Meet The Artists

Ayal Heinrichs

Ceramics Artist
Riondel, British Columbia, Canada

Ayal has been a maker since childhood, compulsively and obsessively creating with any materials available. When she took her first pottery course in 2018, she was hooked. In 2020, Ayal moved to Nelson to pursue ceramics full-time. After receiving a Certificate in Ceramics from KSA in 2021, she spent a year apprenticing with local potters before moving to Regina, SK to complete her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Regina. Ayal has been involved with the Harbour at Riondel Ministries since 2023. In 2025, she moved to Riondel full-time to join the Wild Goose Collective. Ayal is so excited to set up her studio in such a beautiful place with such beautiful people.

“We are the clay, you are the Potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8)

The urge to create has always driven me; since childhood I have found refuge and fulfillment in the creative process, regardless of the medium. I fell in love with clay as soon as I sat down at a wheel for the first time. I not only love the process of working with clay, but also the place pottery fills in my life. Handmade pots enter into the mundane spaces and rhythms of daily life, bringing beauty to the ordinary and serving as a reminder of God’s presence in every moment of our lives. Through the process of learning to form and refine clay, God has been forming and refining my heart, revealing himself to me through the craft that I love. I have not only learned ceramic techniques and concepts but also my identity as an image bearer, and how beautiful and important the call to create really is. I am so excited to pursue my passion for pottery with the Wild Goose Collective, and hope that my pottery studio will be a haven; a safe space of discovery and delight as people explore their creativity and encounter God in new ways.

Artist CV:

Education:

2022-2024 - BFA; University of Regina; Regina, SK

2020-2021 - Certificate; Kootenay School of the Arts; Nelson, BC

2017-2019 - Visual Arts; University of the Fraser Valley; Abbotsford, BC

Exhibitions:

2024 - Murmurations (Graduating Exhibition); Fifth Parallel Gallery; Regina, SK

2023 - Forged in Flame; Fifth Parallel Gallery; Regina, SK

2023 - Smoke and Fire; Fired Up! Collective; Metchosin, BC

2022 - Feast; FAIR-HAUS Studio; Nelson, BC

Selected displays:

Ro Neighborhood Coffee; Riondel, BC

Craft Connection; Nelson, BC

Teaching and community practice:

Pottery Instructor - Headwaters Discipleship, Riondel Community

Jessica Hagen

Painting the quiet movement of light across wild places.

Landscape Oil Painter
Riondel, British Columbia, Canada

Jessica Hagen is a landscape oil painter based in Riondel, British Columbia. Her work explores the quiet beauty of wild places and the movement of light across land, water, and sky. As part of the Wild Goose Collective she teaches oil painting as a creative discipleship practice with young adults, and a portion of the proceeds from her artwork go towards supporting this ongoing ministry.

Artist Statement

I work primarily in oil to explore the softness and brilliance of light as it moves across land, water, and sky. I am continually drawn to the quiet beauty found in simple landscapes and overlooked places.

My hope is that these paintings invite viewers to pause and notice the splendour that exists in the ordinary. Through colour and light, I aim to evoke the same sense of awe, peace, hope, and gratitude that I experience while painting.

Light is at the heart of my work, reflecting the quiet hope and beauty that I believe is woven into creation.

Artist CV

Education
2005 — Bachelor of Arts, Augustana University

Exhibitions
2019 — Solo Exhibition, Smithers Art Gallery

Selected Displays
2025–Present — Featured Artist, Ro Neighbourhood Coffee Shop

Teaching & Community Practice
Oil Painting Instructor — Headwaters Discipleship Program, Wild Goose Collective