Miroge Gallery & Gifts
Artists
Janice Fischer
I have been interest in arts and crafts for as long as I can remember. As a young girl growing up on the Queen Charlotte Islands, I remember spending much creative time with my grandmother who was interested in trying anything and everything crafty. Her lessons in making woodfibre and fabric flowers, working with patterns and making copper pictures encouraged me explore my artistic interests. In my teen years, my sister, Wendy, encouraged me by selling my fabric flowers in her gift shop.
When I moved to BC's lower mainland in 1983, I took a night school course in Professional Flower Arranging, with the idea of meeting some people with similar interests. Upon completion of that course, I started my own part-time floral consignment business, with nursery and convenience store outlets. This enabled me to just work part-time in the mainstream workforce, and spend more time at home while my children were young. As my children grew and my life circumstances changed, I eventually had to shut down my floral arranging business.
Upon our move to Alberta, in 1997, I worked full time in the mainstream workforce, and took up drawing & painting as a hobby, inundating friends and family with my artwork. A friend suggested that I shouldn't be giving away my original work, so my husband gave me his old scanner, and I began making Note Cards using the flower sketches that I had drawn. I reactivated Miroge Flowerworks, and began selling some packages of cards.
For a number of years I longed to add stained glass to my list of media, so one year as a birthday gift, my husband purchased a weekend retreat at the Glass Inn to learn the basics of creating art with glass. Joanne was a great teacher, and this fantastic experience opened up a whole new creative outlet for me.
In 2006, I changed the name of my business to Miroge Gallery & Gifts to reflect the expansion of my artistic media, and began developing my stained glass market, and was commissioned to do several pieces.
One of the most fun things that I have done through working with stained glass was to hold a workshop for a group of girls from a church youth group so they could make angels for Christmas gifts.
Emily Wierenga
My name is Emily Wierenga; my signature is a simple 'e'. I have been painting for the past four years. I have been creating art since I was old enough to pick up a pencil. I've experimented with all different mediums - charcoal, acrylic, pastel, and pencil, but have found oil allows the most versatility.
I am a Picasso-pupil; I study his works, his life and his philosophies on art, and I consider him the world's master artist. Like Picasso, I take reality and make it "true-er to itself" by abstracting it. I differ from my mentor by relating my themes to hope, peace, and extracting light from darkness. I want people to look at my works and be encouraged. I want their souls to move and their eyes to find rest when they see my work.
Four years ago I developed my own style verging from 'stick people' blended with 'emotion.' While my style has since developed, I strive for simplicity and vibrancy in all of my works. My most recent works reflect the year I spent in Asia teaching English. I've also been attempting larger-scale paintings.
In January of 2007 I had an art show in Edmonton, AB, where my works were displayed at King's University College for four months. The show was entitled "Bold Faces." In April, the show moved to Victoria, where it is currently being displayed all summer. The paintings will be shipped back to me in the fall.
My life goal is to encourage and enlighten -- to bring hope into a dark world -- through these "Bold Faces."
Click here to view my portfolio.
Christian resources:
http://psalm121.ca/ (I Lift My Eyes Web Ministries - Focusing on prayer and intercession. Home of The Daily Christian Quote, Whatever is Pure Ezine and over a thousand organized, quality Christian resources.)
http://www.christianity.ca/netcommunity/
