T-Shirt Design Contest: Artist Spotlight!
This spring the Alberta SPCA is holding a T-Shirt Design Contest for students across Alberta. Three entries will be selected and featured on Alberta SPCA t-shirts that will be made available to purchase. Proceeds from t-shirt sales will go towards helping animals across the province.
The entries will be reviewed by three talented Alberta artists and a panel of staff. We recently connected with the artists to learn more about their art and what inspires them
Macha is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Kigali, Rwanda, and Edmonton. Known for her dynamic visual art, Macha works with diverse mediums, including acrylic on canvas, digital art, mixed media, and large-scale murals. Her self-taught artistic journey is marked by an exploration of portraits, landscapes, and semi-abstract imagery, each piece infused with vibrant colors and profound emotion.
Macha has always found joy in creating art since she was a kid. She took a leap of faith to make art her profession out of a need to live as her authentic self; leaning on her natural abilities rather than forcing herself to succeed in things that felt unnatural. Macha loves seeing a vision come together from an idea in her thoughts or conversations with others.
When asked how an animal has inspired her, Macha responded, “We have a dog named B at the art studio where I am currently working. I am inspired by his ability to be both sweet and loving and strong and protective when he needs to be.”
Macha’s work has been showcased in prominent collaborative projects, including the 5 Artists 1 Love exhibition at the Art Gallery of Alberta, the Lulu Lane alley mural, and the Dignity Mural project in downtown Edmonton’s city center LRT. These initiatives highlight her commitment to fostering community engagement through public art.
Gloria is a watercolour painter based in Edmonton. She aims to make things that are joyful, inviting, and that bring a smile to people’s faces. Gloria has been painting for most of her life and started selling her artwork in 2014. She particularly enjoys painting portraits.
As a child, Gloria was quite shy, quiet and unsure in group settings. When she started drawing and painting, it opened up a world for her that she could discover on her own and one where she felt confident that she didn’t feel in other areas. Gloria was about 11-years-old when she realized she wanted to pursue art as more than just a hobby.
Gloria’s favourite thing about creating art is bringing something into the world that she believes is beautiful. Gloria believes that everybody’s tastes, life experiences, perspectives and interests are unique and when we find visual art, music, movies or any other art form that speaks to us, it taps into something inside that makes us feel understood.
When asked what she has learned from, or been inspired by, an animal, Gloria responded, “I recently learned that elephants will stop and pay attention when they come across another elephant’s remains but not to those of other species. There was a story of a group of elephants who stopped by an elephant jawbone and touched it but the one who stayed the longest and interacted with it the most was the deceased elephant’s son. I’m very moved by the way that elephants mourn each other and even sometimes perform burials. These rituals remind me that grieving is an important and natural part of life.”
In addition to painting, Gloria has spent over 10 years as an educator teaching English abroad and to newcomers to Canada. She is currently finding balance as a teacher, mom, and artist.
Aimee Movold
Aimee is a Cree-Métis artist born and raised on Treaty 6. Art has always been a source of self-expression and relaxation for her. She has adiploma in fine arts from MacEwan University. Aimee draws inspiration from her culture and nature.
Art is very therapeutic for Aimee. For her, the creative process is a form of meditation, allowing her to be fully present as the distractions of daily life fade away.
Aimee believes that really great art has a story behind it, that it is more than just something pretty to look at. Art is the story of our lives and it becomes an extension of who we are and where we come from. If artists are willing to explore their deeper emotions and painful experiences, there is an opportunity to transform that into art that can be shared and related to by others.
When asked what she has learned from, or been inspired by, an animal, Aimee responded, “I’m inspired by every animal. Every living thing around us has something we can learn from if we are willing to just quietly observe. Being in nature is very grounding for me and much of my inspiration comes from nature and our relation to it.”
Aimee has designed the logo for the jerseys worn by the Devon Xtreme AJHL hockey team on their Truth and Reconciliation Night and lead a group of students at Riverview Middle School in the painting of a mural in their school.
What have your students learned from animals or how have they been inspired by them? Pose this questions and encourage students to use their creativity to design original artwork that represents their responses. Submit their entry by April 15, 2025.
Visit the T-Shirt Design Contest for more details, including information on how to enter.
