Federation of Canadian Artists - Studio Community
Welcome to the Federation Studio!
For the Public:
Visit the Artists — the Federation Studio was founded with the values of the Federation of Canadian Artists at its core, striving to make art-making and appreciation accessible to everyone, while maintaining high artistic standards and professionalism. Currently, we have 11 studio artists working in the space, each with unique backgrounds and interesting stories to share! You can learn more about each artist below.
The artworks on display were all created within the studio, and the artists are happy to provide further information about their pieces. If an artist is not present during your visit, feel free to reach out to us — we’d be happy to connect you!
Purchase Original Artworks — all artworks on display are for sale! When you purchase a piece, you’re not just acquiring a unique and original work of art; you’re also supporting the artists directly. 100% of your purchase goes straight to the artists, as the Federation does not retain any portion of the sales.
Opening Hours — the Federation Studio is regularly open from Monday to Thursday, from Noon to 5 PM. The studio may also be open outside these hours, depending on artist availability. If you're unsure, please contact us before your visit at 604-681-2744 or at programmanager@artists.ca.
For Artists:
Community is at the Heart of the Federation Studios — all of our studios are open plan, meaning you can see, chat and interact with your studio mates. The upper level is semi-private, and best suited to artists looking to hunker down with their easels. The lower level is open to the public at least 4 days a week and ideal for artists looking to be present to create and engage with the visiting public.
Granville Island — Canada’s #2 Tourist Destination — speaking of the public, not many studios in the city can boast the walk-by traffic that we do. Located in the heart of Granville Island’s Artisan District, opposite tour bus parking, our gallery and studios enjoy thousands of visitors every year.
Hours of Access — our side is accessible 24 hours a day. Our studios cater to all artists, whether you’re pursuing your practice full-time or as a part-time endeavor or hobby. Whether you’re committed to your craft around the clock or squeezing in creative sessions after your day job, our studios are designed to accommodate your needs.
Transparent Application Process — as a professionally run studio with staff from the Federation of Canadian Artists, with an on-site Studio Host, you won’t be wondering where you stand, how to apply, or what your fees are. Contracts and agreements are put in place to protect all parties.
No Commission on Sales — part of what the Federation does is empower artists to make sales to further their practice. Studio artists are not obligated to pay a commission to the Federation. If you would like assistance with processing your sales, we understand that for many artists, the distance between sales and practice is beneficial. In this case, we retain a 35% commission to help cover our services. However, if you don’t require these services, you will retain 100% of all sales!
Opening Hours
Regular Hours:
Monday to Thursday, from Noon to 5 PM
The studio may also be open outside these hours, depending on artist availability. Feel free to contact us before your visit at 604-681-2744 or at programmanager@artists.ca.
Artists Interested in Renting Space:
Please contact us by requesting a studio tour below:
Meet the Studio Artists
Golfo Tsakoumis - Studio D1
An immigrant from a picturesque seaside village in Greece to Canada’s majestic west coast, Golfo has evolved over the years and her different artistic projects reflect her rebirth at various stages of her life. Golfo experiments with a variety of mediums including acrylic, watercolor, and oil. A proud member of the Federation since 2010, Golfo continues to expand her craft.
There is a sophisticated feel to all of her paintings through a balance of color, composition and texture. In abstract painting Golfo’s most authentic self emerges. She loves the courage and
freedom that abstract painting gives her, as the artist, and the viewer as well. Golfo has been proud member and featured artist of the Roam Gallery since 2013. Her work has been exhibited at the Vancouver International Art Show, and in 2021 she held her first solo show at the Art Couture gallery in White Rock, BC. She has received international recognition with awards of excellence for the Circle Arts Foundation.
Golfo currently lives with her husband, and creates her art out of her private residence, in Vancouver, BC, Canada. Her work is featured in public and private collections.
Bita Motamedi - D1A
Bita Motamedi is an artist and designer. After graduating with a degree in painting and completing a graphic design program at BCIT, she has created many versatile collections of art and design ideas or items.
From her award-winning watercolor to 3D products, Bita has transitioned from painting to sculpture to explore applied ideas and understand the spirit of creative business. Art process, language, math, and design basics are her areas of interest or core central topics, with nature serving as an underlying theme and unifying idea in her works. To create a balance between public orientation and art forms, and shape her fictions, she frequently interacts with the art process.
As a multidisciplinary visual artist, her style is the link between ideas and items and can also be an interactive art and design context. Photography serves as her strategic concept, with her photos evolving into paintings and stylized images before shifting to digital design, printed on textile or cotton papers. This process inspires her printmaking, photo silk screening, stenciling, as well as T-shirt and tote bag designs.
Zhanna Gromova - D2
Janna was born in Komsomolsk-on Amur, a small town in the Russian Far East and now lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. Educated as a psychologist, when she moved to Vancouver in 2004 she decided to become an artist.
The beauty of the Pacific West coast inspired Janna so tremendously that, never having been involved in art, she began to express her vision of the world through painting. She studied fine art in Capilano University North Vancouver and in the London Fine Art Studios and City Lit institute in London, UK.
Her paintings reflect her belief that every subject – be it a landscape, a figure or just a simple flower – has its own inner essence that evokes profound emotional impressions in people. She likes capturing this sense of the inner ‘spirit’ and sharing her delight in experiencing it with the viewer. She paints mainly with oil but also enjoys working with watercolor, acrylic and pastels. Janna works in the Impressionist style with its freedom of colour, light and loose brush strokes. She likes challenges and experiments and now she’s been working on a series of abstract paintings.
Chris Block - D2A
Chris is passionate about the environment and believes deeply in nature’s ability to bring peace to the soul. An avid hiker, he can be found along the local mountains of Cypress, Seymour, Burke and Squamish with his gear on his back, or set up and painting in unexpected areas.
With his watercolours, Chris works mostly en plein air and seeks to capture the environment in its purest, creating fresh images brimming with immediacy. As the summer fades, he returns to his studios at home in New Westminster and on Granville Island to portray his treks in the wilderness in loose acrylic depictions.
While representational in nature, Chris’s work purposefully strays from reality and embraces a vague and ambiguous approach on the subject matter before him, preferring to capture the essence of a mood. He is intrigued with the physicality of painting - scrubbing, scraping and at times lifting out as much paint as he applies, creating paintings that speak as much about texture as the image itself. Chris is a Signature Member with the Federation of Canadian Artists and shows regularly at their Granville Island gallery.
Dianne Longson - D3
From observing light, composition, colour and design for 45 years as a photographer, Dianne began watercolour painting in 2014. After six years, her attraction to more saturated colours drew her to acrylics.
“I find painting provides an even deeper connection to nature where I can explore beneath the surface to appreciate shapes, lines, colours, patterns, and express my imagination.”
Dianne is inspired to transform the complex patterns and abstract designs into crystalline forms and sequences.
From artistic pursuits at an early age, Dianne pursued photography in the 1970s and after completing an English Literature degree at UBC, she used her writing and photography skills to earn a living in journalism and public relations. (A collection of her photographs resides in UBC’s Archives.)
In January 2022, Dianne acquired Active Status with the Federation of Canadian Artists. Besides nature, she also paints Vancouver cityscapes among other subjects. Dianne will consider commissions.
Caroline Scagel - U1
Caroline was born in Vancouver and had the good fortune of growing up surrounded by the stunning scenery of the West Coast.
Mostly self-taught, she has completed courses in Visual Art Media at Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design and taken various drawing courses at Langara College and the Vancouver Academy of Art. Caroline loves experimenting with different media and techniques, which has led to a variety of artwork, always centred around nature and animals.
Her favourite mediums are mixed media and digital painting, which she uses to create her original illustrations. She also enjoys painting with paper, combining handmade papers and Japanese Mulberry paper with acrylic and inks to create unique textures and colours.
These days, Caroline works full-time as a painter and illustrator. Her whimsical and fun images are designed to bring a smile to your face. You can find her work reproduced as Fine Art Prints, cards, and stationery.
Lori Pobuta - U2
Lori Pobuta has been calling Vancouver home off and on since 1974. As a novice self-taught artist, Lori finds joy and fulfillment in the creative process, and even when she sometimes feels like she doesn’t really know what she is doing, when she’s lost in the zone it just makes her happy. Her medium of choice is acrylics on canvas, and she draws inspiration from her Polish heritage, particularly the vibrant folk art traditions. This influence is evident in her preference for painting colourful subjects on dark backgrounds.
Lori's work is also shaped by the neo-expressionism movement of the 1980s. She enjoys the spontaneity of dabbing and splashing color and shapes, arranging them in ways that are both dynamic and visually appealing. Each piece she creates often evolves significantly from her initial vision - starting with something and ending with something-else entirely.
Her little studio, aptly named 'Chasing the Parade,' is a testament to her creative journey and personal experiences. Recently diagnosed with ADHD along with a touch of generalized anxiety, Lori embraces the challenges and unique perspectives that come with it. These experiences sometimes place her on the fringes of society, but she finds contentment and inspiration in this space, happily running alongside the main attraction.
Lori's art is a vibrant exploration of color and form, driven by a passion for creating beauty and a deep connection to her cultural roots and personal experiences.
Contact Information: 604-788-6479
Cheri Marie Gaynor - U3
Cheri Marie is a versatile artist based in Vancouver, Canada, known for her passion for abstract and mixed-media art. She primarily works with acrylic paint and resin to create vibrant and dynamic pieces. Cheri’s art is brought to life on a variety of surfaces, including glass, canvas and wood, showcasing her creativity.
At an early age, Cheri’s outlet for creative expression was found in her passion for music and theatre. She went on to have a successful professional career in the film, television and music industries. However, Cheri’s life took a dramatic turn in 2015 when a series of motor vehicle accidents forced her to step away from her career. During this challenging period, she sought new ways to reconnect with her creativity as a way to combat chronic pain. This transition allowed Cheri to explore the therapeutic joy of expressing herself through visual art. When she discovered her connection with visual artistry, she found solace, healing, and a renewed purpose in the face of adversity. She found hope.
Cheri works to channel her artistic spirit by creating pieces that reflect her deep connection to colour and texture. Her abstract art is a celebration of the joy she feels when colours flow, joining each other to create something entirely new, every time. She finds nature to be an endless source of inspiration, believing that every flower, every leaf, and every tree holds extraordinary beauty that cannot be duplicated. This passion for colour and texture, combined with her deep connection to nature, shines through her work, making each piece a reflection of the beauty she sees in the natural world.
In addition to her larger works, Cheri also uses acrylic paint on glass to create unique jewellery, skillfully blending colours to balance each other in harmony. Known for her love of all things that sparkle, Cheri’s work often exudes a whimsical and playful element. Her primary purpose is to ignite a spark in those who engage in her work, with the hopes that they will find a path to their own joy and artistic expression.
As Cheri continues on her creative journey, she is eternally grateful to have found herself a home in visual art. Her vibrant creations are a testament to her resilience, her enduring spirit, and the transformative healing power of art.
Sharon Klein - U4
Born and raised in Vancouver, BC, Sharon spent time in Montreal and London, England, before choosing to live on the wild west coast of BC. The beauty of this landscape captivates her.
Sharon holds a diploma in Fashion Arts, graphic design, and a certificate in Interior Design. Over the years, she has taken workshops in both painting and photography.
Her work has been displayed at Basic Inquiry, various gift shops, craft shows, and conferences around the lower mainland. Currently, it can be seen at the Federation of Arts Studios on Granville Island, as well as on Instagram: @smkhome.
Louise Drescher - U5
Louise grew up in Montreal and Toronto, earning a Master’s degree in Medieval Art & Literature from the University of Toronto. She started painting in London, England, where she held two exhibitions before moving to Chicago, where her painting practice slowed to focus on family.
In 1994, Louise relocated with her family to the small mountain town of Rossland, BC, where she returned to her art and became an active member of the community arts scene. She founded The Firehall Gallery, which later became the Rouge Gallery—both co-operative spaces that showcased the works of over 20 local artists.
After 30 years in the rugged, sporting town, it was time to take care of their knees, so they moved to False Creek South in January 2024. Louise is very happy to join the group of studio artists and to be a part of the Federation of Canadian Artists.
Natalia Boychenko-Tariq - U6
Natalia Boychenko-Tariq is a Moldavian painter at an early stage of her creative career. However, her work already showcases an investigative spirit and a keen awareness of both realistic traditions and progressive trends in modern art
Her years of study at the Chisinau Art College, the Ukrainian Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture at Kiev, and then at the Chisinau State University of Fine Arts had a deep impact on shaping Natalia Tariq’s skills as a professional painter.