Combining art, hunting and creativity to produce some wonderful works
Perhaps the perfect gift for any future stag parties or avid hunter, Janay Stenberg brings a modern flair to antler-based decor.
Stenberg made her first piece three years ago, creating a chandelier for her and her husband, who brought his love of hunting up from his home in Montana.
“I’ve always been drawn to antler lighting. I really liked it a long time ago,” said Stenberg. “My husband enjoys just going shed horn hunting, like looking. So we found all of our antlers on the prairies, here around Medicine Hat, and then it was just something that he and I did. Now that we have kids that come the whole family or deal that we go looking for sheds in the spring and kind of just get out and we enjoy being outside and looking for them. And yeah, and I guess just that kind of ties in with our hunting and love for the outdoors.”
Stenberg comes from a background in design, and found an opportunity to bring that aspect alongside the beauty of nature to create something unique. Her primary focus is in the creation of lighting, but she’s previously considered working on different kinds of furniture, as well.
Stenberg describes the process as a sort of “puzzle,” which begins with the selection of antlers from a large collection of antlers gathered over the years.
“Say if I want to do a chandelier, I kind of have an idea of what I want to do, and then pick out quite a few antlers, and it’s kind of like a big puzzle piece to fit them together. So that’s what I almost find like the hardest part is piecing it all together before you actually start creating everything,” said Stenberg. “And I have a sketchbook so I kind of have an idea in my head and I sketch out different designs. And then I just start creating. And then I also do custom orders. So if people have anything specific then I work with that as well, too.”
While there are bumps along the way in every project, Stenberg said she’s been able to avoid any major disasters thus far, though she can definitely see the improvement from her earliest pieces.
“I’m proud of my very first one I ever did, because I had no idea what I was doing at the very beginning,” said Stenberg. “So I’ve learned a lot since then, and it’s hanging above our dining room table and if you look at it low, the lights are crooked. So I have improved on that. I’m proud of everything, really. Not any one piece is the same. So everything is a little bit different. I put a lot of time and heart into it, and I want people to enjoy them if they like them. And I like them. And I guess people do too. And that’s a bonus.”
While Stenberg has only started truly marketing this past fall, she’s found interest among the community with some custom orders.
“They’re very custom pieces. So people need to have space for them. And like that kind of style,” said Stenberg. “I think the more marketing and stuff I do, the more word will get around.”
She does far from just chandeliers and antler mounts for the mantlepiece, however.
“I’ve done all different sizes of chandeliers, I do lamps, some pendant lights. I do antler wreaths, I do some painted antlers, or that can hang on the wall or set on a table or wherever and then I do a couple antler stands that are kind of to put on a mantel or anything like that,” said Stenberg, who mentions some leather accenting that goes into some of her designs, such as flowers or feathers. “I’ve gotten into making some leather earrings and also some antler earrings and a few necklaces here and there. So kind of a wide range of different things. I guess I did the earring jewellery. I always like a good pair of earrings. And then just kind of something smaller to go along with, like at trade shows. A couple other things to do.”
“We’re excited to get back out this spring and start looking for some antlers here pretty soon, all the antlers are found in Southern Alberta right here, ” said Stenberg. “I enjoy what I do and I hope other people do, too.”