Local artist Roxanna Enns is bringing flowers, butterflies and playful scenes to life on windows around the Pembina Valley, hoping her artwork will give people a reason to smile.
Enns has been interested in art for most of her life, experimenting with different mediums before discovering window painting around four or five years ago. After coming across videos of professional window painters online, she decided to give it a try, initially using the windows in her own home to practise.
“I’ve always liked art overall,” Enns said. “About four, five-ish years ago, well, you know, when you’re on YouTube, you come across all kinds of things.”
She tried window painting, stepped away from it for a while, and eventually returned to the craft after seeing more artists sharing their work online.
Since then, she has continued developing her skills while experimenting with different designs and techniques.
Bringing art to local windows
Enns recently completed a window painting project at the MCC store in Winkler, marking one of her first larger public projects.
The windows feature flowers, butterflies, caterpillars and scenes of children playing, including a girl on a swing. The designs reflect her preference for cheerful, welcoming artwork.
When discussing the project with MCC, Enns said she was given the freedom to come up with her own ideas, with the main direction being to create something happy and appealing.
“He just, I trust you, just go for it as long as it’s happy and nice,” Enns said.
The first three windows took her approximately 11 hours to complete, including time spent taking breaks and talking with people who stopped to watch.
Although the work took longer than she initially expected, Enns described the experience as a positive one. She said people passing by were curious about what she was doing, and their encouragement made the process even more enjoyable.
Before painting at MCC, Enns had also worked on windows at her daughter’s home and completed a project at Southwood Library a couple of years ago. She has also experimented with chalk art, acrylics and watercolours.
Finding freedom in the process
One of the things Enns enjoys about window painting is the larger scale of the work and the fact that it can eventually be removed.
She says she often focuses on smaller details when working with other art mediums, but painting on windows gives her an opportunity to work on a larger canvas without worrying quite as much about every little detail.
The process comes with its own challenges, however. Window paintings are built up in layers, and the paint needs time to dry between applications. If the layers are still wet, adding more paint can pull away what is already on the glass.
Weather can also affect the process, particularly when working outdoors in warm or windy conditions.
Despite those challenges, Enns says the paintings can hold up well once they are dry. When it’s time for a design to come down, the paint can be softened with soap and water before being carefully removed with a scraper.
For Enns, the appeal of window painting goes beyond the technical side of the craft. She likes painting flowers, animals and children, often choosing subjects that create a warm and positive feeling.
“I just want people to be encouraged, smile,” she said.
She recalled one person seeing her painting of a little girl on a swing and sharing how it brought back memories of childhood.
For Enns, those kinds of reactions are part of what makes sharing her artwork worthwhile.
Looking ahead
Although Enns admits she can be hesitant about putting herself out there, she is open to the possibility of painting more windows around the community.
She says everyone has different tastes in art, and she hopes her style can offer another option for businesses or individuals looking to brighten up their windows.
Anyone interested in seeing her work or getting in touch can find her on Facebook at Rox Enns Art.
For now, the MCC store windows in Winkler offer a look at her work, although Enns noted the current designs may eventually be removed to make way for seasonal or Christmas displays.
While in studio she gave Jayme Giesbrecht’s Eagle 93.5 studio a little freshen up as well, check out the video below.
Enns’s goal remains simple: to create artwork that adds a little colour to the community and gives people passing by something cheerful to enjoy.
-With files from Jayme Giesbrecht and Alexander Peters.