Veronica Graves Open Studio

The BUTTERMAKER’S HOUSE ARTIST RESIDENCY presents an Open Studio with Veronica Graves.

Several people dropped in to Fensala Hall for the Open Studio on June 12, 2025. This was the second session held for the public during her stay at the Buttermaker’s House. June 10th was a demonstration on wet felting, and today was needle felting with a hands-on approach that allowed some spectators to try their hand at the art.
It was an informative, enjoyable time for all, and a fun glimpse at the artistic potential of the craft. Participants were very happy with the guidance from Veronica, and were able to produce cute and wonderful pieces of art to take home!

Veronica Graves

Veronica Graves is a local Felt artist staying at the Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency. She is sharing her love of fiber art with the community through two open studio sessions.

Tuesday, June 10th, 2025 was the first session at the Creamery Courtyard stage. Visitors and local residents enjoyed viewing and handling some finished artwork to experience the textures of the silk and various wools that had been used in their creation. Then Veronica pulled out some materials and grabbed her spray jug of soapy water in preparation for a demonstration of creating a wearable piece of art!

She shared some insights and techniques of the felting process of making a silk shawl with Merino and other felting wools. She explained that Felting is a traditional and natural way to get a good workout, too! No gym membership required.

Thursday, June 12th will be the second open studio, and Veronica plans to demonstrate Needle Felting to create art pieces. Please drop by Historic Markerville at 1:00 pm to see the artist at work and maybe even try your hand at felting. Join us … have some fun!

Here are some photos from the June 10 open studio:

From the Artist Bio: Veronica Graves is a local Felt artist who was born and raised in a rural community of Central Alberta. She grew up wild and free playing and exploring deep in the woods, which fueled her passion for nature and art.

After traveling to Iceland for her honeymoon in 2015, she fell in love with the culture, people and the sheep with their beautiful wool. She was inspired to explore fiber art to reflect and represent Iceland. Since then, felting has been a journey of discovery, healing from trauma, and teaching others.

Veronica has no formal training with fiber arts although her background in other mediums was part of her normal upbringing with her family. Pottery, painting, and gardening to name a few. She loves trying new techniques and most of her work is inspired by nature. Wearable art, and wall decor is her favorite type to create with fiber.

Some publications Veronica was honored to be part of, were in Prairie Living Magazine, Celebrate!- a magazine collaboration from felt:: feutre Canada, and Red Deer Scene. Her art has also been featured in Galleries throughout Central Alberta.

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency welcomes artists of many disciplines year-round to the idyllic rural community of Markerville.
https://www.historicmarkerville.com/buttermaker-house.html

The INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America) Artist Residency Award is available to qualified applicants beginning each fall, with deadline for submission on November 30th.
https://www.historicmarkerville.com/residency-award.html

INLNA Artist Residency Award 2025

The Stephan G. Stephansson Icelandic Society (SGSIS) is thrilled to announce and congratulate the recipients of the Icelandic Nation League of North America (INLNA) Artist Residency Award for 2025.

The Icelandic National League of North America has generously donated $3000 annually to assist eligible artists coming for a Residency in the Buttermaker’s House in Markerville.

Congratulations to all our recipients of the
INLNA Artist Residency Award for 2024/2025!

Keep checking our sites (Facebook page and historicmarkerville.com) for news of our artists visits. Artists are encouraged to involve the community in some way during their project.

This year there are two winners meeting the criteria for the award.

  1. VERONICA GRAVES from Red Deer, Alberta is coming from June 8 -15. This artist specializes in wool. With felt as her medium, she creates wearable art and wall hangings.
  2. GUDRITA LAPE (Gintare′ Maciulskyte) of Iceland will be an Artist in Residence in 2026. As a chef and artist, Gudrita meshes her two specialties – cooking and art. Her project titled “Creamy Connections: A Vegan Celebration of Icelandic Traditions” will explore the culinary and cultural connections between Iceland and Canada.

The winners for 2024:

  1. KAREN SCARLETT from Innisfail, Alberta is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates fine art and craft in various mediums, including large murals. Karen gave an art talk to the community and has since finished two paintings of the area from her stay.
  2. CLAIRE BUTLER is a professional musician from Calgary, specializing in piano and violin. Claire embraced Markerville head on with a Free Music Workshop for kids in the Fensala Hall. As part of a jazz ensemble, the Clicquot Trio, she played for one of our Supper and Song Nights in the Creamery Courtyard.

You are all inspiring and talented individuals that deserve recognition and a place to rest, reflect, create and connect in our delightful retreat.


CALLING ALL ARTISTS to check out our Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency, available all year long.

INLNA Artist Residency Award applications open in the fall for 2026.

Download the Official Award Announcement in PDF format

Kari Fisher: 44(H) X 50(Y)

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency Followup

On April 10th, 2025, one of the artists who took part in the Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency in 2024 held a one day Exhibit at the VENUE in Red Deer.
It was titled 44(H) X 50(Y). The numbers represent 44 homes in 50 years…

Kari Fisher, from Vancouver Island, stayed in the Buttermaker’s House last year to work on her project. After accepting a challenge of incorporating art into her daily life by her son Isaac, Kari has been on a journey exploring her roots by redrawing the floor plans of 44 houses that she has lived in since her birth and gathering flora connected to those homes. These floor plans were initially drawn in wax crayon, then, cyanotype ‘blueprints’ were created with each sheet having two exposures.

Stephan G. Stephansson Icelandic Society (SGSIS) was very honoured to have played a small part in Kari’s artistic journey and congratulate her on the wonderful, thought provoking exhibition. It gives one pause to think about our own journey in life and where it takes us and what memories we create.

Well done Kari and hopefully you will bring your exhibit to Markerville and the Fensala Hall one day.

— Submitted April 17, 2025 by d’arcy Gamble

Find more information on Historic Markerville’s Buttermaker’s House and how you can apply for an Artist Residency.

REST / REFLECT / CREATE / CONNECT
Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency in Markerville

View the VENUE’s Instagram Reel

Visit the Buttermaker’s House post of Kari’s visit

Karen Scarlett

The fall weather was warm enough for us to enjoy an outdoor art talk with Karen Scarlett during the coffee gathering at Kaffistofa on October 5th, 2024.

Karen is part way through her Artist Residency stay at the Buttermaker’s House and wanted to share some of her process and progress on the four art pieces she is working on that are tied to her stay in Markerville.

Karen touched on her early years growing up on the family farm near Innisfail, and of the artistic influence she received from her Mom, Dad, and Grandma Scarlett. Creativity is a lifelong adventure for her, and has always been a vital part of life.

After the morning coffee goodies were passed around by d’Arcy Gamble, Karen showed us various artwork she’s currently painting, as well as described her plans for works based on the Church and the Ice House (with ideas percolating for two more, one of which could be the Buttermaker’s House).

Karen finished her talk with a short demonstration of watercolour painting for some eager spectators, both adults and kids!

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the presentation, and the way Karen was able to discuss the process and concepts to be easily understood by the layman.

You can find out more about Karen’s artwork on her website: karenscarlett.com

Excerpt from Karen’s Proposal: “My practice centers around the prairie and the magic it provides. With a focus on vivid landscapes and structures that reflect the cultural essence of a place. I plan to use painting and drawing as a primary medium to capture the unique features of Markerville’s local spaces, such as the Creamery, the Fensala Hall, the Ice House, the bridge and river too. These structures/spaces not only serve as representations of Icelandic settlement but are also symbols of resilience, community, and the pioneering spirit of the Icelandic immigrants who helped build them. My hope is the pieces I create during my stay reflect these characteristics.”

Scarlett is a multidisciplinary artist. Besides fine art, Karen also instructs, consults and creates murals including leading community groups to create a vision for their unique space.

Karen lives in Innisfail, Alberta. You can find her work in private, corporate and public art collections around the world.

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency is supported by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. An award is available to qualified applicants, sponsored by INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America).

https://www.historicmarkerville.com/buttermaker-house.html

Kari Fisher

KARI FISHER gave an informal presentation during Kaffistofa coffee hour on September 6, 2024 during her residency stay at the BUTTERMAKER’S HOUSE.

After accepting a challenge of incorporating art into her daily life by her son Isaac, Kari has been on a journey exploring her roots by redrawing the floor plans of 42 houses that she has lived in since her birth.

Beginning from playful wax crayon sketches, she then tapped into her architectural background to redraw the floor plans to scale using time-honoured drafting tools. Her goal is to create 11 x 14 blueprints using traditional cyanotype processing.

As she worked, Kari tapped into memories by playing music from the time period that she lived in those spaces, and was amazed by the details of the houses that she would remember, which also included plants, flowers and gardens associated with each place. She has started collecting botanical samples from the various areas she’s lived and then pressing the botany to use as a layer during the cyanotype floor plan development.

Her work is well under way, with 11 more floor plans to draft for that portion of the project. Collecting botanical samples is ongoing and she has several samples already in her press awaiting the next phase.

Kari has loved her stay at the cozy Buttermaker’s House where she has been able to escape the daily routine and focus on this journey. She joked that it hasn’t been all quiet contemplation since several family and friends have happened by throughout the week for quick visits!

Visit a follow-up post of Kari’s completed work
(at the VENUE, Red Deer, April 10, 2025)

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency is supported by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. An award is available to qualified applicants, sponsored by INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America).

https://www.historicmarkerville.com/buttermaker-house.html

Claire Butler

Claire Butler, a recent resident artist staying at the Buttermaker’s House, held a Music Workshop for Kids at Fensala Hall on August 30th, 2024.

While parents visited outside, inside the hall Claire introduced a mix of song and play to 11 children and helped them relax and have some fun.

After they all took a break to enjoy the playground equipment and play with soap bubble kits they had received, everyone went back inside. The kids then demonstrated some of the sitting games, and the standing/running circle game called “Cut the Cake” to show the parents what they had learned.

Lots of fun and laughter, and a great little adventure on a Friday morning!

The MUSIC WORKSHOP FOR KIDS was a FREE event with no experience required. It was open to kids of all ages 4 years and up. A free fun hour of music games and songs with musician and educator Claire Butler!

For more information on Shine Music Camp in SW Calgary, including program details and pricing, visit https://shinemusiccamp.ca/

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency is supported by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. An award is available to qualified applicants, sponsored by INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America).

https://www.historicmarkerville.com/buttermaker-house.html

Cliquot Trio

Clicquot Trio played Thursday night at the Creamery Courtyard for SUPPER AND SONG on August 29th, 2024. It’s worth mentioning that this was directly tied into the BUTTERMAKER’S HOUSE ARTIST RESIDENCY with Claire Butler, and we’re thrilled that Reuben Grendus and Stefano Valdo could join her on stage!

Since 2017 Clicquot Trio has been playing in Calgary with performances of classical/jazz fusion repertoire. Members Claire Butler, Stefano Valdo and Reuben Grendus are all professionally trained classical musicians and as a trio explore a variety of genres.

Past performances include ‘Bach to Brubeck’, Latin and Love Songs’ and ‘An Evening with Cole Porter’ at the Engineered Air Theatre. They have been guest performers in two of Heritage Park’s ‘Music in the Plaza’ concert series and are regularly invited to perform at private events. Come and enjoy a mix of jazz/classical fusion including music from Oscar Peterson’s Canadiana Suite.

  • Claire Butler on piano • Stefano Valdo on bass • Reuben Grendus on drums

From Claire’s artist bio: My name is Claire Butler and I am from Yorkshire, UK. I am a music specialist at Montessori School of Calgary and I am also a professional musician. I studied piano and violin at the Royal College of Music 1993-97. Since then, I have enjoyed a varied career as director, educator and musician living in London, Greece and Bermuda.
I have lived in Calgary since 2012 with my husband Jamie Parkinson who is a teacher and my daughter Nathalie who is now 12 years old.
As a musician I love how my life is always full of new people and experiences. I love to share my music and am excited to explore the historic hamlet of Markerville while bringing my love of music to it’s community.

Clicquot Trio also entertained at the SGSIS 50th Anniversary Gala September 2024

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency is supported by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. An award is available to qualified applicants, sponsored by INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America).

https://www.historicmarkerville.com/buttermaker-house.html

Tomas Jonsson

Saturday, August 24th, 2024 was the last day of Tomas Jonsson’s residency stay at the Buttermaker’s House. He was heading to Calgary next but made time to have another visit with the locals and visitors during morning coffee, and to share a little bit on his project and his process.

Tomas had a box of items beside him on a small table. It contained his grandfather’s audio cassettes of family conversations, old photos of a family property in Sweden, along with legal documents and other items. “Following the passing of my father, in whose name the land is held, our relationship has adopted a different role as we untangle the personal and financial ties that bind us to the space.”

Tomas had written a letter just yesterday to a new acquaintance and decided to read it out to us, to hopefully provide insight into the unravelling of history and understanding he is working through. Here is a portion of that letter:

“I had a lot of help from my grandfather who recorded all our conversations over the phone, sometimes surreptitiously. That’s what I’ve been doing while I’ve been here is going through these materials and also reading books that are here in the community.

“I’ve had the pleasure of joining in on the daily coffee gatherings in the community. I’ve enjoyed listening to the stories and conversations while also being a bit apprehensive of what I should contribute. Most of my time here I’ve been absorbing, being in the Buttermaker’s House, occasional walks in the town and campground, and reading.

“I knew about the work of Stephan G. Stephenson and was pleased to encounter other writers such as his daughter Rosa and his grandson Stephan Benediktson. I was also glad to meet and read the accounts of Frank Sigurdson. At the same time I was digitizing and listening to the cassette archive which my family received from my grandfather.

“A few weeks ago my partner Jesse and I were on a road trip and started talking about the pending residency. Somehow it occurred to me to record the conversation and the seed of an idea to use it as a method to bring this work into some sort of shape. I started to make short videos mostly in and around the house and using the recorded tapes as soundtracks.

“This was intuitive but a system started to appear. I also channeled my grandfather and recorded, with permission, people here and friends which became soundtracks to other videos. I sent these around to get feedback and the general consensus is that I’m on a good path.”

Inside the Kaffistofa, Tomas had set up a presentation of videos he’d created so far, “In Whose Name the Land is Held.” Here is the link to his video presentation on Vimeo

Some photos from August 24th presentation and coffee gathering:

Here is a link to a blog post which was the result of his chance encounter and conversation with a couple visitors to Markerville on August 23, which had also inspired him to write the letter he read to us.

Tomas Jonsson is an artist, curator, and writer. He has curated, presented, and performed work in Canada and internationally. Tomas’ family came to Montreal from Denmark in 1969, living and travelling west until eventually deciding to stay in Calgary, where he was born in 1975. A large part of Tomas’ practice has been unraveling and understanding this trajectory, and his relation to a place he now also knows as Mohkinstsis, among other names. Tomas is currently living in oskana ka-asasteki, also known as Regina.

Buttermaker’s House Artist Residency is supported by Red Deer County and Alberta Foundation for the Arts. An award is available to qualified applicants, sponsored by INLNA (Icelandic National League of North America).

https://www.historicmarkerville.com/buttermaker-house.html