From crafters, painters, and illustrators to bakers, graphic designers, and screenprinters, Thunder Bay is teeming with artistic talent, many of whom are busy creating away as the holiday season gets fully underway.
Local artist Janna Zachary is especially busy. She has been planning holiday craft shows for three years now, and this year she is planning her biggest event, Craftland at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium (taking place on Sunday, December 3rd). Over 50 vendors will fill the stage and mezzanine lobbies to showcase and sell brilliant handcrafted gifts.
“I enjoy bringing artists together and creating opportunities for all the talented makers we have in Thunder Bay,” says Janna.
Janna herself mostly creates large acrylic paintings on canvas, but she has more recently started painting on wood as well. She describes her painting style as “bright and whimsical, with a concentration on pattern and our natural environment.”
“My love of art has always been a part of me,” she says. “Art class was always my favourite through all of elementary and high school. Professionally, I am a self-taught artist, focusing instead on Social Work and Psychology in university.”
“I came to be inspired to do public shows because of encouragement and support from Willow Springs Creative Centre (where I completed my Social Work placement), as well as Definitely Superior Art Gallery who have provided endless opportunities for many young artists like myself.”
As we head into the season of gift-giving and sharing with loved ones, Janna is finding herself inspired by all the artists around her who are busy creating.
“I definitely feel dedicated to my craft when entering the holiday season. I see all the other wonderful makers on my Facebook and Instagram working hard and that inspires me to push as well. Right now I am probably sitting in my studio, painting wooden tree ornaments and working on some originals to give to family and friends.”
Baker, crafter, and graphic designer extraordinaire Mary Davis will also be showcasing her delectable array of Christmas baking at Craftland at the Auditorium – you will see her there as “Marypalooza’s Christmas Baking.”
Right now, Mary’s baking is inspired by “seasonal flavours and Christmas combinations.” She loves to find fun combinations and to make all of her goodies look both delicious and lovely.
“I’m working on perfecting my Nanaimo bar cupcake,” she says.
Along with her baked goodies, Mary also delves more widely into the many-faceted world of crafting.
“I’ve been crafting and creating for as long as I can remember. When I got my ears pierced (at age 19!) I started making my own jewellery, and things blossomed from there. I started making pinback buttons, notebooks, and anything else I could get my hands on. I make a lot of different things – I love trying new techniques – and I love to upcycle. I call myself Craftastrophe, and I am all about quirky, colourful, fun crafts.”
Already this season Mary had a Craftastrophe booth at the Step Into Christmas Craft and Vendor Market at the Italian Cultural Centre, where her buttons, jewellery, and record-inspired goodies were on display. Mary tells me she’s “on a big vinyl kick lately” and that she likes “to give unplayable records a second life as functional art.”
Pop culture is constantly feeding into her creations. “It’s always a goldmine of references and inspiration for me. You’ll find a lot of quirky movie quote buttons amongst my treasures, including a few favourite Christmas-themed ones.”
Another vendor to check out if you’re looking for some truly unique Thunder Bay themed gifts is Knife Fight Press, a DIY print shop that specializes in screenprinting. At the shop, you can pick up prints, shirts, stickers, or a pennant branded with the name of your neighbourhood, from Current River to Westfort with stops in between. Jay Sonbroose and Aimee Thivierge are the two minds behind Knife Fight Press.
“Aimee and I have been screenprinting posters and t-shirts together for about 5 years. Aimee is self-taught and started out by doing band shirts and posters. I learned through a graphic design course in high school. Aimee does a lot of hand drawn illustrations and I have more of a cut and paste style that traces back to the DIY punk culture of the 80s.” What inspires this creative duo?
“Our friends. They are a huge source of encouragement for us. Thunder Bay has a great community of artists and almost everyone we hang out with is creating something in some form or another. We also both really love Thunder Bay and a lot of what we offer at the craft sales has a local theme. It’s always cool to hear the stories from people who used to live here and want a print or t-shirt that reminds them of home.”
Find all three of these artists on Facebook at: Janna Zachary Art, Craftastophe & Marypalooza, Knife Fight Press. It’s hard to go wrong giving a holiday gift that has been handcrafted with love and care.
