"Oh my goodness, they are gorgeous!" - Kandace Wylie-toews

This article was published in the Metro by Aaron Chatha on August 11, 2016. (click photo for link)

Local Etsy business owners will soon be offered the chance to move their virtual shelf space into the real world – specifically, into the Glenbow Museum.
The virtual market place has struck a deal with Calgary’s Glenbow to allow Etsy members to create new and unique products for the museum.
The Etsy marketplace allows users to sell their homemade goods through the website.
“We have so many talented artists and makers here in Calgary and Alberta,” said Jenny Fisher, Glenbow marketing manager. “It’s always fun to find ways to activate the collection – we have so much really cool stuff at Glenbow and only a small portion of it can be on display at one time.”
They’ll be taking in applications from anyone in the province, and select a small portion of them to go behind the scenes at the Glenbow. There’s a ton there for them to see.
The Glenbow houses more than 30,000 pieces of artwork, plus objects like tea cups, dresses and massive gambling tables from Western Canadian history, military history, Japanese samurai armour and even medieval weaponry. And that’s only the tip of the iceburg.
The museum will try to match selected applicants with items or eras that interest them, in the hopes they’ll be inspired to make something cool for the store.
“We have sort of crossed that line between art museum and cultural history museum. For us it’s all about the art of making and things that have been created, used and have importance in peoples lives,” explained Fisher.
The final products will be looked at by a jury, and the best items will be selected for the storefront.
“By partnering with Glenbow's supportive community Etsy can help local artists expand on their creativity, create new work and grow their businesses,” said Erin Green, managing director of Etsy Canada.

I love our libraries! I think they are a very important element in a healthy and vibrant community. Calgary does such a great job of supporting the ongoing health of our libraries. Here, my art and me get to mingle with the general public and we have great conversations about the work. Art in the library is so accessible and it feels like a great connection to why I paint in the first place. 

Thank you Calgary Public Library!
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Kandace Wylie-Toews a Drumheller resident and artist herself, has commission a few paintings with her beloved family photos. I can't wait to work with these photos to create some really fabulous paintings!
Kandace, by the way repurposes furniture to create stunning, unique pieces of art for your home. I want to buy each and every piece that she creates!
 The Brocanteuse - Check her facebook page out: The Brocanteuse.

Check back here to see how the paintings turn out!

Part of what I love about my work is the connection to community. Photos are a great way to have an interesting conversation with strangers. Bev is someone I met at the Drumheller Market and I had the honour of visiting her home.

I usually get a few lines of information - which is all I need to create the paintings, but n this case, I have a whole book full of stories to work from!  Bev Myers married into a family with a long history in the Drumheller valley. May Murphy, an Aunt on her husband's side, published a book about this history and now Bev would like to get a couple of paintings to celebrate the family. I'm honour for the opportunity to work with such a lovely family and their stories.  

Stay tuned for updates on the photos I choose to work with and how I will use them in my paintings. 

Send me one or two high resolution files.
Scan your hardcopy photos in at 300dpi.
Save as a jpg and email them to me: jakejoyartist@gmail.com
Or attach in a facebook message on the page: https://www.facebook.com/jakejoyartist/
I can only improve on the image you send me - try to send me photos that are not too damaged or faded.

Each painting has one theme. If you would like more than one theme included, then you should consider two different pieces. 
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​Here are some examples of old photos I have used so far. Click on each picture to see how the paintings turned out. 

The paintings take some of the personal out of the original photos but keeps their essence.

1. I bring the photos I take into photoshop and do some work there. I like to desaturate the photo so that I can add colour with my paint. Or I take out some colours and leave others.
2. I crop it to fit inside my 8x10 canvas.
3. Print and then use a photo-transfer technique to put my image on the birch panel canvas. I have to remember to reverse the image in photoshop first!