About the Artist
Chantelle Trainor-Matties
Artist Bio:
Chantelle Trainor-Matties, located in British Columbia, Canada is a mixed media freelance and contract artist graduating [2020] with her Diploma in Visual Arts at the University of the Fraser Valley. She uses a variety of mediums, but specializes in illustration, graphic design and acrylic painting.
Trainor-Matties and her husband Joshua Trainor-Matties (since 2012) currently have a cat named Choco. Her main inspiration comes from her love for her fur kids, specifically her ferrets (yeah sorry Choco). They had ferrets from September 2012 to February 2020, a business (group) of four ferrets, Momo, Niku, Pabu and Kēki who have all crossed the rainbow bridge (dook/rest in peace). It has been like loosing her children. Her ferrets inspire her as a person and as an artist and she has focused a lot of her work around them and their cousins for many years, it feels more than right to have them live on in her work. Other favorite subjects are the flora and fauna (specifically the Mustelidae “weasel” family), pop culture, the macabre, as well as North West Coast art deriving from her Indigenous heritage of Nisg̱a’a and Métis.
Currently working as a freelance artist, Trainor-Matties works for herself and does design work for other businesses and projects. She does a lot of graphic design work for a variety of departments within the University of the Fraser Valley, this includes designing the New Student Orientation Symbol for the University of the Fraser Valley in 2019. She was also one of the artists for Nations Creations until their closure in January 2020. One of her biggest accomplishments was having her design chosen for the 2019 “Pink Shirt Day” hosted by Nations Creations selling over 2500 shirts across Canada and internationally raising money for at risk youth. She has also had her Indigenous artwork sold on merchandise across Canada and internationally. She participates in a variety of events such as art exhibits, showcases, markets and trade shows.
What does “Frettchan Studios” Mean?
Her studio name derives from a combination of a play on the word “ferret” and her first name. Here is a quick breakdown:
The words “Frettchen”, “Frett”, “Fret(s)” mean “Ferret” in German, Norwegian/Swedish, and Dutch/Frisian(Latvian) respectively (many of which are a part of her husbands heritage) and the “e” was changed to an “a” so the “chan” could represent “Chantelle”. It’s a name that nearly comes full circle for her, her family and her practice.
Learn More:
To See a Complete List of Her Work Please Refer to Her Curriculum Vitae
