Studio 410 owner Gayle Halliwell has participated in the WAVE Interlake Artists’ Studio Tour for over 15 years. This past September she recently offered a “Minis-in-a-Minute Challenge” to her 200 visitors, and one young artist caught her eye.
Halliwell is a visual artist from Winnipeg Beach who has always appreciated the opportunity to participate in the WAVE Studio Tour. “It is about allowing you to have a behind-the-scenes look at how many artists create, giving you an up-close and personal experience,” she explained.
For September’s tour, Halliwell challenged her visitors to try and create a miniature painting in sixty seconds.
Thirteen-year-old Ethan Olson eagerly jumped at the fun and produced an extraordinary mini-painting.
Olson is an aspiring artist from Winnipeg who frequently visits the Interlake to see her grandparents in Teulon or to visit one of her favourite towns, Gimli.
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Thirteen-year-old Ethan Olson is primarily a self-taught artist who works with multiple art mediums
Olson discovered the WAVE Studio Tour through an online post, and at that moment, she connected to Halliwell for the first time during the “Minis-in-a-Minute Challenge.”
“It was a really great experience. I really challenged myself,” said Olson. She continued to praise the importance of the first strokes for an artist. “I normally block my first strokes on a canvas, but in this challenge I just went with it.”
Halliwell and Ethan immediately bonded over the young artist’s talent, and they were inspired by each other’s work ethics.
“That is the beauty of the studio tour. The artists and the public get to make these connections,” said Halliwell.
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Halliwell is a multi-medium artist who loves to learn from experience. She took her first art lesson when she was in grade four and has continued to mostly self-teach herself different techniques.
“I just want to soak up everything I can,” she said.
Halliwell has over 20 years of experience as a working artist and wants to inspire young artists.
Like Halliwell, Olson is a multi-medium artist who typically works with acrylics, sketch pencils, coloured pencils, and watercolours.
“Acrylic is my favourite because it is a very versatile medium,” added Olson.
The young artist discovered her passion for creating art when her friend introduced her to chalk pastels when she was seven.
“He (Olson’s friend) would show me really great perspectives on light and caricature. It sparked a fire in my head,” she explained. Adding to that, she loved how the colours looked on the paper.
Since then, Olson has experienced working with multiple art mediums while she works to express herself colourfully. Though the young artist is primarily self-taught, she is extremely grateful to her former teacher and now art mentor, Barb Bottle, for guiding her along her artistic journey.
Along the way, Olson has met several working artists who have only inspired her to grow.
“I have made so many connections within the Interlake and I am very happy about that,” noted Olson.
When Halliwell participated in the recent 16×20 Show at the St. Andrews Community Centre, she was in for a surprise.
“While I was at the show, Ethan came through the door with her Dad again and she said, ‘I have come to see you!’”
Halliwell explained that Ethan began to follow Studio 410 on Instagram, and specifically came out to the 16×20 Show to chat with her.
“There were many artist talks held over the course of the show and she (Ethan) attended many of them. There were talks about installations, different art techniques, and more. She had the chance to talk about her ideas with working artist,” said Halliwell. Adding on that the connections you make as an artist causes a ripple effect when inspiring others.
“The longer I am involved in the art process, the more I want to provide inspiration and information to younger people.”
Halliwell wants everyone to know that both the artwork and the knowledge of art is intended to be shared, which is why it is important to her to keep inspiring others.
Olson has similar virtues, “I always love to inspire others and connect with like-minded people.”
Olson’s artistic journey is far from over. She hopes to one day be in an art show of her own, sell her paintings at a craft market, and eventually have an art studio of her own and be a working artist.
“That is what I was born to do. I was born to do art.”
Both Halliwell and Olson invite you to follow them as they progress in their artistic careers. You can take a look at what Studio 410 has to offer on her website www.gaylehalliwell.com, and Olson posts all of her paintings on her Instagram page @EthanOsArt.
