ISSUE 02
In this issue...
Leonie Vatter - 4 - Upcycling vintage fabrics into fashionable accessories.
Sharon Taggar-Sekhon - 8 - Canvasing inner beauty, externally.
Mike Wytinck - 16 - Capturing the world point by point. Reviving the dying art of Pointilism. Sarah Wettberg - 26 - Putting a positive spin on life’s challenges, and discovering new perspectives. Simran Kharal - 30 - Demonstrating a passion for rejuvinating forgotten treasures, and creating one of a kind pieces. Trent Redmond - 36 - Showcasing the importance of details in photo-realism.
Gloria Prez - 38 - Taking existing art and upscaling it to the next level.
Romaicia Naser - 42- Illustrating the work of literary geniuses, through her own interpretation. Raj Dhaliwal - 48 - Designing jewelry that gives back to the community.
Yana Kembel- 50 - Giving women confidence while exploring the limits of boudoir photography. Ashley Caldwell - 54 - Sculpting natural figures while exploring their geometic components. Patwant Singh & M Dhadwal - 56 - Composing urban music with an eastern edge.
Kirn Gill - 60 - Painting her way through inspiring surroundings.
*Cover photo by Mike Wytinck 2 - OLOGY
What is -OLOGY... -OLOGY is a creative hub where people who share similar interests can network and promote creativity. Initially, we wanted, like most publications, a continuous voice, but each artist has a unique talent, so we chose to allow artists to showcase their talents in their own words. -OLOGY is a publication made by the creative community for the creative community. No creative voice is the same, but each voice contributes in its own way to the community around it. There will always be a set number of magazines available around Calgary. You can also order your copy on www.ologymag.com.
Meet the -OLOGY team... Sanam Dhoot - Founder & Managing Director Rupi Gill - Editor Hooda Sadden - Editor Navi Dhoot - Consultant
A Note from Sanam... -OLOGY is the exploration of the incredible creativity that surrounds us. After interning for a magazine in the United Kingdom, I was inspired to explore and discover the talent we have here in Canada. I am passionate about supporting Canadian artists and am proud to announce that this is the first issue featuring artists from all across the country! I know firsthand how difficult it is to break into the creative industry, and I am hoping that -OLOGY can be a place where people feel comfortable showcasing a part of themselves and their remarkable talents. Together, let’s explore the variability of what it means to be creative, and have some fun in the process! www.ologymag.com ologymag@gmail.com
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Meet Leonie Vatter... In 2009 while travelling in Australia, I met my husband Guillaume who was from Canada. I had just finished university in Germany, where I grew up, and wanted to travel before starting my career as an English and History teacher. Life has a funny way of changing one’s plans though - teaching just wasn’t in the cards for me. Guillaume and I spent a couple of years going back and forth between Europe and Canada, and finally got married in Denmark in 2011. At the time, I was working as a teacher, but was unhappy with the work. After receiving compliments for the hooded scarves I gave my family as Christmas presents (don’t all handmade business stories start like that?), I decided to open an Etsy shop. Etsy was a lot of fun and people actually purchased my designs! Creativity has always been my strong suit but sometimes it’s not easy to figure out where your real talents actually lie. After 4 - OLOGY
I opened my Etsy shop ‘Maple And Oak Designs,’ Guillaume got a job offer in Calgary and it didn’t take us long to make the decision to move back to Canada. I was excited to be able to start over and work full-time on my little business. That was four years ago and I’m still just as excited about running my own business today as I was then. When I started, I used new, vintage, and salvaged fabrics alike without giving it too much thought. Ultimately, I recognized the potential in vintage and reclaimed fabrics - sweet floral prints, the inherent quality of the fabric, and the untold stories that each piece must have lived through. These traits are endlessly inspiring to me. My accessory designs are usually inspired by the fashions of times gone-by but are also bold and fun. In this sense, choosing vintage fabrics to create unique pieces is almost a given.
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Working with with reclaimed fabrics also allows me to do my part in tackling the issue of textile waste. Landfill sites are full of discarded fabrics like old clothes and home decor but also vintage fabrics. My creations help to reduce the strain on the planet’s resources by saving old fabrics from the landfill and up-cycling them into new fun accessories. Sewing has always been a part of my life as my mother and grandmother are avid hobby seamstresses. I recently learned that my great-grandmother turned army jackets into dresses after the Second World War when they had nothing else to wear. It’s as though the idea of transforming the use of fabric is in my blood! A few weeks ago, I launched my Spring/Summer 2016 collection which you can shop on my website. This year, Maple And Oak Designs focuses on colourful head scarves, funky Rockabilly headbands (also for children), dreamy triangle scarves and dapper pre-tied ‘Beau Ties’ for the gentlemen. There is also a new line of ponchos, made from a felted fabric which aren’t reclaimed, but pretty special nonetheless - but that is a whole other story, so why not hop on over to check out my designs and read about it all on my blog? www.mapleandoakdesigns.com IG/Twitter: @mapleandoak FB: www.facebook.com/MapleAndOakDesigns Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/mapleandoak/ Photography by: Jillian Logee of Logee Photography http://www.logeephotography.com - OLOGY 7
Meet Sharon Taggar-Sekhon... Born and raised in London, England, I had the opportunity to travel a great deal and it quickly became a passion. I lived in Bombay for a couple of years during which time I worked with STAR TV and launched channels and television shows - this was a great experience and a trial run into launching my own company. This year I made the decision to spearhead my own business, and showcase my talent and drive to the Indian wedding industry in Vancouver. This highly competitive industry has only made me work harder to establish my name among other incredibly talented artists. Why do I love styling? I love seeing women feel confident about themselves. I love talking to them and finding out more about them and in the long run, it’s very rewarding seeing them come back to you because they loved the way you made them feel both internally and externally. Get in touch at info@madeinlondonstudio.com Website: madeinlondonstudio.com IG: @ madeinlondonstudio YouTube: youtube.com/madeinlondonstudio1 Photography: Sunday Studio @ sundaystudio.ca DÊcor: Jessie Khaira Events @ jessiekhaira Outfits: Wellgroomed @ wellgroomedinc Jewelry: Trove Jewelry @ thetrovejewelry 8 - OLOGY
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Meet Mike Wytinck… I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba but have been working and living in Calgary for the past 20 years. I have been creating art since I was a lad, and have always had a passion for creating art using pencil and pen/ink. I have a rich family history in agriculture, which I have always tried to draw upon for my subject matter. Since moving to Calgary, I have tried to combine the familiar prairie landscapes, and the new mountain ranges, to draw upon a broader subject matter that continues to inspire my art. As my work has evolved, I’ve remained true to myself and my style. I strive to create works only on manmade objects and/or wildlife that I have personally seen. As my portfolio developed over the years, and began being reviewed by my peers, I began to notice a pattern that I hadn’t intended on, but am now pleased with. I use my art to represent my own experiences with Canadiana, wildlife, agriculture and scenic landscapes - but do so without making an intentional environmental or social commentary. Most of my work tends to focus on nature, with a few manmade objects, as I believe that humans and nature can co-exist in an environment of mutual respect. When adding manmade elements, I always try to depict a positive message - the persistence of nature in recapturing what once belonged to the Earth. None of what I have done has been intentional. It all developed and evolved over time. I’ve been asked numerous times for my reasons or intentions on certain pieces, but I’ve never liked to explain a certain piece of work. If I’ve created a piece of art,
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and that’s how I wanted it to be, I hope that the piece will speak for itself. Whatever it says to the viewer is the right message because there isn’t ever a right or wrong message. Each person sees and takes something a little different away from the same image and I am happy with that. I enjoy creating art using arguably one of the simplest forms simple dots. It’s amazing to me what a few dots (and by a few, I mean a few million or so), laid down in specific order and concentrations, can look like. I like to challenge myself to use the pointillism style to create texture, depth and feeling. I love detail and I incorporate as much detail as possible into all of my work. Pointillism is not for everyone, and it is definitely not a mainstream form of art. Most of my pieces will take hundreds of hours to complete and having patience is a paramount. I spend a lot of time designing and drawing the piece in pencil to ensure it is exactly as I envision it in my mind before starting to lay down the ink. It takes a lot of planning when executing this style of art as you need to lay down the piece’s forefront ink before laying down the background ink. I never use anything other than pencil, pens and black ink. Mistakes are not an option. There is a lot of history with this art form and I hope that through my work, and by encouraging young artists to keep it going, that I am able to help keep the pointillism art-form vibrant, meaningful and alive. For more of my artwork, information on pointillism and to purchase original or limited, signed Giclee prints visit www.imagesinink.ca
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Meet Sarah Wettberg... I have been interested in photography for as long as I can remember. I was never very good at it and often struggled to get the image I had in my mind to present itself in reality. It wasn’t something I gave a whole lot of energy to until a few years ago when I got really sick. Unfortunately, a neurological disease has caused some changes, mostly unfavourable, to how my brain operates. But one favourable and amazing change that somehow came out of that dark period was that my creativity sky-rocketed. Suddenly, I was the photographer I had always struggled to be. I connected with the camera in a whole new way, and it became a great way for me to share and express what I was going through, without it being obvious. It was a way to lose myself in the one and only truly positive thing that came out of being ill. What I love about photos is that they capture a very brief moment in time, and through editing and camera settings, you can convey a mood that perhaps someone else isn’t experiencing. It’s incredible how a handful of people can look at the same thing and see something totally different. Even through my own editing process, I go back to some of the raw images, and create new edits and moods based on how I’m seeing the world in that particular moment - and interestingly, it can be vastly different than how I originally saw the same image. That is what I love about photography. It is a moment caught it time, but somehow still fluid. IG: ms.essbw
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Meet Simran Kharal… I’ve always had a passion for designing and building just about anything. For as long as I can remember, I was drawing up tree-houses and soapbox racers and cars. My parents generally tolerated my precocious imaginings. We weren’t exactly the wealthiest of families and my parents worked a lot. My mom was what you might call a “crafty person” and she would start all sorts of home decorating projects. Her influence helped me channel my imagination into outlets which became more practical, and as we couldn’t always afford the nicest stuff or couldn’t find something ideal for the right price, I would go to garage sales and pick up old furniture and refinish it. After a while I just became addicted to the high I got from seeing the finished project. After accumulating enough scraps, I began to build and design my own furniture. When I finished my last semester, the job market was terrible here in Alberta, and that was when I decided to start Horn and Feather. About 3 years ago, we moved out of the city and onto an acreage. It is here that my formal skills as a craftsman began to be refined - with more space to work and a new house in need of more furniture. The name “Horn and Feather” is inspired from the wildlife I am fortunate to see on a regular basis - species of birds and deer. It ropes in my love for the outdoors, the effect this place has had on my skills, as well as letting people know that it is local inspiration that drives me and that I support and am a part of a local economic, social, and biological environment. Generally speaking, wood is a relatively easy medium to work with. It is ubiquitous, can be extravagantly diverse, relatively cheap in abundance, predictable (with some practice) and most importantly, you don’t need any overly specialized equipment to work with it. In reference to this last point, I recently read Chris Schwarz’ book The Anarchists Tool Chest, and after seeing some of the things accomplished with just cheap hand tools by masters such as Paul Sellers and Roy Underhill, I am more certain of this last point than any other rule in woodworking. All you really need to work with wood is clean, sharp, reliable hand tools, a creative mind and a body that is willing to cooperate with some practice. In fact, the majority of my most frequently used tools, save for a table saw, drill driver and nail gun, are probably over 100 years old that I’ve salvaged from garage sales and antique stores and put back into use. Although I appreciate just about all the pieces I’ve built for their unique challenges, and simultaneously hate them all a little bit for the small amount of frustration they caused me at one point or another in overcoming those challenges, I think my favorite pieces are a simple set of 6 pine boxes I made to go on some shelves in our mudroom for storage of our winter gear. They look very simple, somewhat ragged in fact, but I prepped the stock all by hand with a hand plane, and cut each dovetailed joint by hand. The rope handles were whipped by hand onto eye bolts. It was one of the first times I had made something entirely by hand, and was the first time I felt less like a hobbyist and more like a real woodworker - whatever that means. I’ve done some experimenting in my designs with the use of plywood lamination, glass, and metals with varying degrees of success. I’ve outsourced some fabrication jobs to a local welder but it’s something I’d probably like to try my hand at as well.
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IG: @ hornandfeatherdw & @ leontheproffessional Email: hornandfeatherdw@gmail.com
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Meet Trent Redmond… I’ve lived in Calgary my entire life and consider it my home base. According to my mother, I’ve been drawing since about the age of 3 - before I can even remember. I have always loved drawing real-life images with graphite to try and see how close I could get to accurately capturing the images. As a result, I am extremely detail-oriented and have learned to pay close attention to the way light and shadows, contrast, textures, and subtle details. This has essentially led to my photo-realistic style of drawing. I don’t just copy pictures or images, I also create original and creative drawings purely from my mind in a photorealistic style. 36 - OLOGY
I attended the Alberta College of Art and Design for a couple of years and was accepted into the rigorous Visual Communications program, but am now currently attending Mount Royal University. I have recently started working on an art portfolio on the side. Right now my portfolio is very small and only consists of graphite drawings, but I will soon be moving out of my comfort zone and will begin working on colour pieces, as well as digital art in programs such as Photoshop and ZBrush. https://www.facebook.com/trent.redmond.98
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Meet Gloria Prez… My first childhood memories revolve around art; an appreciation that existed since I was just old enough to hold a crayon in my hand. I’ve always enjoyed drawing, painting and anything else that allowed me to explore my imagination. What I discovered early on is that I loved to create something new, different, and beautiful from what was already given to me: pictures, letters, magazines or posters. Anything that could be improved or simply put together always interested me. This was my true passion and what I wanted more than anything was to grow up and become a Graphic Designer. I chose another path however, and ventured into the administrative world of numbers for a couple of years. As a young adult, it felt like the safe thing to do but as time went on, my enthusiasm for numbers deflated. I now find myself going back to my passion and what I believe I should be doing. While many things and people around me are inspiring, the things in this world that influence me the most are nature, music and seeing the work of other artists. My love for travel has definitely touched my artistic soul. Experiencing different parts of the world has opened my eyes to seeing and appreciating beauty when many may not think it is there. There’s an abundance of magnificence around us daily that we take for granted. Just by stopping to take the moment in, you can appreciate what is in front of you.
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Music is one of the things in my life that I cannot be without. It’s funny how music has a way of bringing back memories and can evoke certain feelings. Playing my jams in the background is a definite must when I work on any project. It never fails to put me at ease and send me into a content and creative mode. Looking at the work of other artists never ceases to amaze me. There is so much talent out there and I am always inspired by how artists push their limits to the next level by breaking their own boundaries. It is so awesome how individuals can really express themselves on paper, through music or on any other kind of medium, yet all expressions are never the same. This pushes me even more to reach my full potential and not be shy about it. Despite the ups and downs of this new journey, I’ve been able to verify my inner passion and curiosity as a designer and artist. Finally being able to do something I love has been absolutely life changing. It’s been my life saver. www.prezdesigns.com IG: @gprezdesigns
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Meet Romaicia Naser ‌
Collection details: The Story Book
As with musicians and poets, I believe art presents itself in everything. It compels us to take a risk and reveals ideas locked within the secrecy of our thoughts, in our most intimate and expressive nature - our mind and soul. But more importantly, art is a chance to explore and learn about the world in its true form, because it surrounds us and takes us over everyday. It makes the world strangely more beautiful - a colorful and imaginative place. I enjoy exploring various mediums and bringing to life a vision fuelled by my imagination and perception of the human experience. In my early years, I was introduced to the history of artists within my own family roots. From here, I discovered my own true admiration for art and design. I believe that an artist will always find their way back to creativity regardless of the path they choose. It is an inevitable attachment that revisits a thousand times over like an imagined canvas waiting to be expressed, to be dipped in paint, brushed over and be freed. Art is a continuous passion inside my world and it resonates through the muse of an artist.
In this collection, I wanted to concentrate on the literary talent of many well-known authors and their novels. Influenced by the popular trend of adult coloring books, I was inspired to create my own illustrative work and present it in an interesting concept to not only honor some of the best written masterpieces of influential writers from around the world, but also to translate their work through my own visual lens and describe what their words on paper mean to me in their literal sense. Full collection will be revealed at the Muse of Romaicia Art show; details will be available closer to the date of the show (to be determined). To stay updated about the art show and future projects scope, follow Muse of Romaicia here: www.museofromaicia.com www.twitter.com/museofromaicia www.facebook.com/museofromaicia IG: @ muse.of.romaicia
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Meet Raj Dhaliwal… My name is Raj Kaur Dhaliwal founder of RKD Collections. I was born in a small town called Prince Rupert which is in British Columbia, Canada. My background is in Accounting/Payroll and also a little bit of Human Resources. Throughout the years, although I was good at what I did, I was just never satisfied. Itching to let my artistic side out, I enrolled into aesthetics and make up artistry, which was fun and exciting, but again that lingering dissatisfaction wouldn’t go away. At that point in my life I was enjoying what I did, however, along with wanting to be creative, I also wanted to be able to help those less fortunate. Simply doing what I was doing wasn’t enough. On my journey through life I have learned some key things about myself. I love making people happy, love to help others, am always up for a challenge and I am thankful for everything in my life. All of these facets of my personality coalesced into RKD Collections. So now I run a small business, called RKD Collections, which is a unique custom handcrafted online jewelry store. At RKD Collections we have three goals. First, to deliver excellent quality piece of jewelry that customers can wear with every outfit - may it be a casual, formal, business, etc. Second, is to bring positivity into lives. All of our pieces include special gemstones which help bring a more positive vibration in life. Third, to give back! The issues we have with homelessness and child abuse weigh heavy on my heart, so we donate a percentage of our sales to these special causes. To check out Raj’s collection, visit www.rkdcollections.com Email: info@rkdcollections.com IG: @rkdcollections
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Meet Yana Kembel… I started to dabble with photography about 7 years ago when my husband had an entry-level DSLR camera. I took pictures of almost anything and everything. I’ve always loved oil paintings of beautiful flamenco dancers because I love the female form and the mood expressed in these paintings. Paintings such as these, led to my desire to learn about boudoir photography 6 years ago, when it was still a bit taboo. I practiced on my friends until I felt comfortable enough to photograph a paying client. What hooks me to boudoir, are the reactions that my friends have, their elevated confidence and the new appreciation for their bodies. This made me realize that not only do I love shooting boudoir, but I also love to offer women of all shapes and sizes a place where they can leave their insecurities behind, unwind, be pampered and leave our studio feeling sexy and body positive.
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Boudoir Calgary is one of Calgary’s largest boudoir studios where we offer a safe place for a woman of any shape, size and age to define and celebrate her unique femininity. Yana Kembel is the creative eye behind the camera and is the owner of the photography studio. Here at Boudoir Calgary,
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we believe we do more than just capture intimate portraiture of women. We like to call ourselves “photogratherapists.” Our clients walk away with fabulous images, but they also walk away with more confidence and fearlessness. Seducing their partners with tasteful intimate images is just an added bonus. Boudoir outfits, whether lingerie or your favourite comfy sweater, reveals the real you and you can own it shamelessly in our studio. If you are not the lingerie-wearing kind of vixen, we encourage you to bring pieces that make you feel absolutely confident. Anything can be sexy. It’s not all about the images - it’s about the experience. The beautiful images are a mere reminder of how you felt on that day in our studio. Our mission at Boudoir Calgary is to show you a different vantage point of yourself in the most flattering angle, with softest light whether you are sporting the sexiest knickers or your most elegant dress. To see for yourself how simple sexy can be, visit www.boudoir.ca today and contact us for a complimentary consultation. IG: @ boudoircalgary
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Meet Ashley Caldwell... Ashley Caldwell is a self-taught artist who was been inspired to create from a very young age. She works in many different mediums, but most recently Ashley has found that she favours sculpture. She is deeply interested in biology, geometry, and chemistry, and their impact on relationships and the community as a whole. Her art is a reflection of her studies through an emotional lens. The organic forms, created from man-made materials, represent man’s elemental need to create while acknowledging the fact that man will never match the creative power of nature. The forms reflect the geometric structure in nature. Photo credits: Anna Michalska.
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Meet Patwant Singh & M Dhadwal... Patwant Singh is a musician, music producer, and radio host currently based in Edmonton, Alberta. He has worked behind the scenes as a musician for many artists in the Punjabi music industry, but is now focusing on working with local artists who he feels he can create fresh new sounds and styles with. One of these artists is M Dhadwal. M Dhadwal is a Punjabi vocalist, also based out of Edmonton, Alberta. M started dabbling with Indian classical music at the young age of 14. His love and passion for Punjabi music and culture flourished while he was learning to sing and in the process, he also developed a passion for learning musical instruments and the Punjabi folk dance known as Bhangra. After fine-tuning his style and skills, M joined Patwant in the studio and together, they’re excited to bring fans a brand new Punjabi single, ‘Taareyan Naal’ which translates into English as ‘With the Stars.’ ‘Taareyan Naal’ is a song that M and Patwant brought to fruition together. They wanted to offer listeners a fresh new sound that they could relate with in different ways and to do this, they arranged lyrics written by M into a beautiful song that they are sure will appeal to many listeners. They hope fans enjoy listening to this track as much as they enjoyed creating it!
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YouTube.com/ LionClawMedia Contact Patwant Singh: Email: patwant@LionClawMedia.com Twitter: @PatwantSingh Facebook.com/PatwantSinghMusic Soundcloud.com/PatwantSingh www.patwant.com Contact M Dhadwal: Email: MDhadwal@LionClawMedia.com Twitter: @MDhadwalMusic Facebook.com/MDhadwalMusic
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Meet Kirn Gill... I am a landscape artist and paint in acrylics. I attended the University of British Columbia where I obtained a degree in Arts. I am also a Certified Life Coach.
North America and have also worked with Interior Designers to paint customized pieces for their projects. My latest solo show was at Small Ritual Coffee in White Rock, BC.
I was born in Summerland, BC and my childhood impressions of the rural landscape are evident in my work. Using the sky as a form of expression, I depict mood through the usage of colours and the formation of clouds. Nature is a resting place for me. This, as I look upwards, is where I am able to be real with all of my feelings. After spending some time in nature, I am always left feeling connected and calm. I emulate this experience in my paintings.
I find my inspiration by going out into the world. I love to visit independent coffee shops where I can sit and gather inspiration from my imagination. It is the perfect harmony of a wonderful ambience where I can write out my ideas while sipping on a latte. I write three pages in my journal every single day as a form of expression. In this process, I get out all of my thoughts and feelings and in turn, it leaves me feeling refreshed and clear which allows me to pick up the paint brush day after day.
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I frequently visit local beaches on the West Coast for inspiration. White Rock, Kits Beach, English Bay and Deep Cove are among of my favourites. Check out some of Kirn’s work at www.kirngill.com IG: @kirngillart
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Thank you to all of our contributors! We couldn’t have done it without you! To make a submission for our September 2016 issue, please email ologymag@gmail.com Deadline for submissions is August 15, 2016 www.ologymag.com @_ologymag We look forward to celebrating you in the Fall!