Zoe Pawlak
Zoe Pawlak is internationally recognized for her stunning abstract and figurative works, and well respected as a spokeswoman for the modern creative in public talks for speaker series like PechaKucha. She has not only foraged a path in the creative community for artists and, more specifically, women, she has lead the way for fine artists looking to bring their skill set to a wider audience through a diversified product range.
We first saw Pawlak’s work applied to décor in a new way with her collaboration with Burritt Bros. Together they have produced two rug collections since 2013: Over Oceans, which explored scale with one of Pawlak’s abstracts, and most recently, Red Dust, which plays with figurative shapes as pattern. Further exploring the art of collaboration, Pawlak created a line of hard furnishings with local favourite, Jeff Martin Joinery. Using Jeff’s sleek credenzas and casegoods as her canvas, the two work together to bring us a fresh perspective on what a singular piece of furniture can offer to it’s surroundings.
We have also seen Pawlak make an artistic statement in the fashion industry. For the Nicole Bridger SS14 collection, two of Pawlak’s pieces were manipulated to become the pattern basis for the line, aptly entitled Ready for Love.
Looking forward for Zoe Pawlak: full speed ahead with product diversity. Keep your eyes out for a sculpture and mirror line, as well as a return to fashion as she is designing the fall collection for Party Skirts.
Dana Mooney
Makeup-artist-turned-fine-artist Dana Mooney has once again branched out to add a new realm to her creativity: home décor. 2015 was a breakout year in terms of brand growth, as Mooney ventured into collaborations with some major local brands to create a diversified décor lineup with her art that satiates the senses.
First up was joining forces with Joue Designs to create a stunning throw pillow collection, allowing her work to become as touchably inviting as it is visually soft; then she was approached by Saje Wellness to design the art of scent with multiple patterns for their aromatherapy diffusers.
Mooney closed out the year with a multidisciplinary visual collaboration with another local talent, Andrew Hibbs of Endeavour Neon – after meeting at IDSWest and a strong push from Kristina Hibbs of Marie Joy Design(Andrew’s wife), the duo created stellar installations that combine the ambience of custom neon light with Mooney’s signature canvas style.
What’s next for Mooney? A top secret summer collaboration you won’t want to miss, a show highlighting her paperworks collection and (fingers crossed) further collaborations in both home décor and fashion.
Markella Mildenberger
With her artistic roots based in the Okanagan, Markella Mildenberger used her entrepreneurial spirit to build an international business through diversification. When The Red Palette was launched, Mildenberger was selling not only her paintings, but small accessories and jewelry created with her art as well. As she saw the success that a varied product line offered, Mildenberger was inspired to rethink the application of her craft and began to digitally manipulate her paintings in both scale and palette to create custom wallpaper and fabrics.
The continued success of the brand brought The Red Palette to Vancouver where designers, private clients and the media were quick to embrace the unique concept, launching Mildenberger into the inner circle of the city’s design community. Since then we have seen her product line further expand to include a recent line of throw pillows using her textiles and, launching by early 2017, a small fashion line, Markella Markella, created from Mildenberger’s art derived textiles that “speaks to both the masculine and feminine qualities of design.”
