Seven Canadian LGBTQ Makers Share What Inspires Them

There's something about an artisan-made, handcrafted piece that transcends mere "object" status. When something is created by a skilled maker it's a window into an artist's imagination, imbued with meaning because it's a reflection of how they see the world and themselves in it. These seven artists reflect on what creating means to them.

Vancouver-based Brandy Mars is an artist whose goal is, as she puts it, is to "normalize LGBTQIA+ relationships." Her moving, arresting paintings are a response to "overly-sexualized" depictions of lesbian relationships in art that don't reflect how romantic love feels in her own life. "Some people have even written to me to say they came out after seeing my artwork. Other women told me they came out after seeing how feminine presenting I am because it made them feel validated as a femme," says Mars. "Art is about connection, a thing we all crave regardless of sexual orientation."

Toronto-based Rikki Ellul comes from a family of carpenters. During the pandemic, he launched his own online business, incorporating skills taught by his father and grandfather into his broader art practice, which includes working with materials like epoxy, metal and acrylic. "I make the things I make because I get to express myself fully and be true to myself," says Ellul, who has a particular flair for live-edge wooden charcuterie boards. "Art is self expression in its truest form and I am grateful to be able to have the ability to show my true self within my work."

"I’ve always used making as an outlet to express what I’ve been feeling or thinking about," says textile artist Elycia SFA. "I’m grateful that being an artist has remained such a consistent part of my life." This OCADU grad's work uses the medium of handwoven cloth to tell a story: parts of her own personal journey, but also meditations on big ideas, like the nature of memory and nostalgia. Her latest series, "home life / still life," focuses on the domestic spaces — a bathroom, a living room — that became entire worlds for many of us during the lockdown years, exploring themes of grief and loss in the midst of a global pandemic.

Heidi Cho is a multidisciplinary artist based in Toronto who's found acclaim in many mediums: Her illustrations have appeared in several magazines, while other work has found its way to the Gardiner Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Whatever she's creating — including hand-painted ceramics like these — Cho says her work is always a reflection of what's going on in her head at that moment. "I love making things that reflect questions or ideas that I’m working through around mental health, queerness and the Korean diasporic experience," she says.

Two years ago, Eva Mocek launched her own sustainable, genderless undergarment brand to solve a problem: Her friend Val, a trans woman, couldn't find underwear that fit her body. "Access to sustainable basics shouldn't depend on one's gender identity," says Mocek, who hand-makes every single piece sold in her online shop—which is organized by anatomy, not gender—herself, using planet-friendly fabrics like organic cotton and wood-derived Lyocell.

Before he started making cross stitch patterns, Montreal-based Max Pigeon worked as a zookeeper, animal trainer and a primary school teacher. In a way, all of those threads have found their way into the nature-inspired cross stitch designs and kits (with options for different skill levels, even those learning a new craft) he now sells online. "Being a cross stitch designer allows me to combine my passions for crafting and nature," says Pigeon. "I aim to create designs that can be appreciated by stitchers of all levels and that celebrate the beauty of the natural world and all its wonders."

Before he started making cross stitch patterns, Montreal-based Max Pigeon worked as a zookeeper, animal trainer and a primary school teacher. In a way, all of those threads have found their way into the nature-inspired cross stitch designs and kits (with options for different skill levels, even those learning a new craft) he now sells online. "Being a cross stitch designer allows me to combine my passions for crafting and nature," says Pigeon. "I aim to create designs that can be appreciated by stitchers of all levels and that celebrate the beauty of the natural world and all its wonders."