Hamilton artist is opening an art gallery café

Published February 7, 2023 at 4:19 pm

Coming this spring, an acclaimed artist in Hamilton is commercially commingling caffeine and creativity.

Julia Veenstra, known for her use of acrylics to illustrate the Canadian landscape, will be opening the Crown and Press art gallery and café on Ottawa St. N. in east Hamilton. The opening date will be sometime in the spring. Veenstra has been steadily looping in the public on the painstaking step-by-step preparation to launch a new business through regular posts on Instagram (@crownandpressgallery) and @jveenstraartist).

“We’re on a mission to bring art and everyday life together,” Veenstra wrote in a recent Instagram post.

The strength, distinctiveness and varieties of the roast is usually what defines an independent coffee shop — and Hamilton has many that hold their own against the chains. The vision for Crown and Press that Veenstra has been teasing out speaks of creating a space where artists can sell original work and prints. The gallery space will also include two high-ceilinged art studios that can be rented and “will be available with separate entrances” for the artist.

Veenstra has made a career as an artist for more than 30 years, and her work has been featured on media portals such as CBC, HGTV, Netflix, and Hallmark.