How these artists beat – or embrace – an Edmonton heat wave

Edmonton's heat wave finds two local artists handling the hot weather in different ways. CTV News Edmonton's Nahreman Issa tells us how they're doing it.

Some artists aren’t letting the heat stifle their creativity.

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Temperatures in the city for the August long weekend are supposed to sit around 30 C, meaning Edmontonians are preparing to relax, stay cool and enjoy the sun.

But artists like Leah Kudel aren’t trying to beat the heat. In fact, the owner and lead glassblower at Suspended Studio consistently works in “balmy” temperatures of 39 C and up.

“We drink fizzy water like it’s going out of style. Hydration salts. We also just douse our heads in cold water,” Kudel said. “And we try to blow earlier in the morning.”

Kudel’s been working beside a furnace making intricate glass works of art for the last 15 years. Ideal working weather, she said, is anything between 20 C and minus 15.

When that’s not feasible, though, Kudel urges everyone in the shop to “temporize to the heat.”

“You just pretend you’re living in a hotter country, like your body gets used to doing it a little bit more,” she said.

She’s also very familiar with the signs of heat stroke.

Between the oxy propane torch, furnace and end-of-July heat, Kudel said the studio’s airflow is put to the test.

“As long as there’s a breeze, everything’s going to feel a little bit better,” she said.

Some artists, like Ashley Thimot, take it one step further by pretending they’re in a winter wonderland year-round.

Thimot is primarily an oil painter who specializes in scenes of nature, which she creates from a chilled basement that includes a running space heater.

While she does some summertime landscapes, she recreates many photos of winter from her neighbourhood in the Ottewell area.

“For me, the main thing is drama. Drama just makes for a more compelling composition and painting,” Thimot said.

For Thimot, that means lots of fall and winter scenes. She likes making many of her winter pieces to convey the temperature of snow, which is one of her favourite things to paint.

“When you catch a sunrise or a sunset, even in the winter, the snow will reflect that light … which is so magical,” she said.

“Colour schemes really help to convey that feeling of being cold.”

Both Kudel and Thimot are dedicated to their craft, rain or shine, hot or cold.

“Just because it’s hot doesn’t mean we can take vacation all summer, sadly,” Kudel said.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nahreman Issa