Reclaim, renew, rejoice!

I am reclaimed metal artist who left a fine government job and pay to pursue my art and passion in 2012. I eased my way into this transition by taking an arc welding course in 2007 and founded my small business in the same year under the name Papillon Garden Creations. "Papillon" means butterfly in French and was deemed an appropriate name to parallel the process through which older, reclaimed materials are renewed. In an effort to summarize my artistic process in the most succinct way possible, i came up with the following tag line for my business cards: " The old is renewed, lost treasures are found and the functional becomes poetic".

My business originally served solely as a vehicle to market my art work to the public, and sell antique/vintage finds to round off my month end obligations but opportunity and hard work fueled an expansion of services in 2012 to include the sale of a select variety of local, original art, as well as custom metal signs and rare vintage furniture, jewelry and home accessories at a seasonal boutique located in the small French-Métis community of Richer, MB (Canada). I competed for a local dragon's den-like contest in the same year and was awarded $15K by a jury of local business people. This was a huge win for me and it generated a lot of publicity for my shop and brand name. The business moved in 2013 to a new location in the town of Ste. Anne, MB. Fast forward to three years later, and with a commercial lease that kept being inflated year after year, I finally closed the shop in 2016. Since then, I sold my house and built myself a new, smaller home in 2017 along a scenic, rural road, with vintage barn and garage/studio, to accommodate my art and business pursuits. That is not as easy as it sounds but the stars aligned and now, I couldn't be happier! This has been a pivotal change for me. It has proved instrumental in helping me manage my overhead and greatly improves my quality of life as I now having both my work and home at one location.

My first goal at Papillon Creations is to make art and vintage finds exciting and accessible. I use recycled materials, reclaimed metal, antiques and lost treasures to create works of original art that add character to the home and garden. On my Etsy forum i strive to feature antique and vintage finds that evoke nostalgia or an appreciation for the past. Not much of my art is featured here as some of it is very large (not practical for shipping) but I have been making an effort to introduce a selection of works here in recent months. I hope to expand on this in the future so that you might come to enjoy, as I do, the simple pleasure of witnessing a product born or renewed through creativity, crude craftsmanship and rustic appeal. My artwork has been featured on the made for TV series "Handcrafted Manitoba (MTS channel) and exhibited in local galleries and Museums. I host at least one annual showcase of my works to maintain contact with arts patrons and supporters.

Browse along and let Papillon Creations bring a touch of character to your home!