Category: Christmas in Markerville

Christmas in Markerville

Otter Pottery and Marlene’s Krafty Korner will be open for the annual Christmas in Markerville festivities for 2023! Both businesses are located just west of the Church on Johnson Avenue.

The first weekend in November is set aside each year for Markerville’s Cookie Walk and Christmas Market. Beginning Friday, November 3rd you can build your own goodie bag of homemade treats! Christmas Vendors, including Big Blue Barn Designs, will be set up in Fensala Hall and the Creamery with handmade items for sale including spices, jewelry, woodworks, and more for all three days, November 3, 4 & 5, 2023. Lunch will be available at the Fensala Hall.

A Christmas Display will be set up at the Markerville Lutheran Church.

Marie Sveinson

36372 Range Road 15 (East of Markerville)

Marie has been painting since she was a child, following the footsteps of her mother, who was also an artist. It became more than just a hobby for Marie in 1984 when she was approached by the Markerville community to create an art gallery in the newly restored Markerville Creamery. This is when she established the Creamery Gallery and Gift Shop (1986). She has since studied with many artists.

Her first foray into the art world saw her drawing and painting the interesting historic buildings in and around Markerville. In 1994, she and her late husband Ken represented the Stephan G Stephansson Icelandic Society at the Icelandic National League (INL) Convention in Iceland. The INL became the bridge between Iceland and the Western Icelanders (as the Canadian people of Icelandic decent are called). After having visited her family’s homeland, Marie started to paint from photographs Horn-Skorradal (her Grandmother’s home) and scenes of Iceland like Looking Toward Búlandstindur, as well as scenes of old and new Markerville and her family’s life here. Her heritage became her inspiration.

Marie enjoys painting animals, old buildings, and landscape scenes, but her heart follows her true joy of oriental brush work on rice paper.

For people who want to see more of Marie’s work, her studio, Grass Roots Art Studio (named after her search for her roots) is open by appointment.

Inspiration for my painting has been derived from the expressions of delight on the faces of individuals when I succeed in capturing childhood memories in a painting, whether this was their first home, school, or the church in which they were married. This nostalgia rekindles a passion in me, to portray even more wonderful stories of a life almost forgotten by the passage of time.

Grass Roots Art

Continue reading Marie Sveinson

Robert Braun

In the Fensala Hall

Wood turning has been Robert E. Braun’s passion for the past twenty years. Born and raised in a Northern Ontario lumber town, he developed his love of wood early in life. And, inspired by a craftsman he met in Greece who was turning his olive wood vases out of a store front studio, he was intrigued by the whole process of turning.

He prefers to turn while the wood is wet or “green” to allow it to distort and find its own shape. In addition, Robert has made over 90 of his own cutting knives. As the wood turns on the lathe, the grain patterns emerge and the adventure begins. It piques his interest to see what lies within.

Each piece he turns is chosen for its creative potential, making use of such features as burls, spalt, and bark inclusions. This ensures a unique creative result. One of his greatest pleasures is searching for exotic wood on his travels.

Bowls, vases, wall platters, and urns are examples of his work. Carving caricatures is another one of his passions.

abbraun55@gmail.com | bobsworld53@gmail.com

David Todd

74 Johnson Avenue, Markerville (By the Church)

I’m lucky to be able to live in Markerville with my own home studio. This will be our fourth year hosting Artist’s on the Avenue on the front lawns of our homes on Johnson Avenue.

Since moving here, I’ve finally gotten to offer a wide range of functional work in many different styles of pottery. Using electric kilns, a gas kiln and a raku kiln there is bound to be something that you would like to take home.

There is quite a selection of bowls, cups, plates, trays, mugs, and kitchen utility pieces in both high- and mid-fired clays.

To help you remember your visit to our hamlet, Markerville souvenir mugs are offered in several different designs.

Winter offers a great opportunity for the making of my art pottery creations which are displayed in the gallery and yard. Drop in, you never know what you will find!

Otter Pottery | 74 Johnson Avenue, Markerville, AB
403-638-5177 | otter@otterpottery.com

Aims Abson

In the Fensala Hall

Aims Abson is the self-taught mixed media artist behind Big Blue Barn Designs.

It was her love for “Oh shiny!” that began her jewelry-making journey. Add that to the fact that she doesn’t like to follow the herd and you get Aims’ unique one of a kind pieces.

Bashing metal, playing with torches or wrangling different types of clay are all part of the mystique behind each creation. You can find a number of different materials incorporated in most pieces, right down to twisted silverware or that lone cow’s tooth she found on the side of the river. Aims believes that anything is possible and wants to catch it, put it around your wrist or hang it from your ears.

You won’t meet anyone wearing an identical Big Blue Barn design. That’s the joy of being unique!

Big Blue Barn Designs | bigbluebarn@gmail.com