As we start a fresh new year, we can take a moment and step back from the chaos and disruption to look at what our place is in the world. Our podcast and new video series, "Artist To Artist", will explore questions within: What do I want to do? How can I create and have an impact on my life and the lives of others? How do we settle the noise down and come back to what is important? What do we want to make of 2023 as individuals and artists?

Over the next three months we’ll be delving into this three-step process. January is all about reimagining and experimentation - stepping out of the comfort zone, trying new tools and techniques, stockpiling ideas we can draw back on at a later date.

A Time for Reflection and Wonder

To start 2023, we want to reflect the untapped year. ‘I Wonder…’ is a conversation starter, opening up the dialogue about art and techniques. It’s an exploration of the creative process, including planning and development, to discover how we continue to renew, experiment and evolve.

We are no doubt living through a difficult era. Trying to find balance, ground ourselves and create something meaningful in a chaotic world can seem daunting, but connecting to society is a necessary role for artists. When our work resonates with its viewers, they experience something outside normal life and gain new perspectives. We have the power to effect substantial change, and contemplating the right questions and drawing influence from our peers can help get ourselves into a mindset to accomplish it.

Celan Bouillet, Cody Lecoy and Paige Bowman are three artists we asked to consider how they got here and where they are going. What impact do they want to have and how will they achieve this?

Bridging Past & Future with Cody Lecoy

"My hope is that the art I make serves to show common ground where people can come together within subjects and concepts that affect all of us within this time period. "

An artist of Syilx (Sailx and Lekwung-en) ancestry, Cody Lecoy was born in Richmond, British Columbia in 1989. Most of his work is acrylic on canvas, using Northwest Coast formal design elements and surreal expressionism to create a visceral response that connects us to the environment. Before coming to art, Cody grappled with where he stood in the world. These days he feels part of a lineage, making work that is informed by shared values.

Cody Lecoy holding his artwork

Artwork By Cody Lecoy

Venturing Into The Unknown with Celan Bouillet

"I think that this is a big year for me as far as exploration goes because of where we were in the past two years, with two young kids at home, being a mom and having an art practice, thinking I'm going to jump straight into the Vancouver art scene…"

Mixed media painter and installation artist Celan Bouillet's upbringing in the American South influenced a love of spinning a good tale, textiles, and fantastical landscapes. At the start of the pandemic in early 2020, she moved to Vancouver with a newborn and three year old. Celan explains how she navigated these trying times and the way they shaped her new collection of large body works, ‘Field Guide to Staying Lost.’

Celan Bouillet In Studio

Book Maze by Celan Bouillet

Growing Through Creative Wonder with Paige Bowman

"I'm a really big advocate for anyone fostering creativity, no matter who you are or where you are in your life. It’s what I’d to like impart on the world."

Paige Bowman is an illustrator who is constantly inspired by the natural world. Their childhood growing up on the west coast enriched their upbringing with a passion for wildlife and the aesthetic of flora and fauna. It was a period of personal upheaval and artistic disillusionment in 2018, which opened up a new world of experimentation, colour and creative expression. Although they struggled through the pandemic, Paige’s wheels have kicked up again and they share their passion for fostering creativity.

Paige Bowman

Paige Bowman Working In Studio

The start of this new year gives an excellent opportunity to look at what your journey has been and how will you continue to evolve through 2023? We’ll be carrying on the conversation virtually through a Creative Panel, where you’ll have the chance to ask your questions to this podcast’s panel of artists, and engage in the dialogue around art and creativity.

In February, we'll be encouraging artists to practice and hone their skills, and in March, we'll be highlighting ways of putting this practice into play, looking at the fruits of their labour and the satisfaction that comes from the creative process.

Join us on the journey as we delve into the theme – find your balance as an artist, ground yourself, and create something meaningful in a chaotic world – and share your own experiences with exploring Wonder.