July 8th, 2017
I remember last year's Art-Walk was dampened by lots of rain, so when I saw the weather report for the Saturday I was feeling a bit anxious for all those people who were set up with their precious artwork. But as luck would have it, like a flick of a magic wand, the storm came rolling in at 3 am and cleared the air for a great day. Well, it was more like a heat wave but I am sure that everyone would agree that a really hot day was more acceptable than being in a downpour.
I had decided to begin this day by walking up Whyte Ave from 104th street and head west up to 108th street. Being that I had three days to check out the entire Art-Walk, I thought it was best to be a bit strategic in order to make the most of it and save myself from heat exhaustion. I had arrived just after lunch time and already the sidewalks were packed with artists doing their best to shade themselves and people taking their time to stop and take it all in.
As I flowed with the crowd along the sidewalk, the first artist I came to with tattoos was Artist and Graphic Designer Kara Bjornstad. Kara likes to work with acrylic and ink mediums creating beautiful abstracts that seem to move on canvas. It really was a delight to have met Kara. Her cheerfulness and enthusiasm for being a part of the Art-Walk was a great way to start my day.
Kara’s professional handle is Shattered Image Art Studios, and you can find her on Instagram @life_of_kara or at her website www.shatteredimage.ca
After chatting with Kara, I found some tents just off to the side and between some stores. Getting under a tent was a welcome relief from the sun. This is when I met painter Brandan J. Tanney. B.J’s likes to create pop art and has a real talent for it too. He says he has a thing for the movie themes. I really loved his Frankenstein paintings and was really impressed with his work.
This was B.J’s 6th year at the Whyte Ave Art-Walk. When he isn’t busy creating paintings he is working at a metal shop. You can visit his facebook page to see more of his art and to say hello. https://www.facebook.com/groups/BJTanneyART/ or go to his Instagram page @bjtanneyart 
Staying within the oasis of tents, I then stumbled into the Kat Doell gallery. Kat is an established illustrator, painter, and graphic artist. She has been a part of the Whyte Avenue Art-Walk for the past 10 years, and this was her first year having a tent. She is a talented young woman who has a lot to offer in many types of art forms. You can connect with Kat at her website https://www.facebook.com/phatkatcreative/. And of course, you can find her on Instagram: phatkatkat. 
I’d like to mention that I totally loved the tattoos Kat had on her forearms. Each arm has one of the Moon & North Star 1902 Collection pieces from by artist Alphonse Maria Mucha. The two that Kat has from this collection are ‘The Pole Star’ and ‘The Moon’. Whoever tattooed them onto her did a great job. Tattoos celebrating Art Nouveau is a wonderful way to show the world how talented tattoo artists are and that it is a serious art form. 
As I began to continue on my way, I made it about five steps when a large painting caught my eye. It was one of those kinds of paintings that demanded your attention even though you didn't quite understand why. I mean, it was beautiful, but there was something about it that had a feeling of mystery. As I scanned the tent for the artist, I was relieved to find that the woman who had painted the picture did indeed have tattoos. I really wanted to know more about this painting. The artist is Tammy Bergen and she is an intuitive painter. The name of this painting is called ‘Angel Rain’. She told me much of her inspiration for her pieces comes to her in dreams. And the piece that had grabbed my attention was no exception. Tammy went on to tell me about the dream for this painting. “
"The symbols came to me in a dream, and they were presented to me on a golden tapestry that I believe was from my ancestors. When they presented it to me, they said welcome home. I wanted to put it into a painting, and so when I was finished painting this, I thought the symbols would go really well with what was in there. And what the symbols mean and the overall painting is a magic gateway into initiation. Also, within the painting and behind, there is a Fibonacci within it and so that also brings you closer to that initiation. For me, the shades of purples, reds, the golds, and coppers all represent royalty or ancestral power. I work a lot with ancestral magic, and working with the ancestors, and listening to them because I believe everything really connects to the ancestral blood that flows through us. This painting also came after a workshop I did with a man named Jer Lyons. He is from Ireland and he works with Celtic animism and core cellular healing. Just from the work that we did with him for that intensive week, he really brought this out of me. My goal with this was to inspire people to reach in for that higher divine being that lives within each of us. “
Tammy also makes very nice leather jewelry. To see her work, go to the Instagram @tammydreymabergen or visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TammyBArtist/
Rounding the oasis of tents, I spotted a woman who had lots of beautifully coloured tattoos. Her name is Hailey Coogan and she too is an artist. Hailey clearly had a passion for reptiles. The details in her work were really impressive. Hailey says that the pen and ink are the medium she loves most because she can lose herself in the process of creating the picture. This was her 3rd year at the annual Whyte Ave Art-Walk. When Hailey isn’t busy with her artwork she is a business analysis for Telus. You can see more of her work at her website: https://www.haileycooganart.com/ or at her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SpookyCoogs. She is also active on Instagram. @haileycooganart
The last tent before heading back into the hot sun and sidewalk belonged to Jamie Pruden. Jamie is a Fantasy Art artist. Some of his work combines drawing with digital design. Jamie’s art shows his passion for comics, science fiction, and horror themes. He really is a creative and talented person. This was Jamie’s 2nd year at the Whyte Ave Art-Walk. But being an artist isn’t Jamie’s only talent. He is also a hypnotist. I highly suggest going to his website and having a look at his gallery. http://jprudenart.ca/ or saying hello to him on Instagram: @jamie_pruden_artist 
Making my way up Whyte Avenue, just out front of O'Brian's Pub, I met a young woman named Bri O’Malley. I immediately loved some of Bri’s work. She really has an eclectic type of style to her. One painting may have, I don’t know if this is the best way to describe it, but it had a mystical gothic feel to it, and then another will be more of a scenic painting. Some seem to feel like mild abstract distortions of reality and others very much realism. I found Bri to be an interesting person. Her tattoos were also beautiful. On one arm she had a High Priestess and on the other St. Michael. She also had rabbit tattoos. Bri is originally from Fort Saskatchewan and now living in Edmonton. She is a freelance artist and is pursuing the move into silkscreen and printing. I’m sure whatever direction she chooses to go in, she will do well. To see what Bri is up to, you can find her on Instagram @bri.omalley or at her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/OMalley.bri.artist/
Further down the avenue was artist Justin Valens working on a scenic painting. Justin is another very creative painter. In some of his artwork he blends humans with animals, or maybe it is animals with humans. But he also displays another side of his talent in paintings of nature scenes. Just from looking at his work one can see he is an established artist. When Justin isn’t working on his own pieces, he is an art teacher and a busy dad. This is his 2nd year attending the Whyte Ave Art-Walk. I really loved his tattoo of a bluejay. Visit Justin on Instagram @jbvalens or at his website: http://www.justinvalens.com/
Moving right along down the ave, I met a lovely young woman by the name of Tieu Dang who was being a real trooper in the heat wave along the busy street. She is a Watercolor Artist and a Graphic Designer. I just loved the soft tones in her paintings of birds, small animals and flowers. Especially the hedgehogs! Some of her pieces were really sweet. I hope you will visit Tieu’s website: https://www.tieudangartist.com/ and connect with her on Instagram @happymayo_
Not far away I came across a very colourful and talented guy named Michael Conforti. Michael is an artist and a writer. He wrote and illustrated his own book “Beyond The Cusp of Reality” which you can find at the Warp Comics store on Whyte Ave or at Lulu.com. He is highly creative and much of his artwork, but not limited to, can be bold, bright, and abstract. This laid back artist graduated from ACAD and has a BFA in drawing. He is now transitioning into radio and tv. I’m sure whatever he pursues, he will enjoy the journey. This was Michael's 8th year at the Art-Walk. You can check out Michaels portfolio at http://michael.conforti.30art.com or take a look at his book on lulu.com 
Rachel Rae was the next artist that I stopped to talk with. She was just hanging out in camping chairs with her mom on the sidewalk. So I stopped, sat down and hung out for awhile to. I found Rachel to be an interesting young woman. So much more going on behind that innocent smile. She is intelligent, witty and a natural artist. Becoming an artist is not her main goal. She is actually more into physics and math and will most likely pursue being a researcher. But geez this girl's got talent. Her portraits are really fantastic. This is Rachel’s 3rd year at the Art -Walk. You can check out her gallery on her website: http://www.rachelnicoleart.com/
As my feet felt like they were ready to fall off and needed to be taken home, I just could not resist stopping to have a good look at Kelly Ritchie’s art and talk with her. The bright and bold colours on display demanded your attention. There was a large elephant piece that was simply impressive. Kelly is a Dot Artist and calls her gallery Funky Dot Art. She originally began her art career by working in a tattoo shop. As she builds her collection, Kelly is also working as a Caregiver. She hopes to one day be a full-time artist and teach her craft. This was Kelly’s 3rd year at the Art-Walk. Kelly welcomes you to pop by her facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Kidfunkyfry73/ or connect on Instagram @kidfunkyfry73 
From there, my Saturday at the Whyte Ave Art-Walk came t a satisfying end. I had fully completed one side of the avenue and then some. If I were to continue my adventure for the following day, then it was time to go home, rest my feet and hydrate. These artists that had been there from 10am to 5pm were true troopers. They had my admiration and respect.
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