The Calgary Stampede Art Show in the Western Oasis at the BMO Centre is featuring six rising artists for the first time, underscoring the constant reinvention of western art. Among the 50 participating artists is Ray Swirsky, a late-blooming painter who sold nearly $40,000 worth of art in his debut at the show eight years ago.
Ray Swirsky's Artistic Journey
Swirsky, who had not taken an art lesson since Grade 7, began painting at age 58 after a friend's dinner party in 2015. Inspired by large-scale paintings in her home, he started weekly lessons and within two years left his corporate career as an electronic engineering technologist. “I had only been taking lessons for two years and I said to my wife ‘I don’t like this corporate stuff, I’m going to become a painter. I’m going to become an artist,'” he says.
Within 18 months, Swirsky created enough art for his first booth at the Stampede Art Show, where he sold nearly $40,000. Now in his eighth year, he is a popular draw. The Calgary Stampede is his biggest sales event of the year; he began creating his display pieces in November.
Themes of History and Identity
This year, Swirsky’s oil paintings combine historic maps with images of Indigenous scenes, reflecting his Métis heritage. He uses archival photographs of Blackfoot people paired with maps from the same period, mostly from the mid-to-late 19th century during Treaty negotiations. One piece, Lake Minnewanka, pairs a 1918 image of an old car and bear cubs with a 1924 map of Rocky Mountains Park of Canada (later Banff National Park). “You get a snapshot of time: that’s the place and that’s what the roads and maps were like,” Swirsky says. “This is an expression of our history… It’s important for me to be able to put history into a form of art that people can see visually and make connections to.”
Rising Artists and Show Commitment
On July 2, the Stampede held a VIP Behind the Ropes preview. Ingrid Schulz, chair of the art show subcommittee, notes artists often spend 10 to 12 hours daily at the Western Oasis. “It’s a big commitment,” she says. “We expect them to do well and they do.” For the first time, the committee selected six rising artists to showcase, including Calgary’s James Zimmer, who received the Rising Artist award. Zimmer, now 20, first attended the show at age 11 and is sharing a booth with the other newcomers.
