The Acorn Artist Series shines a light on artists in Vancouver whose work we admire greatly and wish to proliferate in our own humble way. Every month or so we make a new artist card that gets handed out to our guests at the end of their dining experience. Our hopes are that they take it home as a memento of the Acorn but also as a foray into what is being created by some of our city's finest emerging and established artists.
The Adventures of Atrevida Reef
2019
Oil on canvas
72" x 54"
Les Ramsay was born in Vancouver and currently lives and works on the Sunshine Coast of BC. He received his BFA at Emily Carr University and did a 6 month exchange at Universitat de Bellas Artes in Valencia (Spain) and completed his MFA in painting at Concordia University.
Ramsay creates his works by recycling the excess of everyday domestic objects using constructive and deconstructive strategies. With a layered multi-media studio practice, Les draws inspiration from domestic craft, textiles, folk art and digital drawing, forming groups of large oil paintings, fabric assemblages, sculpture, and framed needlepoint.
He is currently represented by Antione Ertaskiran Gallery, Montreal, and his works can be found in many private and corporate collections such as Medcan, The Claridge Collection, TD, RBC, and Scotia Bank. He has exhibited in Canada, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, as well as in the US.
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The title of the painting, The Adventures of Atrevida Reef came from the reef off the coast of where we live on the Sunshine Coast, close to Lund. The closest street to us is named Atrevida Road and heads from Highway 101 straight to the beach. As well, across the street (highway 101) from us in the Atrevida Loop trail head, it's an hour and a half hike through old growth cedars and Douglas firs, super beautiful. The word Atrevida is Spanish in origin and translates to daring or bold.
The original study for this painting was oil on paper, and the iconography came from the urge to make a boat painting with somebody else relaxing/waiting at the beach.
Silver
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
78” x 60”
2017
Ben Reeves’ drawing and painting practice is an intensive, personal accounting of perception and how the world is realized through pictures.
He has exhibited his work extensively in national venues as well as in the US, England and China. His work has been featured and reviewed in Canadian Art, Border Crossings, The National Post, and The Globe and Mail. Reeves is Associate Professor at Emily Carr University and his work is represented in Vancouver by the Equinox Gallery
Afterparty
39" x 61.5"
Oil and Pastel on Canvas
2016
Michelle Nguyen’s darkly whimsical paintings explore subjects pertaining to ephemerality and divine myth with humour. Born and raised in Toronto, Michelle currently lives and works in Vancouver.
Luck Rests
Oil on Arches Paper
19" x 23"
2017
Daniel Jefferies lives and works in Vancouver, BC. He received his Bachelor's of Fine Art from Emily Carr University and his Masters of Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute. In 2014 he opened Field Contemporary, a local gallery committed to exhibiting outstanding local and international emerging artists.
Wood Gang of Lake Winnipegosis
Gouache and mixed media on vintage paper
7" x 9.5”
2015
Ryan Heshka's artwork has appeared in the pages of the New York Times, Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journal, and Playboy, as well as numerous book jackets. He has released two children’s books, and his new comic book, “Mean Girls Club”, is enjoying international success. His personal art has been exhibited in galleries across North America and Europe. In addition, Heshka teaches at Emily Carr University of Art + Design as a sessional instructor in the illustration department. He lives and works in Vancouver, with his wife Marinda, and their cat Louis.
Barrowtown Pump Station, 11 April 2015
Black and white photograph from 4x5" negative
Prior to its displacement in 1924, Sumas Lake would triple in size during flood season and supported indigenous flora, fauna and people. This water is now regulated by a series of small canals and pump stations that supply water to local agriculture. This tower sits next to the dam at the Barrowtown pump station, and acts as visual aid to measure flood levels.
Curtis Grahauer is a recent MFA graduate from Simon Fraser University. His practice explores the hidden anthropogenic influence within the naturalized landscape.
Teal Bouquet
Acrylic and Oil Pastel on Canvas.
33"x52"
2014
Andy Dixon is a self-taught contemporary painter currently working out of Vancouver B.C. He is represented by Rebecca Hossack Gallery in London & New York, and Wally Workman Gallery in Austin. He has exhibited in solo and group shows worldwide, including England, Spain, Japan, Canada, and the USA, and has shown in international fairs such as Art Paris, Art Toronto, and The Outsider Art Fair New York. He has an upcoming show at Initial Gallery, Vancouver, and Rebecca Hossack, New York.
andydixon.net
Soup Tureen
Digital light jet print of a hand-cut collage
20”X25"
2012 ed. of 5
Elizabeth Zvonar is an artist living in Vancouver. In her dreams, her website www.elizabethzvonar.com has had over 1 million views. True story, rich and famous people have told her that they should have bought her work after they had already purchased another artist’s work. She knows high people in places and her works have been exhibited. She is represented by Daniel Faria Gallery.
Witch and Bowl
Oil on Canvas
18.25" x 24"
2013
Stephanie Aitken is a visual artist living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her work has been written about and published in The Vancouver Review, The Walrus, C Magazine and Border Crossings. Stephanie is a recent recipient of production grants from The Canada Council and from The British Columbia Arts Council. She teaches in the Fine Arts program at Langara College in Vancouver.
River Phoenix (In Green Plaid)
Watercolour and Guache on paper
10"x14"
2013
Karin Bubaš is an artist who lives and works in Vancouver, B.C. Her drawings and watercolours have been featured on Radar Online, In Touch Magazine and the New York Times Style Magazine. Her work has been exhibited in Europe and North America. She is represented by the Monte Clark Gallery.
karinbubas.ca
Dream On
Oil on Canvas with Metal Grommets
36” x 23”
2018
M.E. Sparks is an artist currently living on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples. Her recent paintings cull from personal and art historical references while revolving around ideas of resistance, obfuscation, slippages of language, and suppressive narratives within the history of painting.
She holds an MFA from Emily Carr University and a BFA from NSCAD University. M.E. was a finalist in the 2017 and 2016 RBC Painting Competitions and the recipient of the 2016 Nancy Petry Award.
Untitled
2018
Gabriel Cabrera is a Photographer & Recipe Developer living and working in Vancouver, Canada. He's a travel addict with a penchant for Nordic design, Latin Food, and French pastries. When he's not photographing or testing recipes, he can be found eating and talking about photography, basically the same, but not really. For more about his work visit https://www.gabrielcabrera.com/
Still Life III
Janice Wu
2017
9" x 12"
pencil & gouache on paper
Janice Wu is a visual artist and illustrator based in Vancouver, Canada. She received a BFA from Emily Carr University in 2013. Primarily working in drawing, her work explores material culture and the ways in which value is assigned to fragments, traces, and artifacts of the everyday. Some of her illustration clients include Canada Post, The Walrus, The New York Times, Esquire UK, and Urban Outfitters. She is represented by the Back Gallery Project in Vancouver.
Ovule
Ultracal, Chrysanthemum Button Poms, Steel
H: 6 3/4" x W: 6" x D: 6"
2016
Vanessa Brown works in sculpture, painting and photography and is based in Vancouver on unceded Coast Salish Territories. She graduated with a BFA from Emily Carr University in 2013 and was the recipient of the Chancellor’s Award. She has exhibited in Canada, Germany, and the USA. She is represented by Wil Aballe Art Projects
Floating Vessels in Time and Space
Dye on sewn canvas and linen
229 x 203cm (90x80")
2016
Colleen Heslin is an artist and independent curator based in Vancouver BC. With an MFA from Concordia University and a BFA from Emily Carr University, her work explores medium crossovers and metaphysical concerns relating to material and causality. Heslin recently exhibited new work at the Charles H. Scott Gallery in Vancouver and currently has a solo at the Esker Foundation in Calgary. She was the winner of the 2013 RBC Painting Competition; her work has been exhibited and published in Canada, USA, and Europe.
Stone Fruit
Acrylic paint on hydro-stone
15"x8"x9"
2015
Laura Piasta is a Vancouver-based artist whose practice explores the agency of objects through a conceptually driven exploration of materials. Her work often approaches the subject of landscape through alternative applications where natural occurring phenomena and material become subjects and or participants in the production and reading of the work. Her practice is not bound to one medium or discipline, blurring the boundaries between craft, concept, sound and vision.
Piasta received the City of Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Emerging Artist.
Figure Disruption Portrait #2
Risograph print on archival paper
12"X18"
2014 ed. of 12
John Burgess lives and works in Vancouver BC and is a graduate of Emily Carr University in Studio Arts. Burgess has exhibited ambitious projects and installations in Canada, Australia and the United States over the last few years that consider postindustrial developments in architecture, construction, abstraction and design.
johnrobertburgess.com
Untitled
Acrylic on Canvas
30" x 40"
2013
Shelley Penfold is a painter living and working in Vancouver, BC. She completed a B.F.A at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in 2003 and a M.F.A at the University of Victoria in 2009. Her work has been shown across Canada and resides in private and public collections.
shelleypenfold.com
Demeter Series (detail)
Oil on Canvas
Dimensions Variable
2013
Born in Vancouver, Angus Ferguson received his BFA from Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 2002. His work has appeared in group exhibitions at Charles H. Scott Gallery, Belkin Satellite Gallery and more. Solo shows include Blanket Gallery, CSA Space, and Chernoff Fine Art in Vancouver. In 2007 he was shortlisted for the RBC Painting Competition. Angus lives and works in Vancouver.
Geneve at Deer Lake
30cm x 40cm - ed. 8
2010
Courtesy of the artist
Jennilee Marigomen is a Canadian photographer whose work investigates everyday phenomenon. In 2010, she was the recipient of The Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Award. In 2011, she released her first book, "Seconde Nature" with Paris based Je Suis une Bande de Jeunes, which has been added to the Artist Book Collection at the MoMA Library. She currently lives in Vancouver, where she is the Photo Editor of the online publication, 01 Magazine.
Winner, Flash Forward Emerging Photographer - The Magenta Foundation (Canada), 2010
Winner, Dazed and Confused Magazine, “What’s Next? Competition (Amsterdam), 2011
Shortlisted, Hyères Photography Competition (France), 2010
jennileemarigomen.com
Victory Garden
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
36” x 36”
2017
Originally from Montreal, Fiona Ackerman is a painter living and working in Vancouver, BC. Since completing her BFA through Concordia and ECIAD, Fiona has exhibited across Canada and in Europe (London, Berlin, Nuremberg, Munster, Düsseldorf).
Rooted in abstraction, I want to push my work in divergent directions, to surprise myself, and keep the possibilities for my painting wide open. Working in series, I develop a stylistic language specific to the mood or conceptual objectives I'm working on. I see my arc of work much like that of an author. Each series is like a new book, different in tone, style and story. But they are all part of a larger archive, and each a meaningful piece of the whole.
Frosted Scene
2017
Jennifer Latour lives and works in Vancouver, BC. Her photography demonstrates an ardent combination of her eye for cinematic composition, textural richness and conscious emphasis of color and light. She is currently working alongside 01Magazine and is co-founder of 01Production Agency.
Instagram: @bonjourlatour
Clear Path To Nowhere
18 x 14” Oil on Canvas
2015
Jonathan Syme graduated with a BFA from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2003. He currently lives in Vancouver, BC, where he maintains a studio and makes work focused on abstract painting and sculpture. The assertion that abstraction develops meaning through contemplation factors deeply when I make artwork.
The Acorn
Oil on Canvas
12” x 12"
2015
Will Rafuse was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He attended Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC. Rafuse's work revolves around a mix of iconic Vancouver landmarks and familiar neon signs. Living in Montreal, Will works from historical and personal photos of the city as an ongoing tribute to the place he once called home.
Will Rafuse appears courtesy of Kimoto Gallery
The Game
Oil and shellac on canvas
38"x38"
2013
Johan Björck is a Swedish artist currently living and working in Vancouver. He received his BFA from the Umeå Academy of Fine Art in 2011 and since then has exhibited in Sweden and Canada. His practice includes painting, sculpture and sound.
Desert Theatre Projection with Scorpion and Unusual Text
Oil on canvas
75x101
2015
Steve Hubert has exhibited painting, sculpture, drawing, video, music, or performance at 221A, Sunset Terrace, MODEL (back patio), INDEX, CSA Space, Or Gallery, Helen Pitt Gallery, VIVO, Shudder Gallery, LES, Eyelevel Gallery (Halifax), Jeffrey Boone Gallery, WWTWO (Montreal), Ministry of Casual Living (Victoria), and 2of2 Gallery (Toronto). Hubert attended Simon Fraser University (MFA 2012), Emily Carr (BFA 2007), and Langara College (2003-05). His work has appeared in SETUP, LAN: R-T, Decoy, Videographe, The Fillip Review, and Pyramid Power. He currently teaches at SFU and Emily Carr.
Thinking About It
Oil and Acrylic on Panel
20"x24"
2013
Deirdre McAdams is a visual artist living and working in Vancouver, BC. She is a graduate of Emily Carr University of Art and Design (2008), and the Victoria College of Art (2003), where she studied painting. She was awarded an Honourable Mention in the 2011 RBC Painting Competition, as well as a prize in 2010 from Canadian Art Magazine for her writing on contemporary art. Her recent and upcoming exhibitions include group shows at Field Contemporary, Wil Aballe Art Projects, Kathleen Cullen Fine Arts (Brooklyn NY), and a solo show at CSA Space in Vancouver.
www.deirdremcadams.com
Future Self
Inkjet to C-print
14" x 17"
Edition of 2 + AP
2013
Ryan Mathieson is an emerging artist who lives and works in Vancouver, BC. He has exhibited at the Western Front, the Audain Gallery, East Van Studios and Pith Gallery, Calgary, AB.
Postcard Launch with DJ Patrick Campbell and Ken Tsui
Friday, March 21st, 2014
10pm - 2am
ryanmathieson.com
It's a Sign 002
C-Print on Dibond
44"x44"
2013
Showing from Oct 17 - Nov 21, 2013
at Initial Gallery 2339 Granville St
For more information please contact the gallery
Angela Fama is a Vancouver-based photographer who has exhibited at the National Gallery in Ottawa and the Elliot Louis Gallery in Vancouver. Her work delves into the recesses of the forgotten or ignored, often revealing unique perspectives on history through it's temporal placement in the present day.
angelafama.com
Geneve at Deer Lake
30cm x 40cm - ed. 8
2010
Courtesy of the artist
Jennilee Marigomen is a Canadian photographer whose work investigates everyday phenomenon. In 2010, she was the recipient of The Magenta Foundation's Flash Forward Emerging Photographer Award. In 2011, she released her first book, "Seconde Nature" with Paris based Je Suis une Bande de Jeunes, which has been added to the Artist Book Collection at the MoMA Library. She currently lives in Vancouver, where she is the Photo Editor of the online publication, 01 Magazine.
Winner, Flash Forward Emerging Photographer - The Magenta Foundation (Canada), 2010
Winner, Dazed and Confused Magazine, “What’s Next? Competition (Amsterdam), 2011
Shortlisted, Hyères Photography Competition (France), 2010
jennileemarigomen.com
Flared Nostrils
from Bad Trip, New Religion & Regeneration
collage
2012
Howie Tsui
courtesy of the artist
Ho Yan (Howie) Tsui is a Canadian visual artist, born in Hong Kong (1978) and raised in Nigeria and Thunder Bay (Ontario), he holds an Honours BFA in painting from the University of Waterloo (2002). His recent project, "Horror Fables", uses imagery from traditional Asian ghost tales, Buddhist hell scrolls, ancient bestiaries, Hong Kong vampire films and the Sino-Japanese War to satirize the climate of fear in contemporary culture.
