Blue Chair Art

Blue Chair has long been a supporter of local artists and we aim to continue as a showcase space for up and coming prairie art.

[Add content regarding the choices of artists and art, add content on how to contact if an artist wants to display their work] 

Art History

Looking for art from a prior show or trying to track down the artist of a piece you loved that is no longer on our walls? Starting in 2022, we will archive the artists that have displayed their work here.

July-September 2022

Artist Diana Billings born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan into an outdoorsy and artistic family. As a young child Diana’s family moved from the prairies to the Northwest Territories and then to northern Alberta. Living in a small town in the north gave Diana an appreciation for the
outdoors and nature. Diana enjoys camping, cycling, walking in nature and sitting around a campfire. Having been raised in an artistic family full of musicians and artists from family members playing rock and bluegrass to others that are glassblowers and sculptors.

Diana learned to appreciate art and music of many forms. The natural course for Diana was to pursue art in several of her career opportunities, such as kitchen design and finally making her own art. Diana has always loved to paint, draw, collage and write. In 2016 Diana returned to school and obtained from the University of Alberta a certificate in Visual Arts, graduating with distinction in 2020. Diana’s favourite subjects to paint are still life and landscapes, being influenced by favourite artist like Andrew Kiss and the paintings of the 16th century Renaissance.

Diana has recently rediscovered her love of writing and is now writing a weekly blog about her favourite artists and their achievements.

Diana looks forward to something new everyday, striving to find new discoveries in life though drawing, painting and writing.

March-June 2022

Will Truchon earned a Bachelor of Fine Art at the University of Manitoba (1992), a Master of Fine Art from the Ohio State University (1995) and a Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary (2011). Since the mid-eighties he has held a variety of positions as a gallery technician, ceramic
technician and art instructor. Among his other artistic interests are life-long passions for architecture, industrial and graphic design, film, music and general entertainment. From 1997 to 2007 he was a partner of the Hot Pot Studio that designed and distributed hand painted tableware to Western Canada. From 2001 to 2007, he was Artistic Director of The Works Art & Design Festival showcasing quality art in Canada and abroad. Currently Will teaches art classes for the City of Edmonton and the
Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta and works in several mediums not limited to ceramics, painting, multi-media sculpture and photography.

Both an artist and arts administrator, Linda Frena has been involved in Alberta’s cultural industry since 1991.  She has worked with arts festivals, public art projects, owned/operated a retail ceramic studio, before managing two retail galleries that celebrated, through art, fine-craft and design, Alberta’s vibrant identity. An ardent supporter of the arts community and an advocate for Alberta artists, Linda strives to provide support and opportunities for creators in every stage of their careers. An active volunteer, Linda is also committed to outreach experiences and advisory activities that inform and educate our community about Alberta’s thriving creative culture.

November 2021 - March 2022

Sam Rodgers a mixed media artist that focuses mainly on watercolour and digital printmaking. Most of her art is based on how she may be feeling on a particular day, She likes to express herself through floral art and abstract forms of different flowers. She loves to work digitally; this allows her to create a cohesive series of prints. Although she have a humongous appreciation for watercolour and acrylics paints. One of her favourite parts of creating art is to explore the different textures certain mediums have to offer.

April - July 2021

Caleb Snee, a born and raised Albertan, grew in up in Lethbridge and moved to Edmonton in 2005. Along side his career in firefighting, he specializes in firefighting photography and has more recently become engaged with wildlife photography.

His passion for his career has helped to create some beautiful images, but it also requires that he take some downtime for himself when he has the chance. Getting out into nature and taking the time to be in the moment with the animals and his surroundings allows him that time to decompress. The beauty and emotion that Caleb finds behind the lens are the reason he wants to share his photography with the rest of us. Whether it is capturing the heat of the moment, that him and his colleagues face everyday, or the soft quiet wings of an owl, these images are sure to evoke a feeling.

Caleb is the type of man who can make friends with a fence post (and based on a couple great photos, I’m sure he has), he is friendly and inviting to have a conversation with and there is no question why animals are drawn to him and feel safe around him. When he isn’t taking photos, Caleb also enjoys rugby, travel, camping and hanging out with his wife and 3 dogs. Along with his broad catalogue of wildlife, landscape and firefighting, Caleb also has experience as an official photographer for the World Food Championships and the Canadian food Championships, photographing people’s children, pets, cars, weddings, engagements, family portraits, graduation, boudoir and has done some commercial photography as well. He is available to hire for whatever photography needs you may have.

March- April 2021

Brenda Philp is a fibre artist who employs felting, beading, stitching, and other techniques to create fresh, fun, and uplifting visual art. Her free-spirited, melodious, and unabashedly happy work is influenced by a lifelong love of music. She embraces the power of colour, composition, and texture as a means to stretch and expand the expressive potential of the fibre art medium and is relentless in her search for new learning opportunities and unique materials to work with. Practical by nature, she makes use of recycled objects, natural materials, and ingenuity to create and promote beauty. Brenda studied at the Haliburton School of Art and Design in 2017, and has attended workshops with world-renowned fibre artists including Marjolein Dallinga, Jean Gauger, and Judith Dios. Her studio practice continues to evolve as she pursues new ways to share by teaching, presenting, and being a positive advocate for the arts.