Ottawa has an amazing scene for local businesses – from many local shops and restaurants to musicians and artists. Supporting local is something that we can all do and it has amazing benefits: not only does it stimulate our city’s micro-economy, but it also goes directly to the artists and not in the pockets of commercial giants. We all love the convenience, yet walking down to a local shop adds only 15 minutes to your day but has a large impact – you contribute less to emissions and pollution since no shipping is involved and create way less waste from packaging, including cardboard boxes and bubble wrap. Plus, you get to have your thing right away. Today, let’s dive into 5 amazing visual artists right here in Ottawa!
1. Art by Newby!
Black and white, pointillism, pop-culture mashups (memes) and more from this artist adds a nice contrast to your feed and opens your mind to something new, creative, and dark. Alternative apparel, stickers, original drawings, paintings, and signed art prints by Ottawa artist, Andrew Newby can be found on his website. Here is one of my favourites:
2. Corinne Blouin
Corinne’s motto is “healing through self-expression” and I could not relate more to this. Corinne co-founded Music.Art.Ppl who host events in Ottawa, and she is also a visual artist and a yoga teacher. To me, her art is authentic, truthful, and beautiful.
3. Emil Mateja
Since I seem to have a weakness for things black-and-white and in the dark realm, I wanted to share another alternative artist I recently discovered. Drawing inspiration from nature and death, many of his works feature skulls and themes with animals.
4. Clara Kim Art
Clara’s art is stunning in its detail and meaning and her talent shows through the effortless simplicity. Born in South Korea, Clara draws inspiration from both Canadian and Korean cultures to create her pieces. Focusing on white space and confident lines, her art is enchanting yet allows the eyes to rest and imagination to run wild.
5. Sonya Gankina
Since I make art and live in Ottawa, I thought I’d add myself to this list (does this count as self-promotion if it’s on my own site???). I am fond of working with miniatures and adding small touches of colour (as I put this entire red piece as the photo), exploring textures and shading. My art tends to go into a dark vein and seeing the work of the amazing artists below, I feel inspired to continue sharpening my skills. Feel free to explore other art here.
The beauty of art is it’s entirely subjective. The four artists above caught my eye and stood out to me. There are hundreds, if not thousands more in Ottawa that are amazing creators, in all spheres. We all need an outlet to express ourselves creatively. Whether it’s music, visual art, digital art, making clay pieces, embroidery, or the art of movement – art is here, it is now, it is everywhere. Find what guides you and let’s live. And support local!!!