Whereas most people find pennies on the ground, Anya Mielniczek has always found dimes. So when the time came to pick a name for her online art shop, it wasn’t too difficult to make the final decision. The Dime Shop, launched in November 2014, showcases Anya’s extensive artwork, including prints and originals.
A graduate of the fine arts program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., Anya sees her art as much more than simply aesthetics. “Art is a very felt human experience, and my art is the current experience I am having with my relationship to my environment and to the world,” she says.
As an activist and environmentalist, Anya produced a series called “For What it’s Worth,” which features drawings and illustrations of endangered and almost extinct animals on skateboards — she seeks to raise awareness about these issues. One of the animals featured on her boards is a tiger, the cumulative number of which is approximately 3,000. It is predicted that tigers will be extinct by 2025 as the black market demand for their body parts, such as their bones and teeth, poses a major threat to their population. The need for more education and a more informed society is a must, Anya says.
