1953 Scarth Street (double door)
Painting is part of how I call Canada home and how I maintain connection with my ancestral home and culture across distance and time. It is this duality, rooted in two cultural and artistic traditions, that inspires my work.
An immigrant from the Philippines, I was struck by the contrasts between the two countries: the climate, colours, history, and culture. My relationships with Canada, my adopted home, and the Philippines, my ancestral home, continue to evolve. Similarly, my artistic influences reflect the traditions of both homes. I am inspired by the works of Emily Carr and Lawren Harris just as I am by works of Botong Francisco and Nemiranda. In 2019, my paintings were exhibited at the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa to celebrate Philippine heritage.
After 41 years working in the architectural field, I am pleased to have more time to devote to painting. I am thankful for the continuing artistic inspiration that I find in my home here in Regina, and for the opportunity to share and celebrate my Philippine heritage through art.
ARTIST BIO
Pepito Escanlar was born in Guimbal, Iloilo, Philippines and immigrated to Canada in 1975 after completing his degree in Architecture from the University of Santo Tomas. He settled in Regina in 1983.
His early works, mainly in watercolours, have been included in annual juried art exhibitions such as the Arts Saskatchewan at the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina; and the Saskatchewan Open at the Mendel Art Gallery, Saskatoon. His entries consistently won awards at the annual SaskArt Exhibits in Regina.
READ MORE
His two-person exhibits have included “Pepito Escanlar / Gerald Jessop: Acrylics & Watercolours” (1984) and “Pepito Escanlar / Beth Gaffney: Regina Scenes” (1989) at the Rosemont Gallery (now the Art Gallery of Regina); and “Pepito Escanlar/ Ronald Davis Provincial Touring Exhibition” (1985-87), sponsored by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Council. He was a recipient of a grant from the Saskatchewan Arts Board in 1987. Escanlar’s works have also been featured in several annual SGI Canada Art Calendars.
His time for creating artworks was reduced in the late 1990s and 2000s as priorities shifted to family responsibilities and full-time employment. He retired in 2016 after 41 years in the architectural field to pursue his passion for painting. He moved from watercolours to acrylics and from realism to semi-abstraction.
In 2019, he participated in artists talks organized by the Dunlop Gallery; and his artwork was among the pieces previously chosen for the 2019 Urban Canvas public art program in downtown Regina. His artworks were also featured in “Pamana: Sights and Sounds of Philippine Heritage” along with the works of Ella Brion, at the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa.
Pepito Escanlar’s commissions include artworks for the Government House Historical Society and SGI Canada; “Stations of the Cross, “a series of fourteen acrylic paintings for the Resurrection Church in Regina that he also designed; a mural project at the main lobby of the All Saints School (Swift Current); and “Saskatchewan Heritage,” a mural commissioned in commemoration of Canada 150.
ARTIST: Cristian Barreno
TITLE: Celebration (2018)
Lucky Panther Tattoo – 1954 Hamilton Street
This piece is a small tribute to the Indigenous culture and nature of Saskatchewan, the province that I now call home.
Due to their historical and cultural significance, I drew the five major treaties signed in the province. I use Mayan numbers to distinguish each one of them.
On the front part of the painting I depicted some of the common birds that make Saskatchewan/prairies their home at least for the summer.
Seeing all birds together reminds me of a Powwow which is a yearly celebration to honor mother earth, life and family.
ARTIST BIO
Cristian Barreno was born in 1982 in Guatemala, a country known for its deep roots within Mayan culture. This rich heritage has influenced and inspired Cristian since he first started painting using oils and acrylics back in the mid-nineties. Thanks to the help of his brother, Cristian moved to Canada in 2002 and pursued a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Regina. Since his first weeks in Canada he continued developing his passion for painting and drawing. His themes and colors have constantly evolved, maintaining vivid colors, nonetheless. In each work he tries to achieve storytelling or at least provoke a happy smile. During the past few years his wife Addy has been a great comrade in developing new ideas for art. He is honored to see the recognition he has gained in Regina, and plans to continue exploring this skill and encourage others to try creating art.
Facebook & Instagram: @CristianBarrenoArt
Website: www.cristianbarreno.com
ARTIST: Phyllis Poitras-Jarrett
TITLE: Métis Spirit Animals (2020)
CK Pizza – 1958 Hamilton Street (north door)
I am a Métis artist and I am presently working on a series of 20 mixed media acrylic paintings each 36”x40”. This series is highly textured and designed with my animal motifs and Métis beadwork art. My art depicts the connections the Métis people have with animals and nature. The traditional knowledge of the uses of plants and animals, as with all Indigenous people, continues to sustain the Métis to this day.
The environment is sacred and for humankind to be whole, Mother Earth must be healthy. The Métis people’s intrinsic connection to the land and animals is the focus of my “ Métis Spirit Animals.” Once completed, the animal spirit series will include a buffalo, moose, deer, bear, beaver, ducks, partridges, a squirrel, a goose, gopher, fish, wolf, turtle, rabbit, fox, badger, mink, owl, dog and horse. Each spirit animal description includes the Michif word, characteristics of the animal and its connection to the Métis people.
READ MORE
Métis Moose Spirit – Solitude
Moose – nariyanl (nariyael) are solitary animals and prefer to be alone. They have great stamina to travel across the Northern land that’s filled with muskeg and forest. My Spirit Moose art symbolizes solitude. It was likely during a time of solitude that the Métis people designed the Red River cart. It became the main source of transportation of goods and fur trading at that time.
Métis Buffalo Spirit – Strength
The Buffalo – bofluu (bufloo) was once the Métis people’s main source of substance. The buffalo has deep spiritual meanings to many Indigenous people across America. In my art it symbolizes strength.
Like the buffalo the Métis were forced off their homeland by land developers. The scrip given to the Métis to buy new land was unusable and had less value than their previous homes and land. Many had no choice than to settle on the road allowances and found the strength and resiliency to settle for much less.
Their combined knowledge with their Indigenous families that included backgrounds from Ojibwa, Cree and others, along with European ancestry contributed to their families’ survival after they were forced from their homeland and made to live on small parcels of land and live on road allowances.
Métis Deer Spirit – Friendship
The deer – shuvreu (shouvreu) is naturally social and often travels in groups, especially the females.
They appear gentle and peaceful with their large ears perked up. Some Indigenous people believe they are messengers of peace. In my art the deer spirit symbolizes close ties and friendships. The Métis people are a peaceful happy bunch, that love to socialize and dance to fiddle music.
ARTIST BIO
I grew up on a small Saskatchewan farm overlooking Last Mountain Lake. There I discovered my love of art. Our small house was busy with my five siblings and often a few cousins that my caring parents took under their wings. My peaceful creating space was upstairs by a window that was often covered in an inch of frost during the winter months. Frosty winter months meant less work with only the cows to feed and milk. This gave me plenty of extra time to pencil sketch for hours.
READ MORE
Being a self taught artist in the digital era is beneficial and numerous online tutorials provided me with a wealth of knowledge. I have made it a point to teach myself in several different mediums. Presently my focus is mixed media collage, acrylic paintings with animal motifs and textured Metis beadwork. I also recently completed a woodblock carving of a buffalo for relief prints. The animal art is focused on animals Indigenous people subsisted on including my Metis family who are avid hunters. I have designed several Metis beadwork graphics with photoshop to incorporate into my artwork. My first few paintings were of beadwork canvas cutouts which gave my art a unique floral textured finish inspired by Henri Matisse. In addition to painting I enjoy photography which is mainly focused on the beauty of Mother Earth.
My Kokum’s creativity and determination inspired my art. She lived in a two room house on Jackrabbit Road on the road allowance in Lebret, Saskatchewan. There she brought up 11 children with her husband Gregoire Poitras. During the winter months she lived with us, as her home lacked amenities.
Lovingly we would string beads for her gorgeous necklaces. For our efforts a nickel per string, which would go full circle in an evening game of rummy. The sale of necklaces provided her with extra income for living expenses. The elders in my youth were positive role models and always encouraged my creative nature.
I have always celebrated life through art and in the past years created several backdrops for school musicals and community events. I was proud to donate art for silent auctions; one, recently, for the Early Learning Centre, of a turtle. During my career I helped organize and co-presented several workshops to integrate children’s Indigenous stories with art. I was fortunate and thankful to have the Saskatchewan Arts Board award me with the Indigenous Art grant in 2018 to create a 108”x48” triptych with mixed media techniques and my floral artwork. And at present a 2019 Arts Board grant to continue my painting. I have previously designed art for the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District, including traffic boxes and door art — one of Turtle Island with several Metis beadwork designs within the turtle; you can view it in front of the Dunlop Art Gallery in Regina. Also for Sask. Cultural Days 2019 and Articulate Ink, I carved a 2’x4’ buffalo running through the valley for their steamroller printing event, titled, “Where the Buffalo Roamed”. As well, Sakewewak First Nations Artists’ Collective Inc. accepted four of my paintings for the Art Now September 2019 call for artist submissions. I have sold several pieces of art on Ebay in its early years.
I have endless ideas and plans to continue my growth and drive to create art throughout my life. After being one of the first few individuals to graduate from an Indigenous teaching college, S.U.N.T.E.P., with a major in cross-cultural studies, I had a rewarding career as a teacher for 28 years in Regina. I am fortunate that I can now focus my time on creating art and enjoying more moments with my family. I sign my art P. Poitras-Jarrett honouring both my Metis mother and my Scottish-English father. I will always promote pride and positivity through art in the community and in Indigenous people.
Website: www.felissart.com
www.etsy.com/ca/shop/FelissArt
ARTIST: Rosa Cruz
TITLE: Bubbles of Diversity & Inclusion (2019)
Victoria’s Tavern – 1965 Hamilton Street
The inspiration of the artwork Bubbles of Diversity and Inclusion is the social and culture diversity and inclusion that supports and encourages Regina Downtown and the neighborhood that surrounds it and that is inspirational to others.
Regina Downtown is distinguishable by its spirit of pride for its heritage cultures, always embracing cultural diversity as a way of consciousness. It does not matter what makes us different from each other – you matter, I matter, we all matter. We are precious stones for [building] Regina, and together we can create a better future and real change in our society.
ARTIST BIO
Rosa Cruz was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1982. She has a BA in the History of Art and Painting from the University of Puerto Rico. She also has a Juris Doctor and is a lawyer with a legal practice in Civil Law and Arbitration. Since 2016, she has focused on making sustainable artwork and art designs that explore the theme of social and cultural diversity and inclusion in our society, a theme that holds importance if we want to reach real social change and transformation of values in our countries. Eradicating racism from the roots using the arts is her motivation when making art.
ARTIST: Nicole Chen
TITLE: Native Saskatchewan Plants (2020)
The Rice Guy Restaurant – 1950 Hamilton Street
It’s common to hear, “Saskatchewan is flat,” or “all I see in Saskatchewan is grass and wheat.” While it may seem like our province is only made up of farms from afar, the prairie landscape of our province is actually rich with flora biodiversity. These beautiful and nuanced plants have served our people for centuries as food, medicine, shelter, and beauty. Many animals and insects depend on native species for habitat and food.
Today, 4 out of 5 species are declining on Saskatchewan grasslands. Saskatchewan has comparatively weak laws for endangered species and habitat protection, according to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Lands are primarily sold to make way for more monocultural farming and private property, leaving behind less habitat for native species.
Protection of our natural landscapes is crucial for the preservation of native flora and fauna. We have the power to tell our governments what we think is best for our province. We can also take initiative to plant more local species in our own gardens. We have a responsibility to our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.
ARTIST BIO
Nicole Chen is a student at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, where she is learning how to design sustainable built forms that inspire, nurture, and endure. Growing up as a minority in Regina, Saskatchewan, much of Nicole’s work is concerned with the unique experience of what it means to embody both Asian and Western cultures in one’s identity. She also takes inspiration from the natural world and hopes her work as an architect will serve to protect and cherish it. She has worked in Copenhagen, Vancouver, and Calgary, but her heart will always be with Regina, her hometown.
ARTIST: Marilyn Nelson
TITLE: Good To Be Alive Today (2019)
Copper Kettle – 1953 Scarth Street (middle door)
This image is inspired by Michael Franti’s song “Good to be Alive Today”. I feel that Franti‘s lyrics describe a situation in which we all find ourselves: of reading/hearing the news of the day and feeling the unease and confusion portrayed by the differing opinions of the scientists, politicians, religions, media and the world’s population in general. He describes the resulting divisiveness, hatred and violence and the ways we as individuals try to cope. Finally, he helps us dream about a world where love has won over hate and where we can all say that “It’ s Good to be Alive Today.“
ARTIST BIO
Marilyn Nelson was born in the ranch land of southwest Saskatchewan. After working many years as a Medical Laboratory Technologist, she switched paths and returned to university to attain her BFA with distinction (Visual Art) from the University of Regina in 2011. A proponent of social equity and social justice, she is a member of Amnesty International; many of her paintings reflect this theme in an abstract expressive style. She works out of her studio near Griffin, SK, has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Saskatchewan, and has work in private collections throughout Canada and the United States.