Local Love Blog Series – Emily Beaudoin Art

Welcome back to the Local Love Blog Series!

Emily and I got to know each other working together a few years back and immediately I was captivated by her artwork. Before meeting Emily, I hadn’t seen a pen and ink artist put together the amazing pieces that she does and I was so intrigued by this style. As I learned more about her and realized she also does amazing watercolour work and murals, I continued to be blown away! 

Emily is originally from Calgary but currently spending her winters in Revelstoke and her summers in Canmore. 

As a self-proclaimed mountain person, Emily’s love of the outdoors and everything it has to offer comes through so beautifully in her creations. She puts so much effort, thought, and time into being a full-time artist who finds inspiration in anything from breathtaking landscapes to amazing friendships. Emily takes pride in her human-powered adventures that lead her to amazing experiences and fuel her vision for so many pieces! 

Being creative and sharing her passion with the world is only part of what keeps Emily going. She understands deeply how rare and special it is to be able to share her gift with others, and have them appreciate it so deeply. 

But, calling Emily an artist doesn’t give her nearly enough credit for everything she’s achieved…

While she focuses on watercolour, pen and ink, and mural art Emily is also an incredible business-woman and passionate outdoor enthusiast. She has grown her business to include an online store, in addition to having her work showcased in galleries and artist cooperatives throughout Alberta and BC. But it doesn’t stop there, Emily has also licensed her work to outdoor companies and ski manufacturers. She also just launched a newsletter where you can stay caught up on all the latest updates – make sure to sign up here. 

She’ll be the first to admit she’s clumsy and goofy, which makes her so relatable, friendly, and down to earth. Despite being amazingly accomplished already, she doesn’t want to look like she’s got it all figured out. There’s a learning curve that she’s embraced and has come to accept that what is easy isn’t always what’s right. Emily is fueled by the knowledge that she will always be learning and growing as an artist and business owner. 

Emily wishes people would tap into their creative side a little more often – shove aside the doubts or concerns of not being artistic and just loosen up. She wholeheartedly believes that no one is a perfect artist and that art is simply not a competition. Allowing yourself to play with your creativity results in amazing benefits that can’t be described but just have to be experienced first-hand. 

Now, despite her many talents, Emily’s heart lies with plein air painting. 

This style of painting allows her to really bring together her passion for the outdoors and her amazing ability to create beautiful artwork that resonates with her audience. Plein air painting requires Emily to pack her hiking bag with more than just the typical hiking essentials – she’s carrying all her art supplies as well when she’s going into the backcountry to find the perfect setting. Once there, she can spend hours in one location making sure she’s captured all of the magic in her artwork. However, it’s not always a perfect scene and certainly not an easy environment to paint it. She’s often battling with dehydration, hunger, and uncooperative weather conditions. Amazingly, Emily turns these sometimes trying experiences into amazing pieces of art that have more than just creativity poured into them but also her heart and soul. 

She’s grateful for organizations like the Alpine Club of Canada who have helped to make the backcountry accessible and fosters a community of like-minded individuals who enjoy outdoor adventures of all sorts. It’s no surprise that some of her fondest memories and most beautiful pieces of art have come from backcountry trips and time spent using various ACC huts as their basecamp. 

While Emily was always creative, she never could have imagined making art her full-time job. 

Having spent much of her childhood in the nearby mountains of the Bow Valley, Emily was naturally an artsy kid. After years of working on her skills, studying the business side of art, and dedicating as much of her spare time as possible to her art, Emily finally made the decision to pursue it full-time at the beginning of the pandemic. When work, rent, and roommates seemed to be slipping away, Emily turned to her art and gave it everything she had. The pandemic effect of focusing on shopping local and spending more time investing in home decor (since we were all spending more time at home than ever before) all factored into Emily’s success. 

With her time split between the Bow Valley and Revelstoke, Emily has lots of love for local businesses and was sure to spread out her shout-outs! 

In Revelstoke, Emily wanted to be sure to mention the amazing work of Siobhan O’Connor who is an amazing linen seamstress through her business Stringybark Handmade. There’s also Ariel Hill, an amazing glassblower and jeweler who recently moved from the Bow Valley to Revelstoke. And, of course, Emily had to mention the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre. In the Bow Valley, Emily’s shout-outs go to acrylic landscape painter Steph Von Neudegg, ArtsPlace Canmore, and Fireweed Glass Studio. She also wanted to make a point of a couple of companies that she’s partnered with that needed a mention including Nelson-based hat company, Ambler Apparel, and Canmore-based silk screener Andrew from Flooded Ink. 

One of the highlights of Emily’s career so far was her involvement in the amazing documentary Rockies Repeat. 

Focusing on six emerging female artists on a journey to recreate the amazing paintings of Catharine Whyte, Rockies Repeat showcases the impacts of climate change in the Canadian Rockies and how these amazing ladies are dedicated to education and preservation of these traditional landscapes. Emily’s participation in this project brought her dream of being a part of the Banff Mountain Film Festival to light and getting to see the film on the big screen provided one of the most amazing moments of her career to date. 

She’s got an incredible residency roadtrip planned that will take her through the Western United States in May 2022. Her goal is to capture the amazing scenery of the deserts, mountains and coastlines while she hikes, camps, and paints her way through various landscapes. Once her month of adventuring wraps up, she’ll be setting up an art show to display her work. 

Be sure to connect with Emily on Instagram and Facebook to follow along her adventure this spring and everything else she’s got going on! And next time you’re looking for the perfect piece to add to your art collection or need that memory captured forever be sure to check out Emily’s online store, or reach out to commission a completely unique piece of art! 

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