Open Canvas Events

10/02/2026

Speed dating, reimagined.

10/01/2026

When you attend one of our events, you paint the portrait of the person you came with, exchange, and enjoy the reveal!

The portraits may not always be flattering. The laughs are part of the experience. 😉

The Portrait Exchange.
Connection, with a creative twist.

09/27/2026

Maybe you’re not bad at dating.
Maybe you’re just ready to do it differently.

Beyond Small Talk is about getting out of the endless cycle of swiping, “hey” as an introduction, and trying to make a connection through a screen.

Real people.
Real conversation.
A real experience.

And then… let’s see what happens.

Beyond Small Talk — Speed Dating, Reimagined.

📅 Wednesday, October 14
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 The Banquet – Edmonton ICE District
Unit 210 – 10332 103 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0Y9

👥 Ages 33–48
💫 8 women + 8 men
⏱️ Approximately 2½ hours
🎟️ $39 promotional soft-launch price
🍹 Includes welcome cocktail + bowling
💳 Reserve your spot by e-transfer
📧 [email protected]

🎟️ Space is limited to 16 participants.

09/24/2026

The conversation is just the beginning.

Beyond Small Talk is speed dating with a little more built into the evening.

No profiles.
No swiping.
No endless messaging.

Just real conversations, a chance to meet several people in the room, and an activity that gives you more time to actually get to know one another.

Here’s how it works:

• Meet a room full of singles ages 33–48
• Choose up to three people you’d like to know better
• Find out your mutual matches that evening
• Then keep the evening going with bowling

EVENT DETAILS

📅 Wednesday, October 14
🕡 6:30 PM
📍 The Banquet – Edmonton ICE District
Unit #210 – 10332 103 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T5J 0Y9
👥 8 women + 8 men
⏱️ Approximately 2½ hours

Your $39 ticket includes a welcome cocktail and the bowling activity that follows.

This is our soft launch, so we’re offering a promotional ticket price while we test and refine the Beyond Small Talk experience.

To keep fees down for this launch, payment will be by e-transfer.

To reserve your spot, email:

[email protected]

Space is limited to 16 participants. If we reach our desired numbers, you can still get in touch about a future Beyond Small Talk event.

Beyond Small Talk
Speed dating, reimagined.

09/20/2026

Something a little different is coming to Edmonton dating…

Introducing Beyond Small Talk, a new speed-dating + activity experience from Open Canvas Events!

The first event is a soft launch for singles ages 33–48, giving me the opportunity to test and refine the format with a small group before the official launch.

So, what makes it different?

• Meet several people through the speed-dating portion
• Choose up to three people you’d be interested in getting to know better
• Find out right away who your mutual matches are
• Then continue the experience with a fun activity, giving you more time to see where the connection goes. For the soft launch, we’ll be bowling.

First event:
📍 The Banquet – Edmonton ICE District
9403 94 St NW, Edmonton, AB
🕡 Wednesday, October 14th @ 6:30 PM
🎳 Bowling to follow
🍸 Welcome cocktail included
⏱️ Approximately 2½ hours
👫 8 women + 8 men

🎟️ Soft-launch price: $39

Because this is a limited soft-launch event, tickets will be handled directly through Open Canvas Events by e-transfer, allowing participants to avoid Eventbrite fees.

To inquire about a spot, email [email protected] with your name and age. Your place will be confirmed once payment is received.

And this is just the beginning. Future Beyond Small Talk events will feature different age ranges and activities including portrait painting with a swap/reveal, mixology, cooking, dancing and more.

Limited to 16 participants for this first event.

09/20/2026

After a summer filled with patios, festivals, events and all the things that make Edmonton come alive, it feels like the right time to bring something new to life, too.

Paint My Person has evolved.

Sometimes, an idea evolves.

The creative spark is still there. The connection is still at the heart of it. But the vision has grown beyond the name that started it. What won’t change is the concept: you bring someone you like, or love, and you paint one another’s portrait! You exchange, reveal and enjoy the fun!

Welcome to The Portrait Exchange.
Connection, with a creative twist!

06/03/2026

05/25/2026

As Ross says: PIVAAAAT! 😆
I am happy to change gears and do a collab with Tam and the great bunch of folks at ELEN! A portion of the event’s proceeds will go towards funding their Pride wagon!

Bring your Bestie, your partner, your coworker…bring someone you like and come donate to a good cause! No artistic talent is required, just a willingness to trust the process, paint your person’s portrait and leave with a masterpiece!

Tickets are $40 plus tax/fees: eventbrite.ca/e/1986493464427?aff=oddtdtcreator