Oil painting since the age of 9, Barb has spent the past 50 years discovering and exploring the various media available to artists. When she found inks, she claims she could have thrown out all other media in her art room. But, of course, she didn’t. She has studied under several local and international artists and enjoys researching and exploring works by early abstract expressionists. She easily becomes enthralled in the process of painting and enjoys having no preconceived notions of what a piece will look like until it’s done. She finds the unpredictability both refreshing and freeing. Her paintings & products can be found online as well as up and down the Okanagan Valley from the Penticton to Armstrong Art Galleries.

Originating from the Peace River country, Bruce and Wanda moved their family to Vernon, British Columbia in 2002 to pursue a life surrounded by mountains, clear streams, pine forests, beautiful lakes, and that dreamy BC sunshine!

There’s no denying Wanda has a keen eye for colours, art, and decorating, so, naturally, this paired eloquently with Bruce’s passion for design and woodwork. Needless to say, Bruce and Wanda, both share a love for all things natural and handcrafted so it didn’t take long before Crawford Creek Designs was born. What started off as a hobby has beautifully snowballed into so much more.

Bruce and Wanda are known for handcrafting heirloom serving and cutting boards that will be passed down from generation to generation. These handmade boards and kitchen tools are made with the intention to bring families closer together. To encourage those fireside chats, family dinners, re-living the good ‘ol days, and ultimately give you the feeling that you’re "headin’ home".

Cathy Toll is a clay artist. From early mud pie making, to going gloveless in the garden, she has always loved getting her hands dirty. After taking a class at the Vernon Community Arts Centre, it became a natural choice for her to express her creativity with pottery. She has a lifelong affinity to plants and flowers and her work showcases that. Cathy’s pottery combines functionality with art and she thoroughly enjoys adding special little touches to her creations.

With an eye towards delicate details, Chantal Mapleton offers high-quality, handmade products that are created with love and made to last.

The Mapleton portfolio includes earrings, wall art, textile designs, and home accent pieces.

Having been involved in the arts at a young age, Chantal went to a performing arts school where she has had exposure to many different mediums, exhibitions, and styles.

Chantal resides in Coldstream, BC, and loves to hike in her spare time.

Cindy works with a number of different mediums but felt making has been her predominant focus for several years now. Needle felting is used to create whimsical characters such as mice, gnomes, and mushrooms. Wet felting to create hard wearing clothing and accessories, and Nuno felting, which has a high silk content is used in making ethereal and elegant wearables. Many of her original art works have been reproduced on greeting cards and functional items such as bags and books. Cindy also does eco printing with leaves that are locally sourced, a bit of book making and photography.

Danielle Harshenin is a self-taught artist known for her vibrant and colorful Barcolourfulcode Landscape paintings. She has been practicing with acrylics for over 17 years. Born and raised in the Okanagan, Danielle paints out of her home studio in Lake Country where she lives with her fiancé, their two teenagers, and two cats. Danielle describes her Barcode Landscape paintings as “a new style of semi-abstracted landscapes that capture the essence of familiar places using colourful barcode skies, geometric shapes, and gradient fading effects”. Over the past two years, Danielle completed a series of paintings inspired by iconic Canadian landmarks – one for each province and territory. Her mission was to foster connection and inclusivity among Canadians in a post-pandemic world. Danielle believes in the power of positive thinking and seeks to spread good vibes with her art.

Deb Tarry has taken a lifetime of interest in glass to a deeper level incorporating sculptural, bead and cabochon glass pieces worked into pine needle basketwork containers.

This mixture of mediums came through a 20-year study of stained glass leading to lamp work leading to an interest in the intricacy and delicacy of the Pineneedle basket under the tutelage and instruction of Minnie Kenoras a Secwepnec elder.

Tarry's long focus on sculptural whimsy in glass and intricate bead creation led to a refined exploration of this most vulnerable yet sturdy of forest fibres with the molten creations on the lamp torch is a testament to nature's extremities.

Donna Brayshaw is a wife, mother, grandmother and artist. She was taught the ancient art of pine weaving by an Indigenous Elder. Her weavings are made of the Ponderosa Pine needles so plentiful in the Okanagan. She lashes them together with imitation sinew and embellishes the designs with natural elements such as rocks, driftwood, horse hair, leather and fossils. Her designs incorporate both traditional and modern techniques. She combines her different artistic methods of glass blowing and pottery within her weavings.

All my pottery is handmade by myself in my small private studio in our home located in Lumby BC. I love to make functional and non functional work that is inspired by our beautiful outdoors. Each piece of functional pottery is oven, microwave and dishwasher safe.

A graduate of Emily Carr University, Gabrielle’s practice is split between painting, ceramics, and public art. Originally from the coast, she draws inspiration from dramatic overcast skies and coastal scenes, which reoccur throughout her practice. Following graduation, she dove into a six-month Artist Residency at the Vernon Community Arts Centre through the Caetani Centre’s CeramAiR Program, which ultimately led her to make the Okanagan her home permanently. In 2017 she was awarded a major public art commission by the City of Vernon and the Downtown Vernon Association to create a participatory public work of art commemorating Canada’s 150th birthday. At over 150 feet long, "Mosaic River" was successfully installed in Cenotaph Park the following year. Her paintings are represented by the brand new Ashdale Gallery in North Vancouver, Gallery Merrick in Victoria and through the American online gallery, PXP Contemporary.

Woodhouse by Design launched at Artsolutely 2022. This new business venture is a collaboration between established artist, Gale Woodhouse, and emerging artist, Hannah Woodhouse. Woodhouse by Design aims to introduce a range of high-quality mixed media craft and artwork for both domestic and decorative use. The work consists primarily of clay items and includes Hannah’s fabric creations. All works are fresh and contemporary, honouring the traditions and craftmanship of the past.

Helen Kovacs is a graduate with honours of the Alberta College of Art and Design and has been working with glass and teaching in BC and Alberta for over 30 years. Helen owns and operates Red Dog Glass Studio in Cherryville BC where she offers glass workshops and welcomes custom orders. Helen's artwork ranges from fused glass sculptures and garden art, to vessels and lampworked glass beads. Helen also creates one of a kind memorial glass art incorporating a loved one's ashes in between the layers of glass.

Jasper established her business, Jewels by Jasper, in 2007. She became a silversmith and enjoyed this art form for 7 years. Jasper took a break from jewellery making and spent a few years studying representational painting in oils and watercolours. She also delved into the fine art of nuno felting, and later, into resin art incorporating natural elements. Coming full circle, Jasper is now back at jewellery making and teaching at the Vernon Community Arts Centre. As well as working with silver, aluminum has caught Jasper's eye. Let's see what she does with that!

Jenna handcrafts soy candles, using organic non-toxic soy wax. Each candle is hand poured using top-quality ingredients and a lot of love ❤️ Enjoy her candles for any occasion!

Jessica Hannah is a visual artist and owns a horse farm in Enderby BC. She has been involved with art her entire life. Though soapstone carving is relatively new she found a connection to the stone and the local animals that typically come out. Local bears, quail and other birds are the main creatures expressed. Exploring different shapes as well as stone, Brazilian Soapstone, African Wonderstone and Alabaster. The work is all primarily by hand, files, rasps and sanding blocks with some dremel work.

As an artist and art guide, Jill Meredith creates art as a response to, and meditation upon, the experience of life, living and its twists and turns. All aspects of her work are a reflection of the interconnectedness of our universe. It aims to be peaceful activism and the works in their finished state are aimed to invoke high positive vibrations.
This year’s body of work has continued the exploration and rumination of the title “Being Human”.

Jill has always had a creative outlet in her life. Wanting to learn something new, she began to explore the art of bookbinding in 2019. After starting to journal to get through a challenging time in her life, Jill wanted to hand bind her own journals.

Self-taught by reading books, watching videos and joining the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artists Guild (CBBAG), Jill has learned many different binding methods such as Coptic and case binding. In 2021, Jill completed the CBBAG Bookbinding 1 Course, and will continue to take formal bookbinding education.

Jill has been focusing on binding journals, sketch and art books, and uses a variety of materials including hand marbled paper, collograph printing, Japanese paper and cork fabric.

Jolene Mackie is an artist living and working in Kelowna BC. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Emily Carr University in 2009, Jolene has pursued art making professionally with a focus on the medium of oil painting. Jolene has exhibited her work widely throughout the Okanagan Valley and British Columbia, and has work in private collections around the world. Jolene finds inspiration in simple, fleeting moments: a unique quality of light, the shape of shadows, and the living palettes that colour our daily existence. Her work blends fascination with the world around us and the whimsy of human imagination into wholly unique visual experiences.

Kalamalka Weavers and Spinners Guild is a group with cumulatively over 200 years of experience in fibre arts. KWS creates unique hand made items that are both beautiful and practical, for the home or to be worn. All are made to be used, loved and cherished be it a favorite hand towel, scarf, runner, placemat, blanket or rug.

The eight participation artists this year are...

- Jacquie Hamilton
- Morgan Nahanee
- Karol Hume
- Hilda Jakobsen
- Keith Hustler
- Lori Messer
- Maria Giero
- Lynne Anderson

The Okanagan linens story has humble beginnings. Meet Karen. Karen grew up in a family of very talented sewers; her Dad was a tailor and her Mom a seamstress. She took what she learned and made her own clothes and those of her children.

In 2003 she began making birth record blankets for family and friends. This created a following which blossomed into a home-based business called Bababean. Bababean made not only custom-embroidered birth record blankets, but other products, such as diaper bags and stroller blankets.

Karen heard great things about linen tea towels and linen bath towels and wanted to make some for herself. She instantly fell in love with linen, and began selling them at local farmers markets.

After multiple requests from customers for reusable produce bags, she started making those, as well. The response has been amazing, and they’re now a top seller. People love that linen keeps their produce and bread fresh longer than any other material, even cotton.

Kyla & Al moved to 'Our Little Acre' in Armstrong in May of 2016, which gave them time to explore their creative sides.

Kyla has always loved working with her hands and Christmas so she put those two together and started to create unique, handmade Christmas items. Al followed suit and started making rustic wood Christmas décor for you to enjoy year after year.

Lowell is a potter, poet & musician who got his start in ceramics at the Vernon Community Arts Centre almost a decade ago. He has since built his own studio, Spiral Garden Ceramics in Salmon Arm, where he now works and resides. Lowell is inspired both by the teachers who have gone before him and by the cyclical patterns of nature. Seeking to balance aesthetic beauty with functionality in his work, he strives to find a natural setting for his pieces to live. Pottery often acts as the introspective and grounding fulcrum to the more outgoing and chaotic nature of his music, the two are substantially different yet fully intertwined.

Mitch Milgram is an artist and teacher living in Salmon Arm. His interest in art and crafts dates to childhood and over the years he has pursued it in various forms including printmaking, drawing, painting, art metal, and woodworking. Mitch has worked in stained glass for the past 15 years, and he finds stained glass to be a good fit for him, blending both artistic and technical considerations. He works in a variety of styles, both traditional and contemporary, drawing upon the natural world around him for inspiration. Mitch works to balance design, light and colour within the technical demands and physical limitations of the glass medium. His work is displayed in various outlets and art fairs throughout the North Okanagan.

Art on paper and canvas only became a part of Nancy Vince’s life about ten years ago but before moving to the Okanagan, she created an award-winning garden on the coast which she likes to call her first artistic endeavor. After retiring here, she planned on taking some art courses but it took a few years before that became a reality. It finally happened when Nancy became a caregiver to her mom and needed some “me time”. Twelve years ago she took her first lesson using acrylics on canvas but after a health scare a few years later she attended a class on “Zen” doodling and discovered a whole new world of meditative art. Her first drawings were black and white but the love of color soon took over. She creates what she calls “Happy Art” and as one piece is completed, she is already planning the next one.

Natalia (she/they) is a Vernon artist who draws and makes hand woven metal jewelry. She makes chain maille designs using quality Canadian stainless steel, and likes to incorporate gemstones, artisan glass, and repurposed watches into her pieces. She likes to keep her work as gender-neutral as possible, and firmly believes that people should feel great wearing whatever they want!

Throughout her life, Natalia has used drawing as a way to stay centered, find peace, and have fun. She began in earnest as a child, compelled by a love of animals and desire to surround herself with them. She has explored many different mediums and techniques over the years and now does much of her drawing digitally, as it allows her to create beautifully colourful images anywhere she goes. She is inspired by poetry, nature, mortality, life, and fiction.

Nikki Marshall has lived in Vernon her whole life. Growing up in one of the most beautiful places in the world has inspired her to play with colour and be inspired by her surroundings. Nikki started felting and moved on to dyeing yarn as her main focus. She still teaches felting classes throughout the Okanagan and does a little wet felting and needle felting. Nikki also loves to weave and knit toques and wearable items.

Patricia Doyle is a visual artist residing on the Bella Vista Hillside in Vernon, BC. While her primary medium is glass she also works in metal, acrylics, clay, silk, videography and photography. Doyle’s works are usually centered on both her love and awe of nature and her quirky sense of humor. She uses art to convey her vision of the world being a more harmonious and beautiful place. Doyle teaches fused glass and glass bead-making classes at the Vernon Community Arts Centre. She also teaches one-week intensive glass bead making courses at Red Deer Polytechnic’s Summer Series of the Arts in Alberta. Her work is available for sale in a number of stores and gallery shops in Western Canada

Patrick Webb is a local wood artisan who creates unique, one of a kind laminated wood products ranging from coasters to inlay cutting boards.

Rebecca Shepherd is a self taught artist, living in British Columbia, Canada. She has a strong connection to the natural world which is very apparent in her creative work. Rebecca paints in a loose painterly style, using bold strokes of rich colour, applied with brush or palette knife. Painting intuitively with no agenda, the results are always rich in colour, depth and texture.

Sarah Lewke is an artist and teacher based in the Okanagan. She creates vibrant and expressive acrylic and watercolour paintings inspired by the Okanagan Valley in her home studio in West Kelowna, BC. She’s interested in emotional expression, and creating interesting objects of beauty inspired by experiences in nature.

Sarah studied Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus, and received a BFA before pursuing an Education degree at Trinity Western University. She now shares her love of art with elementary and high school students, as well as art workshop participants.

She won Silver, Gold, Bronze and Silver in the “Best of Kelowna” contest in the Best Local Artist category from 2019-2023.

She lives with her husband and two children in West Kelowna BC.

Svetlana is a Russian-Canadian multidisciplinary visual artist based in Vernon, BC. Svetlana’s art practice revolves around ceramics, printmaking, painting and nature-inspired photography. Formally trained as a philologist and an English teacher in Russia, Svetlana started exploring her artistic side after moving to Canada in 2004. Through self-instruction, workshops and courses, Svetlana studied photography, filmmaking, drawing, painting, and later pottery and printmaking. Working with different media and finding connections between them opens exciting opportunities to explore her creative process through multiple lenses.

In 2023, Svetlana completed a mural commissioned by the Vernon Community Arts Centre, Vernon, BC, for its Clay Studio.

Svetlana shares her knowledge and talents with the community through teaching art classes and regularly displaying her work in group exhibitions and art fairs around the Okanagan. She has held two individual exhibitions at Gallery Vertigo, Vernon, BC

Timeless handmade fine jewelry by Tammy. Tammy retired early to make affordable jewelry you can wear while writing the story of your life. She works with sterling silver and uses a variety of quality materials such as Swarovski pearls, gemstones and mahogany wood.

In the words of Tammy, "Life is short, make it memorable!"

Terryn & Graeme Corbett are the nature-based artists of OM NATURALE, a Farmcrafted, Sustainable, Bath & Body Care Company. Made with organic ingredients, handcrafted on their family farm and packaged as sustainably as possible, their products are Earth Friendly, Eco-conscious & Zero Waste. Terryn & Graeme are proud to be Farmers, Creators and Earth Champions.

Tyler has been a full time professional chainsaw carver since August 2021. He has competed in two competitions; one in Hope BC where he placed 2nd and won People's Choice in the Carver Class, the second being the Canadian Chainsaw Competition in Orillia, Ontario where he placed 5th out of 16.

Tyler has commissioned pieces from coast to coast including the Vancouver Convention Center as well as a large public art bench commissioned by the RDNO (Regional District of the North Okanagan) and installed at Cools Pond in Vernon. Tyler has participated in roughly 40 events/sales where he is often does live carving, including Artsolutely and the IPE.

Vicki lives and creates in the rural North Okanagan, which provides endless inspiration and interest, having been born with a deep and abiding interest in the flora, fauna, insect life, and the landscape of the natural world.

Recently retired from her long-term day job, Vicki finds more time to maintain creativity in several crafts and arts. She works at the 'kitchen table studio' working in ceramics, fibres, textiles, and traditional crafts such as spun cotton work, wire work, cards and paper maché. Vicki creates both decorative and functional pieces.

Vicki attended Art School in London, UK, as a young student, many many moons ago, and has always felt that the practical and theory education in the arts has 'held up' and proved invaluable over the years of family raising and careers.

Vicki derives satisfaction from the process of learning new art techniques, exploring new ideas, and delving into the history of ceramics and household crafts.

Yael has been making art since 1992, starting as a jewelry designer (BA in fine arts). She immigrated to Canada in 2003. As a vegan, it was hard to find good quality products for a reasonable price, so as of 2015, Yael started making soap with an artistic touch, resulting in a useable artistic product. She uses only organic and natural ingredients, which makes the products body and environment-friendly.