1. Dany Reede
2. Wanda Koop
3. Honourable mentions: Autumn Crossman-Serb, Adam Kelly, Takashi Iwasaki

 

As he’s spent the last year laying low because of his depression, being voted Winnipeg’s favourite artist came as quite a surprise to Dany Reede.

“I kind of make art based on or with themes based on my depression and my anxiety, and people say they see that in my work,” Reede says.

He sells prints, zines, patches, shirts and more with his paintings and drawings on them. His artwork often depicts images of strange creatures – think five-headed cats and people with Pinocchio-like noses – plants and vintage chairs.

He’s painted several murals around Winnipeg, including the figures sitting on chairs on the west wall of Hunter & Gunn on Broadway.

In July 2015, Reede was part of a small works show at Tara Davis Studio Boutique and in September of the same year, he had a solo exhibit titled Past Conduits at the Graffiti Gallery.

But over the past year, Reede’s mental health has taken a turn for the worse, and he says he’s spent most of his time at home because of his struggles with depression.

“It’s been a pretty weird year,” Reede says. “A bummer year.”

He says he’s been keeping his artwork low-key, being more selective of the opportunities he jumps on and only posting on Instagram once every couple of weeks instead of every day.

However, it would seem the momentum from his 2015 ventures have kept him going. Reede says he’s been contacted for several commissions, and, of course, his fans expressed their appreciation for his work through the Uniter 30 survey.

“It’s a nice little pick-me-up. Like, oh, people notice me,” Reede says.

His work – along with contact info for anyone wanting custom work – can be found at danyreede.com.

Published in Volume 71, Number 13 of The Uniter (December 1, 2016)