Why is it that we believe that art is only meant for gallery spaces or kids school projects? Art is all around us it lives and breathes our creativity, our self expression, and our passions. I’m highlighting a few local artists who don’t compromise or hold back, they are showing up exactly where they are and transforming the ordinary into something unforgettable.
Take Jodie Bergsma from Gohst town ink for example, she has built more than a business—she’s created a legacy of clients seeking skin that paints a picture and writes their story. They leave with empowerment, knowing their bold new image allows people who encounter them to see their creative side right away. Jodie’s baby bump is glowing with new life and it couldn’t look anymore beautiful than it does right now enhanced by her selection of stunning tattoos.
Then there’s Lexi Bender a wildly imaginative local graphic and fine artist who recently moved into a sun-drenched Uptown loft—and turned it into a fine crafted psychedelic masterpiece. Her bold rhythmic brushstrokes ripple across the walls like music. Retro patterns play like a cosmic conversation with pop-art, something Warhol himself might have thought up in his prime. This diva didn’t simply decorate her space; she created it. Her loft now feels like a place where imagination runs barefoot and playful patterns delight her guests.
But art isn’t only visual. It can be edible, too. Enter chef Jared Wood and his life-partner My Nguyen the culinary artists behind the most breathtaking sushi platters on this side of Tokyo. Have you ever wondered what gorgeous art tastes like? It tastes like the Humble Lotus, fresh, creative, delicious, unique, surprising and perfect! Their creations are more than meals—they’re edible paintings, ephemeral expressions of joy and balance. You don’t just eat their food; you experience it.
What ties these creatives together is a simple, powerful truth: life can be basic or it can be artistic. They’ve chosen the latter. They have taken their craft to the next level offering those who encounter them an experience that is elevated beyond life’s norm. The best part is, it’s contagious.
The more we surround ourselves with these makers and dreamers, the more we’re inspired to find our own brush, our own voice, our own version of our creative selves. Let’s learn and grow by challenging ourselves to make our own piece of this world a little more beautiful and find ways to express our inner artistic side no matter what that looks like.
Helen Fidler seeks to create beautiful spaces that evoke strong emotions in her audience. Her bold and unique visual vocabulary observes her favourite artists and architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright and Jackson Pollock. She free-flows from surrealism into an unrestrained abstract style when she paints, which carries over into her interiors when decorating clients’ homes. “My art is an expression of how I work through the troublesome realities of this world in a way that hopes to bring beauty to everything I touch,” she explains. For her, designing gorgeous interiors and creating stimulating paintings are essential to making the world around her a more beautiful space.
