Theresa Eisenbarth
Canadian artist inspired by the stories of the prairie landscape and small-town life.
Theresa Eisenbarth grew up in Medicine Hat’s historic River Flats neighbourhood, where prairie skies and familiar streets shaped her way of seeing.
Those early memories still guide her work as she returns to the places she remembers—capturing not only how they look, but how they feel: warm, resilient, and rooted in community.
Theresa earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Calgary after studying Visual Communications (now Art + Design) at Medicine Hat College.
After a brief hiatus to focus on family life, she re-established her studio practice in 2012. Since then, she has built a body of work that celebrates the everyday beauty of small-town prairie living through vibrant acrylic and oil paintings.
Drawing inspiration from neighbourhood streets, local businesses, and Southern Alberta landscapes, her distinctive impressionistic style blends soft edges with confident, hard-lined strokes—creating movement, light, and emotion in scenes that might otherwise go unnoticed. Her paintings hold the warmth of memory and the comfort of home. Theresa often incorporates key hardware and text within her work, inviting themes of discovery, connection, and personal story.
Theresa’s paintings hang in private collections, businesses, and exhibitions across Western Canada, gathering inspiration for what comes next.
Ursula Maser
A deep fascination with colour and quiet abundance.
My name is Ursula Maser, and I’m a self-taught artist and mom to three busy teenagers. We live on a ranch near Irvine, Alberta. When I’m not in my studio, you’ll likely find me shuttling kids between hockey rinks and dance studios, drinking too much coffee along the way!
Art has always been a part of my life. Growing up in a family of artists, I found creativity woven into our homes and daily lives. When my children were little, I turned to painting as an outlet, experimenting with mixed media, acrylics, and art journaling. What began as a personal practice slowly grew into a passion for learning, exploring, and eventually teaching.
Over the years, I’ve embraced opportunities to grow through workshops, classes, books, and podcasts. I love discovering new materials and techniques, but even more, I treasure the connections made through art. I value sharing creative spaces, exchanging thoughts and process, and being energized by the presence of fellow artists.
My work is deeply inspired by colour: how it moves us, how it reflects emotion, and how it shows up in the everyday. Often, I return to themes of nature — expressive florals, landscapes, and organic forms—as a way to study colour and celebrate the quiet abundance that surrounds us.
ERIN STELMASCHUK BIEGEL
Art has always been a passion
Since childhood, Erin has devoted herself to making art—beginning with a tiny “studio” tucked behind a living-room chair, where she created paper mâché and painted gifts. In high school, Art Class and Industrial Arts became her refuge, and it was there she was introduced to copper, a material that would become central to her practice.
After completing the Fine Art Program at Grant MacEwan College, Erin’s studio expanded wherever she could claim space—first tabletops and spare corners, then a dedicated area in the basement for larger work. From that point on, she committed to creating full-time. For years, she travelled with the “Night of Artists” from Ottawa to Victoria (and as far north as the tour would take her), sharing her copper work and building the skills and relationships that helped her sustain a career in the arts.
When Erin and her husband started a family, she had an established studio in their backyard and galleries carrying her copper pieces. She stayed close to home to raise her children while continuing to create. In 2020, she proudly celebrated the 20th anniversary of Stelmaschuk Studio.
Erin’s inspiration is rooted in the natural world. Growing up in rural northern Alberta shaped her early connection to lush landscapes, while moving to Southern Alberta 19 years ago opened up
an entirely new visual language—especially the “big sky”, which she describes as standing beneath a glass dome stretching in every direction. Proximity to the mountains also holds a powerful pull for her, continually fuelling her creative energy.
Nature doesn’t simply influence Erin’s work—it drives it. She is drawn to the challenge of capturing something as fleeting as a petal, leaf, or bud and translating it into copper, creating pieces meant to be treasured and passed down through generations. For Erin, making is less a hobby than a necessity: a physical, lifelong need to create.
Her work is held in public and private collections around the world and can be found on her website, at her home gallery, and in select galleries across Alberta and British Columbia.
Erin also enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge, especially through connection with other creatives and supporters of the arts.
JACKIE DEBLASIO
Pushing the boundaries of art through abstraction
Jackie DeBlasio is an artist who began her art career at the age of 50. She says, “From the beginning, I understood that creating was one of the most integral practices of my life, which allowed me to feel truly self-expressed.”
Studying under Shiloh Sophia and Flora Aubrey, she delved into intentional creativity through the muse and the sacred feminine. This period allowed her to learn to trust her own innate wisdom for guidance, not only on the canvas but within every aspect of her life. It was then that she decided to dedicate herself to simply playing with the movement of colour and composition, allowing herself to create without any agendas and to follow her own internal nudges of unhindered self-expression.
DeBlasio says: “I find nothing more thrilling than to continually push the boundaries of my art as I strive to bring cohesiveness to the wildness of it all. When I paint, my favourite tool is the simple foam brush because it forces me to stay loose and not become too attached to preciseness. My use of colour is directly related to my emotions and experiences felt moment to moment on the canvas. I never have a plan when I approach the canvas and am intrigued by what comes through. What I do know is that each piecewill be bold and dynamic with a strong use of colour and marks. It is my intention that through my art I’m able to feel free and wild and that those who witness it will be reminded of their own innate wildness as well.
” My work is deeply inspired by colour: how it moves us, how it reflects emotion, and how it shows up in the everyday. Often, I return to themes of nature—florals, landscapes, and organic forms—as a way to study colour and celebrate the quiet abundance that surrounds us.
KATHY MANN
Capturing the Essence of Landscapes
The early art journey for Alberta artist Kathy Mann began on a sheep ranch in central Saskatchewan with pencils, paper and models from the Sears Catalogue. Her sisters wouldn’t sit still long enough, reflecting her early curiosity and resilience that continue to inspire admiration in her audience.
Years later, a weekend watercolour workshop put paintbrushes in her hand. Pastel replaced watercolour as a better fit for a busy home and artist mom at the kitchen table. When full-time employment and home renovations left little time for painting, Kathy read every art instruction book she could get her hands on, demonstrating a dedication that inspires respect and admiration.
Painting days on location, with wind, bugs, and other elements, are the most exhilarating and satisfying. Artwork is generally completed in her home studio. The initial painting from life helps capture the essence of a landscape or a person’s personality.
Kathy continues to deepen her understanding of light capture through workshops and classes with talented artists, inspiring admiration for her commitment to growth and excellence.
As a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, a certified forensic artist, Kathy also holds Master Pastellist status with Pastel Artists of Canada. Her paintings have shown at the Calgary Stampede 2011 and 2012, the Richeson Gallery in Wisconsin, two Westart shows in BC, a solo show “Water Paths” at the Medicine Hat Esplanade Gallery, national Pastel Artist of Canada shows in Ontario, Saltspring Island, and the Federation of Canadian Arts Gallery in Vancouver as well as FCA shows in Vancouver and Calgary and numerous group shows and sales in Medicine Hat, Alberta.
Previously, she taught local pastel and acrylic workshops and classes, which fuelled another passion: encouraging those who had left art behind long ago and helping them flourish in what they thought was lost.
HELEN STUART
Building vibrant and visual diaries
Helen Stuart is a mixed-media artist based in Bassano, Alberta, whose intuitive approach to art results in a vibrant and varied body of work.
Working primarily with collage and other mixed media, Helen builds layers to create a sense of depth and history in her pieces. Her art is a visual diary, drawing inspiration from the world around her, including florals and landscapes.
Helen’s unique ability to transition fluidly from whimsical and lighthearted compositions to dramatic and intense pieces is a hallmark of her style. This range demonstrates her intuitive nature and authentic vision, allowing her to create a truly personal exploration of her soul in each piece. Her work invites viewers to discover the stories hidden within the layers, revealing both a deep connection to her environment and an expression of her inner world.
Megan Weir
Brushstrokes of Grit and Grace.
Megan Weir is a sixth-generation rancher on her mother’s side and a fifth on her father’s — raised on the Alberta prairie with horses, cattle, and the wide-open sky.
The ranching life shaped her, not only through the work but through the moments in between — quiet sunrise rides, the warmth of a horse’s breath, the sound of hooves on frost. These moments taught her how to see the world through an artist’s eyes.
She began painting in 2017, opening a door she hadn’t realized she’d been searching
for. Each brushstroke became a way of weaving together the many parts of who she is —rancher, mother, artist, and woman with a deep love for authenticity and beauty.
Since then, Megan has created hundreds of oil paintings inspired by the land she comes from, the animals she rides alongside, and the stories she continues to live.
Her work is rooted in grit and grace — in strength, honesty, and the kind of beauty you notice when you slow down and truly look.
Each piece carries something of her heritage and her heart: a reflection of the prairie, a breath of freedom, a reminder of resilience.
This chapter of Megan’s life is about building, creating, and sharing — offering the luxury of art not just for walls, but for everyday life.
She regularly exhibits, including at the annual Pure West Art & Artifact Auction in Calgary, and her paintings are held in private collections across North America and Australia.
Weir has received recognition at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede Art Show, where both of her 2025 entries received Honourable Mention. She continues to expand her exhibition presence with upcoming shows across Alberta and beyond.
GENA LACOSTE
Preserving the Living West, one painting at a time!
Gena LaCoste was born and raised here in Southern Alberta, into a ranching family. The people, the wild places, the animals (especially horses), and the rural lifestyle have profoundly influenced who she is and the filter through which she interprets life.
Gena began drawing and painting all these things while still a preschooler, and it has remained a compulsion throughout her life.
Gena hopes that her intimate, unique perspective on what she feels may be a fading lifestyle will stand as a testament to the many values it offers. There's a lot of pressure to urbanize, and farms and ranches are squeezed from all directions, resulting in what Gena feels is a loss to us all.
Along with Gena's obvious love of horses, she also paints wildlife, florals, and landscapes, insisting that her work be based on her own experiences and photographs.
ART ROOM ON 2ND offers people an opportunity to check out some of Gina’s equine work and to share in her vision of what it looks like to live in today's “Living West"
BETTY KIRSCHENMAN
Attachment to the prairie landscape
I am the granddaughter of German-Russian homesteaders on the prairies, living in the community they worked to establish over a century ago. Attachment to this land is an essential part of my identity and aims to inspire viewers with a sense of pride and connection.
Through my watercolours, I hope to honour the blood, sweat, tears and courage my family invested in the opportunity they were given in the Canadian west. I also want my paintings to reflect the subtle, gracious beauty of the grasslands, coulees, fields and skies that comprise the western Canadian prairie landscape, to draw attention to this unique facet of God's creation.
The prairies tend to be the 'forgotten landscape' too often dismissed as flat, monotonous and monolithic, and frequently portrayed with broad, minimal brushstrokes and a minimal palette. However, this 'empty land' is full of visual rewards and surprises for those willing to invest time and patience. Golds and earth tones, the colours of the prairies, are often overwhelmed by the blue drama of the enormous sky. The unexpected ruggedness of river breaks and coulees comes as a surprise in the midst of deceptively simple flat or gently rolling fields. Winter completely transforms the landscape, revealing the land's contours in brilliant sunlight and dramatic shadows. The transparency of watercolour is exceptionally well-suited for capturing the clarity of prairie light.
After being introduced to watercolour in the early 1980's, I attended several workshops at Medicine Hat College and several summers at 'Series' at Red Deer College. I have benefited from residencies in Ireland, Italy, The Banff Centre, and Quebec, and traveling to other parts of the world has provided opportunities to explore new landscapes.
Involvement in our multi-generational family farm, church and community activities occupies the time not spent on art. In October 2017, a wildfire in southeastern Alberta swept through the area, destroying much of our farm, including the house and studio. The changes resulting from this event continue to influence and challenge my artistic journey.
Evelyn (Butuk) Kleis
Capturing the mood and spirit of being alive.
I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan. My mother was an artist who painted “the things she loved” (she often said) and those things were horses and landscapes. I often sat beside her at the kitchen table drawing horses. We had horses and my mother and I rode together in the area around us.
When I was 12, I spent a week in Banff with my mother (Margaret Mann Butuk) who was taking a six-week painting class at the Banff School of Fine Arts – now the Banff Centre. The sight of a number of young and older men and women painting – both indoors and outdoors - along with the sight and smell of the oil paints stayed with me.
My serious commitment to art began when I joined the Hat Art Club (then the Medicine Hat Community Art Club) in 1963 and we met in the City Hall council chambers once a week. We would cover the desks with plastic table cloths and paint in oils. We had wonderful teachers from the University of Alberta Extension Department. Some of the teachers were Roy Stevenson, Harry Wohlfarth, Bill Duma, Bill Perehudoff and Janet Mitchell.
Luke Lindoe in Medicine Hat taught the Art Club in the 60s and 70s. I attended a Chinese brush painting workshop in Edmonton in the early 80s with a Master painter from China who taught through an interpreter and I was very excited by the “character of line” created by brush and ink techniques. I continued to study this style and technique from Siew Mak here in Medicine Hat and find this way of working has continued to influence my way of seeing and working.
Two workshops (a few years ago) with George Glenn from Prince Albert gave me new ideas and reinforced my desire to attempt to communicate through the medium of art.
Over the years I have worked in watercolour, oil, oil pastel, brush and ink, mixed media and collage. I have done some hand-built clay sculpture and really enjoy that medium and hope to do more of it. I have studied art therapy of the Institute of Art Therapy in Victoria by attending several workshops and conferences.
The paintings in “Art Room on 2 nd ” were inspired after several trips to Italy and seeing how dogs are part of the population moving around the cities with their owners and just as equally – citizens.
I don’t try to do realistic representation but to capture a mood, and spirit of being alive.
I am excited about life. As I age, I am very aware of the present, the moment and I hope to share this interest and excitement in my work.
I don’t paint what I see so much as what I feel about the place, time, subject and colours in the scene.
I hope some of these feelings are shared with the viewers.
Kameko Ballantyne
A lifelong devotion to visual story telling.
Born in Quebec and now calling Alberta home, Kameko first picked up a pencil at the age of three and simply never stopped drawing. Her lifelong devotion to visual storytelling led her to earn both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Education, perfectly blending her creative talents with a love for teaching.
For over ten years, Kameko has shared this expertise within the community, teaching art and helping students of all ages develop their own creative voices. When she isn’t sharing her expertise in the classroom or working on her latest piece, Kameko fully embraces her cozy, creative lifestyle. You can usually find her sipping a warm cup of coffee, diving into a complex board game, or building intricate LEGO sets alongside her husband. Her quietest, most inspired moments are often spent drawing at home, closely supervised by her two beloved, cuddly cats, Sam and Frodo.
LAURIE STEINBACH
Pushing the Boundaries of Clay and Hand-Built Ceramics
Laurie Steinbach is a southern Alberta, primarily self-taught potter and ceramicist.
After taking a couple of hand-building and throwing workshops about fifteen years ago while ranching and teaching school in Saskatchewan, Laurie began working on her hand-building skills on weekends.
Laurie began to practice in clay part-time nine years ago, when the Steinbachs moved back to Alberta.
Now with a home studio installed in her garage, clay is easily accessible, and there is certainly no shortage of inspiration, between the garden, prairie landscapes and critters running about.
Presently, Laurie works mostly in medium fire clay, underglazes, oxides and some cold finishes for her decorative pieces.
In the past year, Laurie has drawn her ideas in a sketchbook and painted them with watercolour to help with her planning.
In the building process, she uses coil building, pinching, and sculptural methods for her creations. It is pushing clay to its architectural limits that really interests her.
She often writes stories to give context and dimension to her sculptures.
SMILING COW STUDIO
Making small-batch pottery.
Adrienne Gradauer and Zach Quin are Smiling Cow Studio.
They met in 1993 at what was then the Alberta College of Art and Design. More than thirty years later they have traveled together, moved to a small town, and married. Driven by their passion for their craft, they built a studio where they teach, constructed a wood-fired salt kiln, and raised two daughters — all while continuing to make pots.
Their small-batch studio pottery is varied and functional. Both throw by hand on the wheel. Adrienne works primarily in stoneware, making tea ware and tableware. Zach works in porcelain and stoneware, producing tableware, tea ware, and coffee ware that he decorates using image-transfer techniques and finely detailed carving.
ANGIE MACFARLANE
Transforming everyday materials into meaningful objects
I was first introduced to clay in high school, where I had access to pottery classes in grades 10 through 12. I eagerly enrolled in every class available and spent any extra time I could in the pottery studio, completely absorbed in the process. Working with clay brought me a deep sense of joy and belonging.
After high school, life took me in other directions, and I stepped away from clay for many years. Following a health scare that reminded me of the importance of caring for myself, I decided to return to clay and found I could study with David Barnes, whose studio became a place of learning and rediscovery. There, I spent countless hours developing skills in wheel throwing, hand building, and sculpting, while deepening my understanding of glazes and firing processes.
During the COVID pandemic, I established a home studio and continued to learn and experiment, discovering just how much more there was to explore. At my core, I am a functional potter, creating pieces meant to be used and enjoyed in everyday life.
I am inspired by gardening—plants, flowers, and trees—and by the quiet magic of transforming raw materials into meaningful objects.
Recently, I have begun exploring the intersection of fibre arts and ceramics, drawing on my love of knitting, crochet, quilting, and sewing to weave textile ideas and textures into clay. I am most fulfilled when a piece pushes both my abilities and the limits of the material.
If my work can bring comfort, connection, and a moment of happiness to someone’s daily routine, that is the greatest reward.
LISA HEAD HARBIDGE
Glass artist
Lisa Head Harbidge (nee Head) was born in Red Deer, Alberta and after several household moves has been settled in Rocky Mountain House since 1992 where she developed Spirit Rider Studio, a diverse media studio. A passion for the creative process, lead Lisa to enroll in the Alberta College of Art and Design (now U of the Arts) following high school. The programming requirements suited her perfectly, as she experimented with different materials in the various art departments. Lisa graduated with a major in sculpture where she was able to combine the freedom of creative process with the various mediums.
While attending ACAD she began working with a prominent art glass studio in Calgary. The owner was keen on the developing edge of new techniques for the very traditional art form, which which presented new challenges. Lisa apprenticed by learning the various methods such as copper foil construction, leading, fusing, etching etc.
From commissioning, designing and construction in to lighting, restoration and installation, she developed a diverse working knowledge of what was involved to produce quality works that will stand the test of time.
Lisa now balances studio time with teaching glass art, producing work for galleries, her passion for Golden Retrievers and Baskir Curly horses.
A gallery on the farm showcases her artworks and farm products while she creates works in various mediums, from glass, to ceramics, painting, chainsaw carving etc.
DONNA VANDERLIP
An organic fluid approach to clay.
Donna Vanderlip moved from BC to Medicine Hat a few years ago and has been enjoying all that southern Alberta has to offer.
She is a retired educator and play therapist with a long career working with children and their families. Visual arts have been an integral aspect of her work in education and of her artistic expression across various media. She lived in Asia with her family for several years, where she participated in pottery workshops in Macau, China and Bangkok, Thailand. Upon returning to Canada, she and her family moved onto a family farm where she built a studio in the woods.
Donna then had the opportunity to refine her artistic skills and deepen her relationship with clay. Donna’s work tends towards an organic fluid approach. Her work explores themes related to nature, the sculptural flow of vessels and the human figure. Although Donna’s primary medium is clay she finds opportunities for creative expression in watercolour, collage, stitching and bookmarking.
While in BC, Donna held tow solo exhibits and participated in several group exhibitions where she exhibited her sculptural figures along with her sculptural vessels and bowls.
Recently, Donna participated in workshops and Medalta Potteries, and joined the Medicine Hat Potters Association. Her piece “What Earth Allows” was recently part of a juried exhibit called Rooted at the Leighton Gallery in Calgary.
She is thrilled to join the inspiring artists at Art Room on 2nd
JORDAN BOUCHARD
RUSTBOTS- Recycled metal and found object sculptures
Hi, I am Jordan!
I am chronically normal in almost every aspect except one. I was gifted with an oversized imagination that will not behave or be quiet. To soothe this imagination, I’ve created hundreds of recycled metal found object sculptures that bring me limitless joy.
I create one of a kind sculpture inspired by the materials itself. In my experience, very little in life is more satisfying to an artist than offering something personal and honest to a viewer. The pieces I create are meant to entertain me and if you love them half as much as I do, we have something in common.
These characters are born slowly in my studio from old abandoned pieces of our collective experience. My only objective is to show you what makes me smile and hope it makes you smile too.
I’ve been lucky enough to send joyful sculptures from coast to coast in Canada and internationally. I’ve named these “RUSTBOTS “ and they have changed my life for the better.
RUTH ADAMS
Dedicated educator and artist
Ruth is a multidisciplinary artist whose creative practice is rooted in her early life in the southwest of England. Growing up, she developed a lasting appreciation for the Cornish landscape, particularly the vivid colours of the rugged coastline and the lush green fields. These early impressions continue to shape her artistic voice today. For Ruth, art serves as both a personal sanctuary and a means of communication. Her work becomes a space where emotion, curiosity, and lived experience converge, allowing her to explore ideas with creativity and intention. The bold, vibrant palette that defines her ceramics and paintings reflects not only her aesthetic sensibilities but also her desire to capture the energy and joy she finds in the world around her.
A dedicated educator and artist, Ruth has spent more than two decades teaching pottery, painting, and a variety of other artistic disciplines to students of all ages. She values the way teaching challenges her to articulate her process, refine her techniques, and remain open to continual growth.
Guiding others in their creative journeys has strengthened her own practice, reinforcing her belief that art-making is both a personal and communal experience. Ruth’s formal training began at the Plymouth College of Art and Design, where she earned a diploma in Graphics and Printing. She later completed an Honours degree in Art and Design at Exeter University, further expanding her technical skills and conceptual foundation.
In 2004, she relocated to Ontario, Canada, settling on the serene North Otter Lake. The surrounding forests and abundant wildlife offered endless inspiration, and during this period she worked as a production potter, wheel-throwing pottery and teaching evening classes for beginner and intermediate students.
Her time in Ontario also included several years of participating in craft fairs and exhibitions, where she shared her work with a local audience.
In 2018, Ruth and her family moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she was immediately drawn to the region’s dramatic contrasts, from expansive prairie skies to the sculptural formations of the Badlands and the Rocky Mountains. She now works full-time as an artist, dividing her efforts between teaching at The Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre, creating and teaching in her home studio, and offering classes through organizations such as The Hat Art Club. Outside the classroom, Ruth continues to produce both functional and sculptural ceramics, as well as expressive paintings, sharing her work through online platforms, private commissions, and select craft fairs.
DAKOTA HILL
Salty Pots
Dakota Hill is a ceramic artist working under the name Salty Pots. Her practice centers on wheel-thrown pottery, with occasional sculptural work that moves between function and quiet decoration.
She is drawn to classical vessel forms, subtly altered by hand, allowing gentle distortion and surface to guide the final piece.
Dakota began pursuing art more intentionally eight years ago through photography, a foundation that continues to shape the way she observes light, texture, and atmosphere.
Seeking a more tactile way of making, she began working with clay two years ago and quickly found her medium. Her surfaces are layered and painterly, and often rely on atmospheric firing, resulting in earthy, weathered finishes that feel worn, calm, and lived-in.
After moving to the prairies four years ago, Dakota fell in love with the landscape’s grounded, expansive presence. The clay-rich earth and muted tones of the region strongly influence her work.
Alongside her studio practice, she is a stay-at-home mother to three children, approaching her craft with dedication, curiosity, and quiet commitment.