VISUAL ART

SHAELYN POTEET

Art is the physical representation of how a person sees the world around them; it is an intimate part of their soul placed on display in a manifest attempt to share the heart of the artist with those who would care to see.  

   Since I could hold a pencil (or rather, crayon) I have been drawing. There hasn't been a time of my life when I haven't been trying to capture the things that I see, hear, and imagine for the purpose of sharing my view of the world with other people. Pre-school art classes when I was 3 solidified my love of art, and sent me off on the wild adventure of discovering how to best

represent the things on the inside of me for those who wish to comprehend. It is a journey has taken me through more than a dozen states and provinces as my family travelled, is influenced by the music I listen to and play, as well as the conversations I have; it springs from the words I read and write and the hearts shared with me by the people I love. I pray that I never know so much that I stop walking.

   For many years my art was based solely on pencil or pen on paper, but in the last 6 years I have begun dancing with colours in the form of acrylic paint, and flowing with clay between my fingers and carving reliefs as I bring the things I see into the third dimension. My love affair with colour has taken me through many different styles, such as pointillism and Native American Art, as I sometimes struggle to keep from becoming stagnant in one form, and has brought me the realization that art-- as with all aspects of life-- is only fresh and healthy if growth is maintained.

  I have had very little formal instruction, but have been blessed to receive the inpouring of knowledge garnered by those more experienced than I into my life everywhere I go, be it through a word or an artistic session on their own time, and it has brought me the understanding that there is no one right way to paint, draw, or sculpt because each person sees the world as an individual. If I can do one thing for those artistic people I come into contact with it will be to encourage the development of their eye, and the harmony expressed with their own hands  to help them break away from the idea of "better" or "worse" forms of expression, because a life lived the way someone else sees fit is not really living, and neither is art done in the constraints set by those we deem better than ourselves. 

This is Shaelyn's third year at Artlife Canada.

DANCE SARAH BLACK My name is Sarah Black and I love to share movement and life. I spent my teen years in Houston, Texas learning how to dance and how to love Jesus as best as I could. I attended my first ArtLife 12 years ago and I was forever changed. I now have the sweet opportunity to organize and teach at the ArtLife in Texas. I currently reside in Denton Texas where I consume lots of coffee and work to keep life authentic. I teach movement to humans of all ages at A Time To Dance Studio and will be working with Bruce Wood Dance Company in Dallas this Summer. I love to travel, love to dance when I travel, and I love sharing with and learning from all my students. I believe that life is a gift and creating is one of my favorite parts of that gift. I can't wait to get to ArtLife Canada and work with you guys!

This will be Sarah’s first year at Artlife Canada!!!

TECH

CURTIS SMITH

As a teenager, growing up in Calgary, Alberta, Curtis was fascinated by sound. He would listen closely to musicians and bands picking out different instruments from the sound and paying close attention to how the sound as a whole was heard. It is this talent and attention to detail that compelled him to

read college text books on sound, and sound engineering; he volunteered to work alongside local sound engineers and recording artists to hone his craft; and helped with numerous projects around the city and throughout Alberta.

  His personal mission is to provide quality sound and recording services both in a private studio and in live setting formats. Whether it's a live concert or book on tape, people are continually amazed at the professional quality and sound of the recordings produced and engineered by him.

  “My philosophy on running sound in churches is that the potential for God to work in peoples' lives increases as the quality of sound does. God works in ways that we cannot understand for His ways are higher than ours. However, even though God's ways are higher, He chooses to work through us. Therefore, as someone who assists in the leading of worship from a technical aspect, it is my job to provide the best and most well rounded mix that I can provide without any distractions. If I can do that, then that allows God to work in someone's life who might not otherwise receive anything from Him.”

Currently, he is involved as the sound engineer for his local church. He is also busy in the studio recording an album. He is also in the process of developing a business platform to start a professional audio installation company tailored specifically to the growing technical needs of today's churches.

This is Curtis’s second year at Artlife Canada.

CREATIVE WRITING

RUSSELL THORNBERRY

Russell Thornberry has a varied writing background ranging from being a newspaper columnist to writing features for numerous national magazines as well as authoring eight books to date. His choice of subject matter ranges from outdoor topics to anecdotal humor in books and songs. He has recorded five albums of self-penned songs and has won Broadcast Music Awards for several of his songs including some that rose to the top of Canadian Pop Music charts in the 1970s. Russell also served for 25 years as Executive Editor of one of America’s top sports magazines. Now retired from his editorship he continues to write books, magazine features and songs. “When writing is in your blood,” says Russell, “there’s no such thing as retirement.”

Russell believes that at the heart of every good writer is the desire to tell a story, and good story telling is truly an art form that requires proper structure and timing. He is excited about the opportunity to share his writing skills and knowledge with students at Art Life this summer.

This is Russell's second third year at Artlife Canada.

PHOTOGRAPHY

IAN IRVINE

It is one thing to capture a moment. It is another to express it. It is something else entirely to be understood the way it was intended to.

I stumbled onto photography in junior high when my parents bought me a cheap point-and-shoot camera. I loved being able to

capture moments that were important to me. They were moments where I saw something rare or was awed by God’s beauty or when an emotion was evoked. I wanted to remember these moments over and over again. And then something changed where I began taking pictures to share myself rather than to keep to myself. These captured moments were of things when I had appreciated something particular about the moment like the way it made me feel or the way it allowed me to see the same brush stroke of God’s creative hand in another light. They were frames of a moment in time… a split-second of something important to me… of something that moved me…of something that inspired me. I realized that these captured moments were specific only to me because that is how I saw that moment like no one else did before; that everything that added together to build that moment never existed in that particular configuration before. Because of that pictures were expressions of who I was at the time and how I saw the world. I took to learning how to manipulate the camera to capture as close to what I saw and felt in the moment as possible; to put the person in my shoes in that moment. And that is expression. To allow another person to feel, or at least understand, what you yourself have felt and experienced. The key is to learn how people look at photographs and learn how to play into the visual language of people so that they can see and feel in your photograph what you want them to by capturing light using fractions of time. It is in some respects "painting with light."

This is Ian’s third year at Artlife Canada.

DRAMA

EVAN REIN

Evan Rein is a Vancouver-based actor and drama instructor. He was born in Red Deer, Alberta and grew up on a farm near the town of Eckville. His first acting experiences were with Cornerstone Youth Theatre in Red Deer, Alberta. In Calgary, he studied at the Company of Rogues Actors Studio and Loose Moose Theatre Company and worked as an actor with Evergreen Theatre and Storybook Theatre.

As a drama instructor, Evan has worked with Cornerstone Youth Theatre, Storybook Theatre, the City of Burnaby, and has led drama workshops in Italy. He directed two shows with Cornerstone Youth Theatre and worked as camp director for their summer theatre program all while continuing to stay active in Western Canada's film and television industry. Evan has appeared in numerous short films, a government of Alberta commercial, and has guest-starred on CBC's Heartland.

Evan is currently studying at Vancouver's premier theatre school, Studio 58.

This is Evan’s second year at Artlife Canada!

MUSIC TRACK (vocalists) and AESTHETIC DIRECTOR

NATALIE STODOLKA

My name is Natalie and I am currently living west of Caroline, Alberta on the Living Faith Bible College Campus! Singing and songwriting is what feeds my soul, and I love to enjoy music that other artists create as well! My husband Adam is also very musical, and we have a cute little dog named Tad who has an incredible vocal range. I have been performing since I was very young, singing in music competitions, at rodeos, churches, retreats, coffee shops and a

variety of other venues! I have acted in many drama productions through my church and recently I completed the Clearwater Creative Arts program at Living Faith. I love seeing other people grow in their gifting and vulnerably express themselves through the Arts. I can’t wait to work and have fun with other creative crazies at this year’s Artlife!

This is Natalie’s first year at Artlife Canada! She will also serve as the Aesthetic Director for ALC 2016, which means she is why everything will look cool!

MUSIC

COLE PEARSE

My name is Cole, and I am a bit of a geek when it comes to music related stuff. I live out on the Living Faith Bible College campus just west of Caroline, Alberta. I play guitar (10 years), drums (2 years), bass (2 years) and I can sing a little bit too. I have been a Clearwater Creative Arts student for the past two years. I tend to be a fan of more aggressive forms of music, so bands along the lines of punk, hard rock, and various forms of metal, but there are also places in my heart for singer-songwriter type stuff and country music. Aside from music, I am also big into fitness as well as Star Wars, gaming and comic books (DC fanboy). I first came out to Artlife in 2015, and those who saw me then probably remember me having no hair whatsoever on my head and face. I am beyond stoked and excited to be coming back again this year and helping others find their own musical voice and be able to express their thoughts and emotions in a way that they can be proud of and say, "I did that!" This is gonna be most excellent indeed!

This is Cole’s second year at Artlife Canada.

MUSIC

JARED ZINGER

My name is Jared and I have been blessed to be able to share my music with others and help nurture musical talent in young people. I currently live in Bentley, Alberta. In the summer (on the warm days) I can get out to the lake and spend good chunks of time hanging out with friends. I love to travel and my current wish is to travel parts of the world, explore other varieties of culture and to learn new types of

music. My musical instrument is the drums and I have been practicing this art for 12 years of my life. Through ArtLife I have been taught new and practical ways of expressing myself in my music which I really take to heart. I believe learning about the gifting you hold and finding the expression you are passionate about is something that a person needs to accomplish in their life.

This is Jared’s third year at Artlife Canada, his first as a track leader.

MUSIC

TORRENCE POTEET

I'm a singer and a songwriter from the Rocky Mountain House area. I've been playing in worship settings for 7 years, playing drums and bass, singing and playing guitar or whatever else they ask me to do. I was a Clearwater Creative Arts student for 2015-2016. I've always loved music and my dream would be to be able to play for a living and travel around and see new places and new things. I'm looking forward to hangin' out and getting into some trouble with ya this summer.

This is Torrence’s second year at Artlife Canada, his first as a track leader! He has also been a counselor at Artlife Texas.

MUSIC

JESSICA CRANE

I am a musician and artist living on a farm north of Withrow, Alberta. I have had the privilege of growing up in a very musical family, and traveling all

over Alberta putting on concerts at various venues. I started singing and playing with the family band when I was 6 years old, and am still enjoying it now at 20 years of age. I was a Clearwater Creative Arts student for 2014-2015. The majority of my playing is by ear and improvisation. My primary instrument is the violin, but I also play cello, guitar, piano, and I sing. I am so looking forward to Artlife this year and am super excited to see what amazing talents the kids will have!

This is Jessica’s third year at Artlife Canada, her first as a track leader!

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

DAN BLACK

Hey guys, Dan Black here. I've been painting in aerosol since late 2007 and began watercolor and acrylic brush study in 2010. My wife, Sarah, and I currently live in Denton, TX, where I'm continuing my work as a painter and muralist. I love ArtLife because of the environment for new discovery it carries -discovery of ourselves, our God, the world around us and the process of creation God gave us.

Dan has been the leader of the Media Arts track at Artlife Texas for many years. This is his first year at Artlife Canada and he will serve as the Artist in Residence. The definition for “Artist in Residence” is : An artist formally attached to a university, college, community, etc., usually for a specified period. You will get to hear him speak, pick his brain and get an up close look at his artistic process. We are so honored that he is with us this year. Sarah Black, our dance track leader, is his lovely wife.

DIRECTOR

MICHELLE PATTERSON

Michelle attended her first Artlife in 2003 in Texas and hasn’t been quite the same since. She has served as an Artist in Residence at Artlife Texas for since 2011. Michelle is a songwriter, vocalist, mother of four and wife to Barry of 23 years. She served as the Administrative Director of Clearwater Creative Arts at LFBC for two years. She is also the Worship Leader at Living Faith Fellowship in Caroline, Alberta, where she keeps herself busy pastoring all of the artsy folks who live in the woods. It is big in her heart to see young folks tap into their giftings and experience freedom of expression. Artlife lights her FIRE and it is the most fun thing she does every single year! This year, she gets to lead a team of Music Track leaders, which is in keeping with her desire to be constantly raising up leaders.

This will be her third year to serve as Director of Artlife Canada.

ADMINISTRATION AND MAKE CAMP AWESOME PERSON!

SHARON PETRICH

My name is Sharon....you can call me Auntie Sharon, Grama Sharon, Miss Sharon...or just plain Sharon. I will likely be the oldest person you will encounter at Artlife but I can guarantee you that I am young at heart and I love everything creative.....music, dance, visual art, writing. I am thrilled to be invited back to Artlife Canada as Michelle's assistant and I'm excited to, once again, witness the glorious wonders of so many talented, artistic young people. My background includes studying Royal Conservatory Piano for 10 years, working for Delta Air Lines for several years and two years as Executive Director for the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra. Four precious children call me Grama. I can hardly wait to meet you all!

This will be Sharon’s second year at Artlife Canada.