Michael Robert McLean is an emerging Canadian abstract artist living and working in Calgary, Alberta. Michael’s colorful and pastel texture paintings are influenced by his surroundings and natural landscapes. With an innate talent for manipulating acrylic paint and gels, Michael crafts pieces that transcend the confines of traditional canvas, inviting viewers into a realm where texture becomes a language of emotions and imagination.

As a self-taught artist, he comes from a background of passion rather than formal education. Michael embarked on his artistic journey with a relentless curiosity of the interplay between texture and abstraction. His artistic influences range from the intricate patterns of nature to the raw emotions stirred by urban landscapes. Some of his greatest inspiration has been the work of Jean Paul Riopelle, Mark Rothko, The Group of Seven and Franz Kline.

Josh Harnack was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, and uses visual art to communicate ideas, thoughts, and emotions to the world. After graduating highschool in 2012, Josh moved to Vancouver to study film. Over the next three years, Josh’s passion shifted towards fine art. Frankly, he found himself too broke to do anything but stay home and paint. During this time, Josh was diagnosed with cancer on three separate occasions, resulting in surgery, radiation treatment, and, ultimately, chemotherapy. In 2015, Josh moved back home to Edmonton, where he began his professional career as an artist. A couple of years later, Josh graduated with honours from NAIT, majoring in both Graphic Design and Visual Communication while showing his works in exhibitions and galleries across Western Canada. Josh’s work extends to many different mediums but is specialized in oil and acrylic painting. His themes usually center around belonging, or lack thereof, blending in and standing out, and the sheer weirdness of existence. Josh has received awards and grants in both fine art and design. Currently, he’s working on a wide range of projects, focused on creating meaningful and worthwhile art before his time expires.

Diana is a contemporary artist that began painting over a decade ago. Her intention is to create work that reminds us that our ordinary lives are extraordinary. She layers this with a fragmented lens to represent our elusive ability to be conscious of these fleeting moments. Her paintings instill a sense of permanence to these moments, and light represents our fragmented memories. Her paintings are through the eyes of a cancer survivor who now strives to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Diana works in Edmonton both as an artist and as a researcher on nature-based climate change solutions.