Chance & experimentation — Glen Ronald

WORDS BY SHERRI DELLE PHOTOGRAPHY SUPPLIED

Local Artist Combines Chance & Experimentation to Create Unique Beauty

Art is life. Art brings people together.

— GLEN RONALD

Glen Ronald‘s innovative paintings were born out of an early interest in drawing. As a young boy, sketching for hours in church was the best way to pass the time. In his early adult years, he studied microbiology, and this has had a huge impact on the unique art he creates and his passion for constant experimentation. Many of Glen’s pieces evolve from a paint pour that when dry, shares hidden images and ideas that he uses to create his ‘chaosmosis’. The pour creates a field of chaos and Glen uses his drawing abilities to pull the cosmos (order) out of it. His unique and captivating work has earned him the name ‘The Chaos Whisperer’. “I use interesting textures, colours, patterns and marks.” He also experiments with heat guns, blasts of air and other mediums to invoke interest as well as texture, movement, and interest in his pieces.

Glen has a fascination with faces. The faces of

Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Johnny Cash, and Gord Downie grace the immense canvases in his studio (ranging from 3’x5’ to 6’x6’). There is meaning and interest in all these pieces. “Johnny Cash is a good balance between light and dark; he struggled with addictions but came out with hopefulness.” The massive Kierkegaard piece was all done by hand —- rather than from the catalyst of a paint pour. It is magnificent, sparking the viewer’s imagination with small, embedded images of Kierkegaard in different settings. “If I was allowed to meet one dead person, it would be Kierkegaard...I imagined what he would look like at a party and included that.” Glen's fascination with faces stems from

his existential desire to, “understand how the individual fits in with the crowd, when is the crowd or team more powerful and when is the individual more powerful. I’ll do all the faces tangled together to show how interrelated everyone is. Everyone is connected.”

If you want to check out Glen on Instagram or in person at his studio, give yourself the luxury of time. His muse, intellect, curiosity and genuine wonder about the world and humanity can take you down a deep conversational journey. For those who relish in deep conversation, existential meaning and creativity, two hours with Glen seems like a minute. Glen’s art is unique and distinctive — a metaphor for life. “I am okay with something being a little off. Things are not perfect in life.” He speaks to “being in the flow” when creating art, and this flow seems to embody all he does. Glen brings his best to each work of art whether commissioned by a client or something he chooses to create. Check his work out for yourself. It will, without doubt, spark your interest.

www.glenronald.com

WORDS BY HEIDI JOHANNSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY HAMISH BIRT & VIRGINNIA LAJEUNESSE

Let It Snow!

With luck, it might even snow for us.

- HARUKI MURAKAMI

When the Sawmill restaurant on Gateway Blvd had run its course back in 2014, it took a passion for powder and a keen eye for business to envision another life for this chalet‑esque structure. New owners of Sundance Ski and Snowboard, Alexandra Messinis and Jim Hillman were determined to carve out their own tracks when it came to the future of

Sundance Ski and Snowboard, a favourite of snow sport enthusiasts since 1975. As Messinis explains, “It was an exciting time and opportunity to be a part of the progression of the business. We had big aspirations and moved online immediately. We were fully integrated, a first in the industry.” But as much as there was a need for advancement into the world of e‑commerce, these two partners knew the value of decades’ long experience in the snow business. Previous owner, Vern Mark agreed to stay on as part of the team ‑ an irreplaceable face and fitter at the store. “He knows everyone! People travel here from everywhere to get their boots fit by Vern!”

Offering high-end apparel to ski and snowboard sales, Sundance Ski and Snowboard offers exceptional and knowledgeable expertise when it comes to the right gear for those perfect snowy days. But you’d better rip on in there as their season is already well underway. “Since Covid, October has become our busiest month! It’s changed our industry for the better. It’s made everyone appreciate everything Alberta has to offer, including getting people outside. It's cool to see people staying closer to home and enjoying what we have to offer - from our Edmonton River Valley to our incredible mountains!"

Guess what else has snowballed at Sundance? The addition

of a travel component. From helicopter skiing to cat-skiing trips into remote locations, they’ve travelled as far away as Japan. Swelling in popularity, backcountry skiing caters to beginners and experts. So if you’ve never been on powder, Messinis has some sage advice. “It’s now safer and easier to get started at any age. Our local ski areas are conducive to learning. They’ve done a really great job. From magic carpets to tubing, just get outside. But try your hand at the mountains, don’t be discouraged. Marmot Basin has a green run that’s three kilometres long. It’s an opportunity to learn. Progression happens quickly when you’re in the mountains.”

And what about this underground, intense ski community that seems to be thriving in our province? “It’s all about meeting great people who are passionate about snow powder. It’s amazing how happy we are to go freeze ourselves in -30 degree weather. We look at it as the entire experience. Getting to your destination, chair lifts, and of course we can all get behind Apres-ski! Everyone just inevitably forgets about the pain and looks forward to charcuterie boards and hot toddies! We’re just very fortunate to have world class skiing in Alberta.”

www.sundanceskishop.com