PMAG Gallery Exhibit: The Art of Upcycling

About the Artists

• Raul Mendoza Azpiri

  Raul is a multi-award-winning Mexican-Canadian artist based in the traditional territory of the Lekwungen Peoples (Victoria, B.C.) since 2017. He has a multidisciplinary background, ranging from music to sculpture and furniture design. His work is playful, intuitive and rooted in explorations of texture, color, form, function and materials (mostly found objects, wood and fiber). His creative use of upcycled resources has earned him multiple awards in sustainability and design. Raised in a rich and diverse textile culture, he now finds himself weaving his way through everything that allows itself to be woven.

• Adea Chung/Billy Would Designs

  Since 2007, Adea Chung has been creating one-of-a-kind pieces using recycled skateboards and discarded offcuts. Under the name Billy Would Designs, Adea hand-makes each piece, creating unique wooden jewellery and accessories. With a strong focus on sustainability and clean design, she aims to change how we look at waste and our relationship with this discarded, precious resource. In 2022, Adea opened a flagship store in East Vancouver, a beautiful space to showcase the line as well as other curated local artists and designers.

  Growing up in the Interior of British Columbia, self-expression and creativity were a way of life. As the oldest of six obnoxiously talented siblings and influenced by parents whose life mission was to make art, music and babies, Adea is self-taught and always learning. The name Billy is after her daughter, a constant source of inspiration and joy.

• Ilena Lee Cramer (she/they)

  I live and create on the ancestral, unceded and traditional lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Səl̓ílwətaʔ and Skwxwú7mesh Nations of the Coast Salish peoples (Vancouver, B.C., Canada). I am of Saxon heritage from Eastern and Northern Europe.

  A multidisciplinary artist before it was a thing, I am a visual and theatre artist, teacher, bartender, traveler, writer, survivor, witch and lifelong student of ceramics and clay. I studied ballet in Russia during Perestroika, received an arts degree in Alaska in 1996, founded Screaming Weenie Productions—Canada’s longest-running queer-mandated arts organization—made pottery in the mountains of Mexico and created many plays around the world.

  My current practice finds local landscape, environment and materials encountering myth, story and history.

• Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk

  Lynne is a Canadian artist specializing in metal sculpture, single-panel cartooning and magazine illustration. She is a two-time recipient of the Canadian Prix Aurora Award for Artistic Excellence, and her work has appeared in numerous publications, gallery exhibitions and art shows.

  Lynne creates one-of-a-kind robot sculptures from upcycled metal objects. These sculptures have been described as 3D cartoons, and she likes that comparison. Each Bot is securely constructed using drilling and screws, and she uses the metal pieces as she finds them, never polishing, painting or shaping them. The search for usable objects is a large part of the creative process—garage sales and flea markets are her friends. Lynne has been an avid recycler since the early 1970s, and her Bots reflect that passion.

  The question Lynne is asked most often about her Bots is, “Do they move?” and her answer is, “Not when I’ve been looking.”

• Charles Fawcett

  Charles Fawcett was born in Ontario, where he studied machine technology at Humber College. He moved to the West Coast in 1972 and graduated from the 3D art program at Emily Carr in 1984.

  His artistic journey includes participation in the annual International Stone Symposium in Lindabrunn, Austria, in 1985 and a two-month marble carving experience in Pietrasanta, Italy, in 1998.

  He has taught clay modeling continuing-education courses, organized stone carving symposiums and served on selection committees for public art forums.

  His works have been showcased in exhibitions across Canada, the U.S. and Austria, with pieces held in private collections in North America and England.

• Terrance Girard

  Terrance began drawing at a young age and continued exploring a wide range of artistic mediums, including painting and mixed media. He developed a passion for wildlife art, which remains a strong influence in his creative work.

  He later began tattooing and eventually opened his own shop, building a successful career that has spanned more than 30 years.

  In addition to his work as a tattoo artist, Terrance has worked with metal since he was young, eventually moving on to fabricating motorcycles and cars for many years. Three years ago, he decided to fully integrate metalworking into his artistic practice, combining craftsmanship and creativity to expand his artistic expression.

• Lori Goldberg

  Lori Goldberg was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she lives, works and teaches. Her painting practice has continued to evolve since the 1980s, with overarching themes of abstract industrial and Pacific Northwest environments.

  She has received many awards, including a fully funded Tao Hua Tan Residency, Anhui Province, China; a Canada Council grant; two Tony Onley Artist’s Project scholarships; and the Vermont Artist Award.

  Her work is in many collections, including the Canada Art Bank, Ottawa, ON; Vancouver Contemporary Art Gallery; the City of Vancouver Art Collection; Schuster Group, Walton Lofts, Seattle, WA; and the Interstate Bank, San Francisco, CA.

  As an artist, Goldberg has always sought intersections with broader communities, developing collaborative and mutually instructive inquiries into how art can drive positive environmental change. She has spearheaded socially engaged projects in Akumal, Mexico; Governor’s Island, NYC; Vancouver; and Squamish, B.C.

• Katherine MacNeill

  Katherine is a mixed-media artist. Her collages involve the collection, assembly and gluing of torn or cut paper and other recycled materials to recreate, for the most part, close and personal images of landscapes on canvas.

  Reusing old calendars, discarded magazines and books gives new vitality to repurposed consumer goods.

• Ron Simmer

  Ron Simmer, an artist based in Vancouver, B.C., has a knack for transforming discarded materials into captivating, playful works of art. He searches for objects that inspire him, turning everyday waste into creations that can amaze, amuse or provoke thought. Through his use of recycled materials, Ron offers whimsical commentary on modern society, often evoking a sense of nostalgia by crafting large-scale toys, vibrant birds and playful animals. His art invites people to engage physically, often incorporating optical illusions to enhance the experience.

  Ron has made his mark with public art installations across B.C., Ontario and several U.S. states, including Washington, Oregon and California. One of his standout projects is a $128,000 solar-powered light sculpture installed in Routley Park, Township of Langley, in 2023.

• Jeanette Schisler/Coldwell Creations

  Jeanette models her handcrafted woodworking after the circular economy and uses reclaimed and repurposed materials. She strives to inspire the infinite possibilities of upcycling by celebrating the true beauty in perfectly imperfect castaway materials. 

  
  Reimagined from reclaimed wood, each handcrafted vase celebrates imperfection and renewal. Offcuts and discards become timeless art—marked by dents, dings, and history. Every curve tells a story of transformation, sustainability, and beauty found in what others might overlook. 

  
  Every wall or standing vase is made to hold water with a glass vessel. Just add water to bring outdoors in sustainably with a seasonal clipping, sprig or forest floor find that best suits your style.

• Owen Van Santen/New Life Metalworks

  Owen Van Santen is a metal sculptor working primarily with reclaimed steel, creating hand-formed works through welding and fabrication. His practice centers on transformation—reshaping discarded materials into sculptural forms that explore resilience, renewal and the beauty of reinvention.

  Van Santen began sculpting during a four-year period of significant medical challenges, when metalwork became both a creative outlet and a means of grounding. This unexpected entry into the arts revealed a deep passion early in his life, shaping the direction of his emerging career. The themes of rebuilding and restoration that marked his personal journey now define his artistic approach.

  Working with locally sourced reclaimed steel, Van Santen emphasizes material history and the potential for rebirth within the discarded. Each piece is shaped entirely by hand, allowing the physicality of the process to guide the final form. His work reflects a commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship and the expressive possibilities of industrial materials.

  At 26, Van Santen continues to develop a growing body of work that bridges raw materiality with emotional narrative, inviting viewers to consider the strength and beauty that can emerge from what has been broken or cast aside.