mab art studio and gallery

Tarnia Loewen-Emerging Artist

by Monika Blichar

Tarnia Loewen has been one woman who has played several roles in my professional and personal lives over the years. When I first moved to Vancouver, I bought a condo downtown and she worked in the building. Not only was she always happy and bright, she shared her dreams and goals of working as an artist. I’m always eager to hear about art dreams and loved hearing about what she was doing. Even after I sold the condo and years later, we remained friends and business associates. She started to share more of her works with me and invited me to show my art, host an event when she held a Halloween Pop Up Shop in North Vancouver and referred our company for make up work. The more I got to know her, the more I encouraged her to share her work and eventually enticed her to participate in Art World Expo three years in a row.

A talent who has made works for years and is now emerging into her arts career, we caught up with her to share some of her thoughts about art.

1-What inspires you to create paintings?

What inspires me to paint and create is vibrancy in colour and movement around us.

2-Do you have a favourite artist?

I have several favourite artists, Michelangelo, Salvador Dali, and Jack Shadbolt.

3-What is your favourite subject matter to paint?

My favourite subject to paint seems to be anything outdoors, I am surprised by this as I love still life flowers in vases, inanimate objects and abstract but outdoor scenery seems to keep rising to the surface. So for now I am going with it. There is something about Trees!

4-What kinds of work are you currently working on?

Currently I am expanding myself into more abstract and have a river/ water series I am working on. Also going larger.

5-If you could make anything happen with your art and career, what would you like to see happen?

I want to definitely develop more depth and skill, much more flavor, more variety and to provide a peacefulness into a purchasers environment wherever they would choose to put a work of mine.

6-Will you have special offers for Art World Expo guests this year?

Special offers at Art World I am working on bringing more pieces, larger pieces, and some surprises!

To learn more about Tarnia, visit her Facebook Page.

Logo on Our Luggage-Painting Dreams International Art Tours

by Monika Blichar

Each year, we are fortunate enough to take several trips related to arts and culture locally and internationally. In 2017, we have several trips planned including workshops in Toronto, REO Rafting in North Bend, British Columbia, Wroclaw, Poland in Europe and Las Vegas, USA. Maybe more, who knows! We love to travel, see and make new art while participating or leading workshops and conferences related to the arts and culture sector.

As I’m sitting at the Vancouver International Airport waiting to board my flight to Toronto for a world languages workshop I’m attending this week, I wanted to introduce our current and past sponsors for our annual Logo on our Luggage Program. In what began as an unconventional way to advertise local businesses in Vancouver, has now become one of my favourite accents to our annual travels. Not only do I look forward to traveling and seeing new things, meeting new people and enjoying new cultures, I also enjoy sharing passionate companies with my network via these experiences! It is a win win for everyone!

Our Logo on Our Luggage Sponsors past and present include:

Twin Peaks Construction www.twinpeaksconstruction.com

Art by Edy https://www.facebook.com/artbyedy/

Personal Travel Management-Robyn Freels https://personaltravel.ca/travel-agents/robyn-freels/

Carolyn Bruce Designs www.carolynbrucedesigns.com

Coastal Storm Gallery

http://www.coastalstormgallery.com

Daddy Blogger http://daddyblogger.com

Jirehstone Vancouver www.jirehstone.com

Daughter for a Day Senior’s Care http://daughterforaday.ca/

MAB Art Studio & Boutique Gallery www.mabartstudio.com

Make and Break Arts Foundation https://www.facebook.com/Make-and-Break-Arts-Foundation-154109301295870/

Painting Dreams International Art Tours https://www.facebook.com/Painting-Dreams-International-Art-Tours-968374583192403/

Art World Expo www.theartworldexpo.com

World of Hydration

http://www.worldofhydration.com

Please connect with us and these great companies online! They each have something unique to share including construction, travel, senior’s care, art, jewellery and more! We will be posting regularly on our feeds about what makes these companies unique so stay tuned!

In exchange for a minimal advertising rate of $100, these companies not only contribute to our travel expenses, workshop fees or program development, they receive some excelelnt exposure via our numerous networks including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and our YouTube videos. I’m excited to share the works of these companies and invite you to have a look at the advertising program HERE We have only 7 spots left for the rest of the 2017 season!

Thank you to our past and ongoing sponsors and affiliates! We appreciate all your support for BC Arts and Culture!

It Takes a Village to Raise a Child…

Working Together for
a Vibrant Arts Community

Help Make Our Community More Creative!

Throughout the year, at the studio and in the community, we fundraise by selling various products and services to help us sustain regular arts programs at the studio and events in the community. If you have followed or been involved with us long enough, you will have noticed that we sell everything from Poinsettias during the Winter Holidays, Valentine’s Day Chocolates, Spring Flower & Vegetable Starters, to products like Coastal Imagination Masks, Accessories and even Painting Classes throughout the year!

We try to be as creative as possible with all our fundraising in order to keep classes, camps and events going! With the generous support of our studio patrons, volunteers, social media followers and sponsors, we have been able to continue to survive while so many galleries and venues close down. Just today, we found out that The Railway Club, a popular music venue, is closing due to high rents and low profits. In addition to today’s announcement, the popular Silk Purse Gallery and Music Box in West Vancouver is also set to be demolished and replaced with waterfront development. Read more about the Silk Purse story published in the North Shore News here: http://www.nsnews.com/news/west-vancouver-artists-decry-ambleside-studio-loss-1.2217067

There are others whose galleries and centres buzz to be closing and packing it in. As an arts and culture lover, I can’t help but feel sad not only for the communities and the lovely people who live and work here, but also for the future generations of children who each year, lose more and more of a connect to arts and culture with the lack of cultural organizations succeeding.

As a young girl growing up as an immigrant in Canada, my family and the people who immigrated with us made it a priority for us to learn, do, see and experience as much as possible in the name of multiculturalism and cultural education. Being part of the community and doing as much as we could even when it was at times difficult for our families to make it, was and continues to be a key ingredient in why so many people want to come here to live.

My question today is why are we allowing our own community to shun the thought of such greatness, cultural diversity and talent by failing to support our own local economies? Living in Vancouver makes our money-consciousness, in particular our spending and earning, a high priority that simply seems to weigh us down rather than empower us as a community. I can’t help but urge everyone in our community to really assess what we are spending our hard-earned money on. If we can shift our spending to support local BC based business owners; artists, designers, builders, farmers, we truly can make a difference in our cultural fabric.

Spring is always a busy time for us fundraising in our operations, and with the news of so many closures, I can help but write and give my two cents on the issues surrounding ‘shopping local’ and supporting local arts based initiatives. Since opening this business and studio in 2010, I have seen so many positive things come to fruition as a direct result of camps, classes, and exhibits that my heart really does ache when I think about a future without art and artisans.

At our studio, we truly do appreciate your support and if all you do is share this email with someone who you know cares about arts and culture, then that helps all of us spread awareness about the importance of community.

If you can help us with our fundraising initiatives this Spring, be sure to consider our offers below. We have some great local products and services that directly support the studio classes, kids art camps and events such as Art World Expo and Painting Dreams International Art Tours. We are also on the look out forVOLUNTEERS for Art World Expo as well as studio and gallery volunteers to help with the studio and ongoing fundraising campaigns. Please email or call us directly to join our team and help us keep our community creative.

We are also running our spring bottle drive for April and we would appreciate your help there too! Proceeds from fundraising initiatives this month will be helping with summer arts programs for kids art camps

as well as Art World Expo.

April Fundraising Offers!

All proceeds support art camp for kids and Art World

Expo this summer via Make and Break Arts Foundation.

Spring Seed Packs
Organic Pepper Seeds with Seed Starter
$2

Painting Classes
Offer Valid Only March 29-April 30
$12/class
Reg. $40/class

Painting Dreams Scarves
Includes Handmade Button Pin
$20

VIP Art World Expo Ticket
$75
Includes Glamour Noir locally made mask to wear at the event,
Art by Edy Art Card, Drink Ticket and VIP Swag Bag. VIP line up as well!