About
Every artist featured in Raw is a student from the Art & Design Essentials program at the College of the North Atlantic (CNA). The program, a two-year certificate, offers foundational training in both traditional and digital art practices. The program is available both on-campus and online through CNA's Distributed Learning Services, providing students with flexibility. This course is built upon the fundamentals of art and design in Newfoundland, using culture and history as a backbone to further enhance artistic abilities.
Group Artist Statement
As a group, we are linked not by uniformity, but by a shared respect for process and presence. We embrace imperfection, we celebrate slowness, and we allow intuition to shape the form. Raw is not just a title; it is a way of working, of being. Honest. Exposed. Rooted.
Art is a part of our Newfoundland heritage, from cotton socks and quilts to our beautiful and diverse culture. We have all committed to exploring ourselves as a class through this program. We express our love through multiple mediums and various materials, spanning across hundreds of pieces and countless hours dedicated to perfecting our craft.
This exhibition is an invitation to feel before naming and to observe before interpreting. It’s a quiet acknowledgment of what emerges when we strip away the polished exterior and make way for the raw emotions and expressions.
Artist Statements
These statements reflect our individual approaches, but together they form a dialogue about making with our hands, listening to material, and embracing what is imperfect and deeply felt. We invite you to read them not as separate stories, but as interwoven threads in a shared exploration of the Art and Design Essentials program.
Isabella Warford
My name is Isabella Warford (she/her), and I am an art student studying Art and Design Essentials at College of the North Atlantic. Art and design have been a major part of my life for as long as I could hold a crayon. I find it to be an excellent way to freely express my feelings and beliefs. As I got older, art and design became my output, and as I struggle with mental health, it is of the few ways I can ground myself and put thoughts into perspective.
A.E. Taylor
Currently, my work consists of watercolor paintings, charcoal drawings, stained glass,
photography, and printmaking. I aim to capture life in Newfoundland through my work,
both past and present day. In my work, you will notice I play with light and shadows to
enhance the detail and emotion in the piece. I strive to create an accurate depiction of
not only my life and the shorelines that molded me but also the lives of my relations that
came before me. By painting things from our past, I have a much more simple way of
living in my present. Through my art, I am creating a bridge from our past as
Newfoundlanders to who we are today. Join me as we explore through art our family's
past and our province's present.
Jessica Williams
My artwork is influenced by an appreciation for the hidden beauty in the world around me, especially in unexpected places. After navigating a period of darkness, I am inspired to bring light to the extraordinary aspects of life that often go unnoticed. My goal is to create art that evokes emotion and encourages others to appreciate their surroundings, helping them see beyond the monotony of daily routines
Daymien Budden
Here, I showcase my passion for art, combining a collection of works that express my creativity and vision. As you explore the gallery, you'll get to see my artistic journey and the inspiration behind each piece.
As of this writing, I am 21 years old. I was born in Newfoundland, moved with my family to Alberta for 10 years, and then back to Newfoundland to complete my education. I am soon to be graduating from the College of the North Atlantic in Gander.
I feel my life has been a series of finding out who I am and what inspirations I draw from. My work is a collection of thoughts, trailing memories, and interests all building to create singular, focused pieces on one subject, or a series of artworks to a world I've imagined at the time.
I yearn to continue to inspire myself to one day make something truly special.
Dewy Butler
I am an interdisciplinary artist, motivated by the intrinsic nature of creation itself. Through all my interests in different art practices I always strive to achieve emotional involvement with the viewer, creating an experience for them that’s a journey evolving with each thought. Throughout my artistic ventures I have always wanted to give people memorable experiences and emotions, whether that is through my love of wearable crochet art, or my paintings and graphite works.
Marie Miller
As an artist I want to be able to break the boundaries of my own skills as well as others. I like to work on ideas and projects that are personal to me as I find them is when I can create my best work. I use traditional mediums and digital, photography, and tactile mediums such as sculpture and textiles. Each image and work that I create I want to put my most authentic self forward in the work, and using this, my artistic process, I can do just that.
Katie Haire
My work is an exploration of self. Using both watercolour and acrylic paint, I focus on the process of creation and the feelings it evokes, rather than the end result. Each painting is another step towards answering the question, “Who am I?"
I often choose to express myself with paint, but recently have been drawn to the art of photography. Photography goes hand-in-hand with my love of travel and capturing the ever-changing weather and landscape of Newfoundland. There is no better feeling than lining everything up, hitting the button, and capturing the perfect moment. When you are in Newfoundland, where it is snowing one minute and sunny the next, the opportunities are endless. In taking landscape photographs, I try to extend the sense of being surrounded by beauty and nature to the people who view them.
Nathan Ennis
Nathan Ennis’s work can be described as bold, vibrant, and bright. Through the teachings of local artists like Clifford George, he was able to hone his painting skills and discovered his love for vibrant colors. Captivated by the world and its scenery, he expresses himself through colorful, vibrant pieces to counteract the negative aspects of everyday life, offering a sense of clarity in his own life. He can achieve this vibrant and bright look by utilizing various mediums, including watercolor and acrylic paints, as well as other supplies such as alcohol markers and pastels. Using his interests as inspiration, Nathan can create vibrant, abstract work that reflects his life outlook.
Born in 2005, Nathan discovered his passion for creating at an early age, often picking up assorted colors, drawing, and painting whatever came to mind. As he grew up, his interest in art only deepened despite various setbacks. He started to explore different forms of expression, such as clothing and more recently, music. After graduating high school, he began his pursuit of further education in arts by enrolling in the Art and Design Essentials program at the College of the North Atlantic, where he is expanding his knowledge.
Hannah Mitchell
I am a multi-media artist who draws inspiration from the beautiful natural world around us. My favorite mediums of creating art are sketches, paintings, and photography. I’ve lived in multiple places across Newfoundland and Labrador, always searching for awe-inspiring scenes that I can relay into my work. My goals when creating art are to find moments that make us appreciate the natural wonders of our province and encapsulate them in significant, eye-catching ways.
William Penney
My name is William Penney, a Newfoundland and Labrador artist and photographer for 2 years. Starting with CNA, I've pushed myself to learn art and create something I am truly proud of. Mainly focusing on photography now, I've moved to explore the wild and amazing pictures able to be taken in this frozen landscape I live in. I am not fully confident in my art ability, I am much more confident with pictures. I'm 20 this year as of 2025, I plan to continue college and work towards taking pictures of nature that will be used for examples one day.