There is a special kind of magic that happens at the top of the Folk Festival hill.
From this vantage point, the music becomes more than something you hear—it becomes something you share. Families gather on blankets, friends settle into lawn chairs, children wander between tents, and strangers become neighbours for an evening. The stage may be the reason we come, but it is these quiet moments together that stay with us long after the final song.
This painting was inspired by one of those evenings on Gallagher Hill in Edmonton. Rather than focusing on the performers, I wanted to capture the audience—the conversations, the laughter, the anticipation, and the feeling of belonging that fills the hillside. The colourful patchwork of blankets and tents mirrors the diversity of the people who return year after year, each bringing their own stories while becoming part of something larger.
As an artist, I am drawn to places where community naturally gathers. Moments Together at Folk Festival celebrates the beauty of shared experiences and reminds us that some of life’s richest memories are made not in grand moments, but in simply being together. It is a love letter to Edmonton’s Folk Festival and to the connections that continue to grow on that hill every summer.
There is a special kind of magic that happens at the top of the Folk Festival hill.
From this vantage point, the music becomes more than something you hear—it becomes something you share. Families gather on blankets, friends settle into lawn chairs, children wander between tents, and strangers become neighbours for an evening. The stage may be the reason we come, but it is these quiet moments together that stay with us long after the final song.
This painting was inspired by one of those evenings on Gallagher Hill in Edmonton. Rather than focusing on the performers, I wanted to capture the audience—the conversations, the laughter, the anticipation, and the feeling of belonging that fills the hillside. The colourful patchwork of blankets and tents mirrors the diversity of the people who return year after year, each bringing their own stories while becoming part of something larger.
As an artist, I am drawn to places where community naturally gathers. Moments Together at Folk Festival celebrates the beauty of shared experiences and reminds us that some of life’s richest memories are made not in grand moments, but in simply being together. It is a love letter to Edmonton’s Folk Festival and to the connections that continue to grow on that hill every summer.
