Duende Launches Guest Curation Series with Uber-Influencer Cara Jourdan

No matter the size of your home – from Vancouver’s micro-suites to West Vancouver mansions – no home is complete without a piece of art. Well, let’s correct that – many pieces of art! While summoning up with the courage to begin to hang works on those blank walls may be daunting, remember to thank yourself when the pieces are hung and you realize that ‘some art’ was precisely what this home needed!

New Curation Concept at Duende

A month shy of 2022, Duende founders Rachel Harrison and Jenn Scott launched the Guest Curation Series with an impressive first curator – Cara Jourdan. An Instagram Influencer with 361,000 followers, Content creator, fashion icon and international travel blogger, holder of Women’s Studies Degree from UVIC, and former fashion buyer at one of the city’s top fashion boutiques – Secret Location. They have chosen this quintessential ‘IT’ girl for all things beautiful living and sharing her favourite Limited Edition Prints from the gallery this month.

When describing her decor aesthetic, Cara shared, “I like a clean space that is mostly white and bright with neutrals mixed in, and then little pops of colours or patterns for some fun. I would say I have a modern/boho style – I love natural fabrics like linen and stone and then romantic items like cozy throws and warm rugs.”

We are sure you can relate to how a single piece – whether it is a key piece of furniture, a statement lighting fixture, or even a curated stack of hardcover books – can shift the focus and feel of a room. Cara isn’t shy when asked about the impact of art on a room’s visual profile and vibe. “Art instantly changes a space! I don’t feel like a space is complete without artwork. It can tell a story – It can move people – It can make a space feel warm and welcoming or moody and interesting or cozy and calm…It has a huge impact and is absolutely necessary to pull a room together.”

A newlywed, expecting, and integrating two households into one, Cara shared the type of works that attracted her. “I tend to enjoy more abstract work – I love mixed mediums and art on canvas, as it just feels so powerful to see the physical strokes the artist made – I do love some photography work as well – Black and white photographs can have such an impact.”

To view the 6-piece curation by Cara Jourdan, click here!

Approachable, Affordable & Authentic Art

In Vancouver, Duende (doo-N-day) is a curated online gallery of Limited Edition Prints founded by two local design visionaries Rachel Harrison and Jennifer Scott. Their creation of a boutique-style niche platform for purchasing art may be only a few years old but has already built their artist roster into one that would inspire envy in the heart of collectors of west coast art. Each limited edition archival inkjet print created by Alan Somerville of Fidelis Art Prints comes on acid-free cotton paper and is delivered unframed and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity signed by Duende.

Offerings run the gamut of style and sophistication, and most pieces are available in multiple sizes. Partial to photography? Explore the human condition through the exploratory lens of Britt Gill or Merle Somerville and the incredible beauty of the human form with Jamie Mann and Jack Vainer. Slip into an abstract state-of-mind with Sarah Delaney and Erin Harrison or bask in the works of the iconic Tiko Kerr and Miriam Aroeste.

The Design Duo Behind Duende

Together best friends and business partners Rachel Harrison and Jennifer Scott have created an affordable alternative to fine art purchasing that solves that. With Duende, their inspiration came from creating a solution to an issue. Every day they faced problems designing spaces – how to define a space – where an entire area can be curated with meaningful art of mixed mediums – created by various artists while establishing a cohesive relationship between the pieces.

Rachel Harrison

A creative soul through and through, Rachel has spent the last decade exploring and embracing her creative skillsets, following both her impassioned eye & keen intuition to build her own Interior Design Firm,  Roomcraft Design + Renovation. Rachel’s designs have garnered her an excellent reputation amongst the design community and her clientele base; a detail-focused mind and holistic approach to design have allowed her to expand into residential, commercial, and design + build aspects of the industry. Featured in numerous North American design publications, Rachel now shifts her artistic focus to include fine art. With a lifelong passion for mixed mediums, she has introduced her first collection of original works and an abstract set of Limited Edition Prints with Duende.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer is a Vancouver-based designer and influencer known for creating spaces and moments reflective of individuality, personality and lasting impression. The signature style within her design firm, A Good Chick To Know, is eclectic, approachable and ultimately chic. With her infectious personality and down-to-earth approach to design, she is often a guest speaker at design events and on television. She has been featured in well-known publications such as House & Home Magazine, Gray Magazine, Western Living Condos, and locally in The Province and The Vancouver Sun.

Wonder what they look for in new artists? Their answer is influenced by emotion. “When seeking new artists to collaborate with, we look for art that inspires and makes us feel something. We love to curate the collections so that each new season is a representation of a unique perspective of the world and the time we are living.”

The Next Phase for Duende

The duo has awesome aspirations in the next five years. There are plans to expand their roster to include many more international artists and an even greater aesthetic range that speaks to the global communities.

The best friends and business partners have plans for Duende that take them around the world to connect with and create new relationships with artists. “Our dream would be to see Duende collections continue to evolve and embrace emerging and established artists alike. We find so much joy in creating relationships with the artists we work with and discovering fresh work to inspire both ourselves as well as our clientele is what drives us. I think we would both say that a big upcoming goal for us is to see Duende collections hung within more commercial spaces – like hotels, restaurants and other public spaces – where the pieces we are bringing forward can be showcased in a higher profile environment.”