OUR STORY

Janine 

Janine earned a Fine Arts diploma from the Alberta College of Art (ACAD) in 1983, and then graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2018. Her work is influenced by Japanese art—in particular woodblock prints and kimonos. Janine’s paintings and textile pieces can be found in numerous private and corporate collections, as well as the permanent collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. She has also been a graphic designer for over thirty years—designing and illustrating corporate identity packages, brochures, posters, wedding invitations, and books. Passionate about animal rights, Janine was delighted at the opportunity to illustrate the twelve Canadian Zodiac animals.

Michelle

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science (Honours, University of Calgary, 1996), Certificate in Journalism Accelerated Program (Dean’s List, Langara College, 2001) and a diploma in Public Relations (A average, University of Victoria, 2013). While the culmination of her education was sheer luck rather than good design, she’s been running with it (and on fumes) ever since. The end result is a long-time career as a freelance writer/journalist, with published work in the Rocky Mountain Outlook, the WildLife, several magazines in the OP Publishing family, and most recently, had the pleasure of editing Parks Canada’s multi award-winning bilingual children’s book, A Beary, Berry Good Day / Une Baie Bonne Journée. While crazy about hiking, the mountains and all creatures big and small, Michelle’s often on the road, shuttling her kids to a hockey arena or to a Highland dance event. She is forever grateful for the chance to use her two favourite writing tools – humour and sarcasm, to bring the story of the Canadian Zodiac to life.