"My work focuses primarily on interior and exterior murals and custom acrylic paintings," says Van Raay. "Through my art, I strive to spark a visual dialogue about the importance of our connection to nature. My ultimate goal is to create pieces that inspire reflection and conversation—reminding us of the deep bond we share with the earth."
Connecting Art and Nature: The Inspired World of Kelsey Van Raay
INVERMERE, BC – Blending creativity, entrepreneurship, and a deep reverence for the natural world, Kelsey Van Raay is a rising force in Canada’s contemporary art scene. Based in Invermere, British Columbia, Kelsey is a visual artist and muralist known for her vibrant, nature-inspired works that span from custom canvas paintings to large-scale public and private murals.
With a background in both Fine Arts and Event Management, Kelsey launched her creative business—Kvanraay Art—while simultaneously building a career in the events industry. Her artistic journey began with commissioned pet portraits and landscape paintings, quickly earning recognition for her ability to transform her clients’ visions into compelling, personal works of art.
What began as a part-time pursuit has since evolved into a thriving full-time business. Today, Kelsey offers a wide range of artistic services including original acrylic canvas paintings, murals for residential and commercial spaces, branded merchandise, and creative collaborations. Her portfolio boasts partnerships with prominent companies such as Ski Big3, Collective Arts Brewing, Whitewater Ski Resort, BUFF, and Ambler Mfg.
At the core of Kelsey’s work is a passion for the outdoors. Her art is deeply influenced by the natural landscapes of British Columbia and beyond. She is drawn to work with brands, galleries, and clients who share her environmental values, and her pieces often explore our relationship with the natural world.
Whether adorning the walls of a local business, adding color to a public space, or hanging in a private home, Kelsey’s art leaves a lasting impression. It is at once bold and contemplative—a celebration of nature, and a call to preserve it.
The Wild Within: The Art of Diana Skelhorne
INVERMERE, BC – With a brush in hand and nature in her heart, Diana Skelhorne brings a compelling mix of technical mastery and raw emotion to the canvas. A passionate visual artist with a deep connection to the natural world, Diana’s work explores the spirit and complexity of wild animals through a powerful abstract realism style.
Diana’s artistic journey began in childhood, nurtured by supportive elders and educators who quickly recognized her exceptional talent. A graduate of the prestigious Milan Art Institute’s Mastery Program, she has continued to evolve her craft, studying under a number of renowned artists through workshops, retreats, and advanced training.
Today, Diana is not only a dedicated creator but also a committed educator. She shares her knowledge generously with others—offering workshops, teaching one-on-one, and producing instructional videos across her social media platforms. Her aim is to inspire and uplift a new generation of artists while staying deeply engaged in her own creative growth.
Diana’s interests are wide-ranging, but her love of wilderness and wildlife is central to her recent body of work. Her paintings, often depicting animals, delve into the emotional and symbolic depth of each creature, blending realism with expressive abstraction to reveal their untamed essence.
Her career includes a notable residency at the Leir House Cultural Centre in Penticton through the Penticton & District Community Arts Council’s Artist in Residence Program. Diana’s work was also showcased at Front Street Gallery in Penticton from 2018 to 2020.
Over the years, her paintings have appeared in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including multiple appearances at the Lake Country ArtWalk (2012, 2017, 2018, and 2024), the Chroma Art Show (2020), and the Mélange Art Show (2021) in Penticton. Her art can be found in public venues and private collections across Canada, the United States, and Europe, with many collectors commissioning original works.
Diana Skelhorne’s art is both a celebration of wild beauty and a reflection on our deeper connection to the natural world. Bold, emotional, and unmistakably her own, her work invites viewers to pause, feel, and reconnect—with the earth, and with themselves.
“My goal is to capture more than an image,” says Skelhorne. “I want to portray the spirit—the untold stories and energy that live behind the eyes.”
ABOUT PAUL
Paul Skelhorne has been a photographer since his teenage years. Starting with a Minolta fixed-lens camera, Paul set out to capture the world around him, from the mundane to the sublime. He soon moved on to the world of SLRs, commandeering his father’s Pentax ME Super and joining the school photo club, where he learned to develop film and make prints in the darkroom.
Photography led Paul into the world of university journalism and then, after graduation, to newspapers. There, Paul’s early training paid off as he put his skills to work in sometimes-challenging conditions: for one small newspaper in the Caribbean he regularly rolled and developed film in a small, outdoor bathroom amidst clouds of mosquitoes and sometimes-stifling heat.
Later in life, Paul rekindled his love for photography, starting first with his wife’s point-and-shoot digital camera, then diving into the world of DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and digital post-processing.
Today Paul works hard to turn his early passion for photography into something more than a hobby. As in childhood, he strives to expose the beauty of the world around him and lay bare its secrets. On good days, he almost succeeds.