Paint with Purpose
This initiative promises to give back to local causes through charitable donations, fundraising and art education. Read on about what we’re currently up to!
Calgary Home + Garden Show
Find me at the Calgary Home + Garden Show from February 22-25 at the BMO Centre in our feature booth, Paint with Purpose!
I am mentoring 4 aspiring artists and teaching them about the world of mural painting. The 5 of us will be live painting in the booth all weekend, each of us raising money for a local organization.
Meet my Mural Students!
Rachel
Lyon
Rachel is raising money for Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation.
Rachel is a Calgary-based muralist and illustrator with a love for botanicals + texture. Her passion for community and small businesses is shown through various initiatives such as Paint with Purpose and her Mural Mentorship Program, teaching aspiring muralists the ropes to get started on their first large-scale project.
Rachel believes that art should be accessible to all people and that the city we live in becomes a better place to live when we all try to shop local and give back to our communities when possible. She is thrilled that this mentorship program has launched and can’t wait to show you what these 4 amazing artists will be up to at the Calgary Home + Garden Show!
Krystelle Celestino Wurtz
Krystelle is raising money for Mamas for Mamas.
Krystelle Celestino Wurtz, owner of Krystelle Creations, is a passionate Filipino-Canadian artist who proudly calls Calgary, Alberta, Canada, her home. She fully embraces the artistic process, finding joy in the experience, embracing the inherent messiness, and cherishing the symbolic nature of painting. Painting has become an integral part of Krystelle's life, serving as a medium for reflection and a platform to voice her thoughts and creative ideas. As the founder of Krystelle Creations, she specializes in nurturing stories and collaborating with individuals to create paintings that authentically reflect their unique narratives. In the collaborative process, Krystelle ensures that each artwork captures the essence of the individual's story through thoughtful elements and symbols. As a live community painter, her strengths lie in connecting, engaging, and nurturing others to join in the creative journey together. Krystelle extends her artistic services to a variety of events, including personal milestones, birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and community gatherings. In addition to live painting, she hosts and teaches workshops as well as private lessons, aiming to inspire, nurture, and empower others to discover and express their own creative voices.
Leah
Queen
Leah is raising money for Aventa Centre of Excellence for Women with Addictions.
Leah is a Calgary-based artist whose passion for Alberta's parks and landscapes is reflected in her work. Growing up surrounded by the Canadian Rocky Mountains inspired her to explore her creativity and find ways to express her love for the natural world through her art. She has spent many hours painting scenes from her travels and the landscapes that she loves, often taking inspiration from the stunning colours and shapes found in nature. Over time, she’s honed her skills and developed her own unique style, which combines soft, muted colors with fluid, organic shapes.
Sterling
Smith
Sterling is raising money for The Mustard Seed.
Sterling Smith is a Canadian artist based out of Calgary, Alberta. Inspired by the pandemic lockdowns, he picked up a can of spray paint and started creating. Since then, he has been exploring the world of geometric art through perspective and angles. Sterling’s main goal for creating art is to transport the viewer into a colourful, geometric world where colours pop and interact to give a sense of playfulness. Sterling hopes to inspire viewers of his art to be creative and to explore colour and perspective in their own lives!
Sasha
Willson
Sasha is raising money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
Sasha Willson fell in love with art at a young age and learned quickly how transformative and healing art can be. She loves getting lost in the flow of creation and enjoying the surrender it can bring. Sasha began taking art seriously as a business in 2018 after experiencing a traumatic event and feeling firsthand how art can heal, and since then she has explored the world of alcohol ink, the magical flow of resin and pigment, resin and floral preservation, pressed floral art, and now, digital illustration and murals! Always eager to learn and evolve, and constantly inspired by the world and the people around her, Sasha is ready to continue to see where art may take her.
More Paint with Purpose Artists
Natasha
Johnson
Natasha is raising money for Mams for Mamas.
Natasha Johnson, an immigrant from the UK with South African roots, calls Calgary her home. She is an Artist whose work is a vibrant tapestry of her travels, life experiences and the visual representations of what is on her heart. As the creative force behind Pine and Roses, Natasha specialises in illustration, pattern design and painting, infusing her love for whimsical art into many pieces that she creates. As a mom of two, She has discovered the healing power of art, both in her personal journey and as a means of connecting with others. Passionate about empowering others to explore and pursue their own creative dreams. Natasha believes that art is a universal language that can heal, inspire, and bring people together in unique and meaningful ways.
Naomi
Yule
Naomi is raising money for AARCS.
Naomi is a Calgary-based artist specializing in calligraphy, engraving and handlettered designs. As the daughter of an acrylic artist, Naomi has been inspired by art from a young age and loves helping people bring their creative visions to life. Since 2018, she's helped wedding couples, brands, and individuals take their unique messages and transform them into beautiful works of art through her business, Letter Pretty. From helping couples create dreamy wedding signage, to creating chalkboard signage for local YYC restaurants (Maven and Sammie Cafe), Naomi loves working on unconventional surfaces using a combination of lettering and paint. Along with wedding calligraphy and custom commissions, Naomi provides on-site calligraphy and engraving for brand activations and corporate events. Notably, she assisted renowned scotch brand, Glenlivet, with engraving custom messages onto their iconic bottles for a tasting event. Always eager to hone her artistic skills and share her passion of art with others, Naomi hopes to inspire others to share their unique stories and live creatively.
McKenna
Prather
McKenna is raising money for the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
McKenna is a freelance artist based in Calgary, AB.
Creating paintings of wildlife, landscapes and still-life with acrylic paint, McKenna shares a world of locally-inspired colour with her representational subjects.
Majority of her work is on canvas with embroidery thread hand-stitched into the painting. McKenna’s work has an influence of folk art and textile patterns, which is evident in the mural she is creating LIVE at the 2024 Calgary Home Renovation Show.
Along with original collections, mural art and custom commissions, McKenna also performs Live Paintings at events and hosts community art workshops.
McKenna was the Homes by Avi Stampede Rotary Dream Home Artist in 2019 and again for 2023. Since becoming a fulltime artist in 2019, McKenna has continued to grow a network of collectors across Canada and the U.S. through social media,local businesses, and now Gibson Fine Art Gallery.