Arts
Local artist featured at Kiwanis Gallery: Cyanotypes by Robin Byrnes

Red Deer Arts Council and Red Deer Public Library are pleased to present
Artist Proof: Cyanotypes by Robin Byrnes
October 16 to November 17, 2019 in the Kiwanis Gallery
First Friday Show Opening: November 1 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. (Please note change of time.)
Artist will be in attendance.
Local artists’ portraits highlight this cyanotype exploration in Robin Byrnes’ exhibit at the Kiwanis Gallery.
Robin Byrnes’s upcoming exhibit is a marriage of her fascination with a historical photographic process and her admiration for Central Alberta artists. As a visual artist, Robin has been involved with the local visual arts community and she is a fan of many local performing artists. It led her to realize how deep the pool of artistic talent is in Central Alberta, and drew her to make local artists the subject of her own artistic experiments with cyanotype. Robin began playing with cyanotype photography four years ago and has learned to process the Prussian blue images onto paper and fabric. Photographing the images led her to meet even more local artists and to see the diversity of their own talents. This exhibit is the culmination of those exploratory works and the wonderful people she has discovered in her own community.
She believes there is an intimacy in these portraits that reflect the artists’ willingness to invite her into their spaces to watch them work and then take the images home with her to create her own artistic interpretations.
I stole the expression “Artist’s Proof” from the printmaking process. My “Artist Proof” is a visual statement that the arts are alive and well in Central Alberta. As you will see, the proof is in the pictures.
Although I did not set out to find the best known artists in Central Alberta, some that you may recognize are sprinkled among those on these walls. I was looking for people who were known for one art and also excelled at another.
Along the way, I have met and become friends with an interesting, talented and generous group of artists. All the while learning how well the cyanotype process is suited to portraiture in my style. When I ask permission to take their pictures and transform their images into something new for public viewing, I am amazed at how willing, interested and supportive people are.
Curtis Phagoo, Goldsmith
Cyanotype on Cotton, 2019
Robin Byrnes
Issy and Susan, Friends and Artists
Cyanotype on Cotton, 2019
Robin Byrnes
Crystal, Sacred Circle Belly Dancer
Cyanotype on Cotton, 2019
Robin Byrnes
Alberta
WATCH: Alberta remains fertile ground for country music

The west has been a hotbed for country music for a very long time and so it continues. Exciting this morning to receive the list of nominees for the 2019 Alberta Country Music Association Award Nominees and see my friend Ryan Langlois on the list for Male Artist of the Year. So many terrific musicians, writers, performers on this list.
Male Artist of the Year
Ben Chase
Dan Davidson
Drew Gregory
Sean Gristwood
Ryan Langlois
Female Artist of the Year
Hailey Benedict
Krissy Feniak
Lauren Mayell
Andrea Nixon
Mariya Stokes
Group/Duo of the Year
The Dungarees
Ghost Boy
Nice Horse
The Prairie States
Renegade Station
Fans Choice
Ben Chase
The Dungarees
Drew Gregory
Nice Horse
The Prairie States
Renegade Station
Industry Person of the Year
Johnny Gasparic / MCC Recording
Carla Hackman / Sakamoto Agency
Larry Mayell / LJVM Projects
Chard Morrison / Shattered Glass
Sarah Scott / Sun Country 99.7
Musician of the Year
Lisa Dodd (Bass)
Johnny Gasparic (Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin)
Cody Mack (Drums, Bass)
Josh Ruzycki (Guitar)
Brandi Sidoryk (Bass)
Album of the Year
“Juliet” / Dan Davidson
“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees
“Running on the Edge” / Tim Isberg
“It Was A Song” / Ryan Langlois
“Wild” / Ryan Lindsay
Song of the Year
“All Over It” / Written by: Ben Chase, Matty McKay, Aaron Pollock, Adam Dowling
(Performed by: Ben Chase)
“Better in a Bar” / Written by: Drew Gregory, Aaron Goodvin
(Performed by: Drew Gregory)
“Hands on My Body” / Written by: Mariya Stokes, Aaron Pollock, Michael Braun (Performed by: Mariya Stokes)
“It Was A Song” / Written by: Ryan Langlois
(Performed by: Ryan Langlois)
“Just Drive” / Written by: Justin Hogg, James Murdoch
(Performed by: Justin Hogg)
Single of the Year
“All Over It” / Ben Chase
“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees
“Better In a Bar” / Drew Gregory
“Just Maybe” / The Prairie States
“Along for the Ride” / Renegade Station
Horizon Youth
Hailey Benedict
Martina Dawn
Hannah Gazso
Anna Johnson
Jordan Leaf
Entertainer of the Year
Gord Bamford
Paul Brandt
Aaron Goodvin
High Valley
Brett Kissel
Tenille Townes
Video of the Year
“Twenty Something” / The Dungarees
“Suntans & Beer Cans” / Justin Hogg
“Lightbulb” / Troy Kokol
“Just Maybe” / Prairie States
“Along for the Ride” / Renegade Station
“Hands on My Body” / Mariya Stokes
Community Spirit Award
Hailey Benedict
Bob Donaldson
The Dungarees
Donny Lee
Kym Simon
The Prairie States
Renegade Station
Country Venue of the Year
Boot Scootin Boogie – Edmonton
Cook County Saloon – Edmonton
Ranchmans Cookhouse and Dancehall – Calgary
Talent Buyer of the Year
Carla Hackman / Sakamoto Agency
Natasha Mandrusiak – Calgary Stampede
Pat McGannon / PM Gigs
Chris Melnychuk – Trixstar
Angie Morris – Sirroma Entertainment
Adam Oppenheim / Stampede Entertainment
Rising Star
Ben Chase
Karac Hendriks
Ryan Lindsay
Trevor Panczak
Brad Saunders
Radio Station of the Year
840 CFCW – Edmonton
REAL COUNTRY 95.5 – Red Deer
SUN COUNTRY 99.7 – High River
THE ONE 88.1 – Parkland
WILD 95.3 – Calgary
Ticket link, hotel info, and further information about the ACMA™ Awards Weekend will be announced soon. Information on ACMA available at www.acmamusic.com.
ACMA Awards weekend will be held January 25-26, 2020 at the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre in Red Deer.
2019 ACMA Award Nominees!
November 19th, 2019 (Edmonton, AB) – The Association of Country Music in Alberta (ACMA)™ is pleased to present our Nominees for the upcoming 2019 Alberta Country Music Awards™.
Winners will be announced during the ACMA Awards weekend on
January 25 & 26, 2020.
Arts
A permanent quest to find a better sounding, better playing guitar – meet Jason McGillivray, player and luthier

At Todayville, some of us have a guitar addiction. And so, when we can profile an Alberta guitar maker, we’re very happy to do so. Oh, we also like video and filmmaking, so this video by ilia Photo and Cinema of Calgary’s Jason McGillivray building a beautiful McGillivray “Parlour Guitar” is an added bonus. Learn about Jason’s journey from player and enthusiast to luthier.
“…Having played guitar since the early 80’s, I was on a permanent quest, as most musicians are, to find a better sounding, better playing, instrument than the one I had…”
By Jason McGillivray:
I am often asked “how did you get into guitar building?” For me, the appeal lies in the way lutherie combines art and science, drawing upon and exercising the left and right sides of the brain. Satisfaction is gained as the process unfolds and I combine and work down natural materials such as spruce or rosewood. The culmination is an heirloom-quality instrument that enhances the human experience of both player and listener and, as the instrument is passed on, for future generations.
Having played guitar since the early 80’s, I was on a permanent quest, as most musicians are, to find a better sounding, better playing, instrument than the one I had. Frequenting guitar shops whenever I could, I discovered factory offerings could only attain a certain level, and still maintain desired prices and production targets. I began to research guitar building, thinking in the future it would be something I’d like to pursue.
I spent ten years studying the craft, collecting tone wood, and acquiring tools, before actually building my first guitar. I learned that factory guitars and handmade guitars have fundamental differences. In the factory setting, guitar parts are mass produced in batches with speed and efficiency driving construction methods and design decisions. As the guitar moves down the line, the next piece is pulled from the bin and added to the assembly. All the components in the pile are of uniform dimensions; however wood is not a uniform material, even from the same tree. Each piece of wood needs to be evaluated and then worked to its optimum dimensions, based on its stiffness and density.
In the factory, randomly selecting components from the bin occasionally results in a combination of excellent parts, producing an exceptional guitar. This is why you can play ten factory guitars of the same model, made at the same time, and a few will excel, a few will underperform, and the rest will be average. A good hand builder, in a one-person shop, takes the mystery out of how the final product will perform. He or she has invested years collecting superb tone woods, studying the properties of wood and adhesives, and incorporating the successes, and knowledge gained from failures, of luthiers, past and present. Only the best wood is selected, and then worked to its fullest potential as it is combined with other woods, bone, and steel, to work synergistically as a unit.
While I was doing my research and collecting tone wood, I ordered an expensive, handmade guitar with an inheritance from my grandfather. This, I reasoned, would give me a benchmark to study and compare my own building progress against in the future, plus I would get that handmade tone and playability I’d been searching for. The guitar arrived six months later, and although it was nice, it just didn’t have the tone that my ear was searching for. This was the nudge I needed to kick-start my building career. Perhaps it would take many tries, but redirecting my energy from searching for my perfect guitar, to creating it, sat well with me, and so it began.
I learned from a tutor who is an experienced builder, and by self-study and experimentation. While completing my BSc in Forest Science I had the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on the structural properties of wood, at a cellular level; this has served me well in understanding how to select and optimize tone wood. Twenty years in the sawmilling and forest products industry, as a professional forester, further tempered my understanding of wood, the growing conditions required for premium tone wood, and how to break down a tree for the highest quality yield. Attending the American School of Lutherie, in Portland Oregon, and studying the methods and approach of Charles Fox, gave me a strong foundation and I have continued to refine my sound and style.
Initially based in British Columbia, McGillivray Guitars now operates out of Calgary, Alberta, producing several commissioned instruments per year, with occasional speculative builds, the progress of which can be viewed on the website, in “On the Bench”.
Commissioned instruments are fully customizable in all aspects, including model, size, shape, scale length, string spacing, neck profile, body depth, and wood selection. If desired, an individual’s playing style, hand size, and physical conditions will be evaluated to select and guide the player to their optimum personalized instrument design.
Click to learn more about McGillivray Guitars including a full price list.
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