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"Luminous" - Acrylic on Canvas - 12" x 18.5"
Quin Barrie
Quin Barrie began his career as an artist over 24 years ago, in the field of high realism nature art. However, after a few years painting photo-realistic landscape and wildlife images, he found his artistic interests lay in more surrealistic and mystical themes. He quickly turned his focus to the genres of "visionary" art and "surrealism". In recent years, his interests have transformed again moving to graphic styles and portraiture.
As an artist, Quin is entirely self-taught with no formal art education. His medium is acrylic
on canvas.


Dace Birkhans
Born in Riga, Latvia, Dace immigrated to Canada with her family in 1948, eventually settling in Ottawa. Dace attended the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto. After she graduated, Dace devoted her time to the pursuit of her art career, concentrating mainly on printmaking. Dace has now returned to working in oil and watercolour.
Dace has participated in many group exhibitions as well as having several one-man shows in Ottawa, Cleveland and Toronto. She exhibited with Three Toronto Printmakers, Society of Painters Etchers and Engravers, Printers 14, and the Latvis Society of Artists. Her work is in many private collections in Canada, U.S.A. and Europe, as well as the National Gallery, Ottawa; Rare Book Collection, University of Toronto; Massey College and the Toronto Reference Library.

"Cottage in the Highlands" - Watercolour - 9.5" x 17"



"Obscured Light" - Oil on Canvas - Size: 60" x 42"
Norman R. Brown
Born in Toronto, Norman R. Brown is a highly developed and sensitive painter. Painting has been a natural form of expression since his childhood. Norman’s ability to capture light and vibrant colours, as well as varying moods and feelings within each painting, is quite remarkable. In pursuit of inspiration, Norman has toured coast to coast, with particular emphasis on all of rural Ontario. He has also participated in numerous exhibitions throughout Ontario. Norman has received many awards for his work and high praise for his paintings throughout Canada, the U.S., Europe, and Asia. His paintings are currently displayed in prominent public and private art collections across Canada and around the world.


Joan Chalmers
Joan uses watercolour or acrylic to capture much of what she observes in strong colorful pictures, a skill acquired from a lifetime career in commercial art. Born in the Beaches area of Toronto, Joan was an honor graduate & scholarship student of Northern Tech’s art program, and continued her art education at Seneca College, Kodak of Canada, and Nikon Canada, as well as studying with several well known Canadian and American artists. Joan established J.J. Commercial Art Inc., and during her commercial career, continued to paint and exhibit.
Joan’s artwork has been displayed at numerous galleries throughout Ontario. Her art is included in collections in Britain, Portugal, Spain and the U.S. and Canada. Joan’s wide range of interests, subject matter and love of colour is reflected in her artwork. She is a member of the Stouffville Studio Tour, the Society of York Region Artists and the Roadside Painters.

“Main St., Unionville #1” - Watercolour 10" x 14"




“All in a Day's Work I ”
Oil on Canvas - 24" x 24"
Susie Colomvakos studied painting at the Toronto School of Art and the Avenue Road Art School. She prefers to paint in oil and acrylic, and also enjoys experimenting with encaustic painting. Her entree into painting began 6 years ago while dealing with cancer treatments. Susie thought it would be a good way to help her stay relaxed and focused, and to discover her creativity. It is her daily life experiences that influence and inform what is captured through her painting process and the product of her work.
“Painting for me is that visceral world where I know my very soul is giving expression. It is so powerful it overwhelms me with gratitude, with humility and with peace. Until recently, I thought it was the painting process that most connected me to Spirit. However, I’m now appreciating a new relationship with the work by reflecting on my finished pieces and discovering an even deeper communication to the expressions of my soul. My work is a very personal expression of possibilities and self discovery. My hope is that is touches you and perhaps opens your heart to all the possibilities you have yet to explore.”


Graeme Coxon
The inspiration for Graeme’s work comes from the long tradition of botanical paintings and drawings of the pre-photographic era. Botanical illustrations were then both of clear scientific value in recording the diversity and characteristics of plants, but also objects of aesthetic beauty in their own right.
Graeme is enjoying the application of digital photographic techniques to continue this tradition using mostly native Ontario plants, plus some from the vegetable patch. The plants are photographed, or more precisely scanned, on the glass of a focusable flatbed scanner. This technique produces very high resolution images and allows a high level of image detail and sharpness to show in the final image.
Using a scanner also permits the subject to be isolated from its background, giving results not unlike traditional botanical prints. Prints are made on 100% cotton acid-free papers with archival inks.


“Marsh Scene #2”
Limited Edition Botanic Photograph - 12" x 16"



“Posing” - Watercolour - 7" x 5.5"
Mary Cserepy
Born in Hungary, Mary came to Canada with her family after the Russian take-over of that country. The family settled in the Beach area of Toronto after her father joined the CBC, and she has lived in this area ever since. A graduate of The Ontario College of Art & Design, Mary’s lifetime career as an artist has taken many forms. She has worked as a designer/illustrator for Canadian book publishers, as an art director for Children’s books, and as part-time teacher of fine art & design. Mary describes her work in this way:
"I identify strongly with the Impressionist movement and their concept of 'realism' as a response to the 'real' world. I can see what kind of world Europe would have been before the war. They painted directly from nature and no theme was considered insignificant. My work is a direct response to the subject in both painting and design. I am motivated by new challenges and difficult tasks."
On March 3, 2008, Mary was honoured with the Emeritus Member Designation from the Ontario College of Art & Design Alumni Association; in recognition of long term dedicated service to the Alumni Association and to OCAD.


Andy Donato
Andy Donato was born in 1937 in Scarborough. After graduating from Danforth Tech in 1955, he worked as a layout artist for Eatons. He joined the Toronto Telegram a year later as a freelance artist. In 1971, he joined The Toronto Sun. In 1974, he started cartooning full-time, as editorial cartoonist, as well as the Art Director. In 1993, he was appointed Corporate Art Director. He is still the main cartoonist for the Sun on a freelance basis.
Andy has received many awards and accolades including the National Newspaper Award for editorial cartooning in 1976, Best Editorial Cartoon in the World from the Montreal Salon of Cartoons, and the Metropolitan Toronto Police Annual News Award for Cartooning in 1993 & 1997. In 1985 & 1986, Andy served as President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, and in 2000 -2001 was President of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists.
Andy has had one-man exhibitions in Toronto, London, New York and Johannesburg which have included his paintings from 1965 to present.


“Winter Shadows”
Acrylic on Board - 20" 24"
 
“Bent Realism” is Andy’s newest style, which includes paintings from neighbourhoods in Toronto, and places visited such as the streets of Italy.




“Spirit of Gemini #4”
Acrylic Mixed Media - 16" x 20"
Dianne Jackson
Dianne Jackson fell in love with watercolour over 35 years ago when she first saw the paintings of Canadian artist Marjory Piggott. Upon learning the artist had studied Sumie (the art of Japanese brush painting) Dianne embarked on a three year course at the Japanese Cultural Centre. She submitted her test piece to Japan and was awarded the coveted seal.
Dianne uses lyrical brush strokes in her paintings resulting in serene landscapes and captivating florals. Her first solo show in 1980 was all but a sell-out. She and husband and fine artist Andy Donato, enjoy travelling and this has resulted in further successful shows. Dianne has become more interested in painting in acrylics and more recently, has stretched her horizons to include experimental work using fabric, threads, gold leaf, textured papers, Spanish moss and other found objects resulting in bold abstract work.
Dianne is a member of the Beach Guild of Fine Art and the Scarborough Art Guild.



Kate Jackson
Kate Jackson has just finished a three year term as Artist-in-Residence in the Textile Studio at Harbourfront Centre. She has received a number of awards for her embroidered Eyelet Casualties series including Best in Show at the 2007 Toronto Art Exhibition, and two awards from the Ontario Crafts Council in 2008.
Her most recent work of embroidered kleenex, was in the Fibreworks Biennial Juried Exhibition of Canadian Fibre Art in Cambridge and is currently in South Korea, and will then be touring Canada and the U.S. Jackson's work focuses on the intimacy and emotions felt during both quiet moments and powerful events.
Her latest series - Letters, pays tribute to the romance and joy of the posted letter. To make this work she uses her basic sewing machine, manually turning the fabric to draw with thread. Jackson often uses vintage linens and feminine cloth as her canvas, evoking feelings of nostalgia and romance.

“Letters Series #1”
Machine embroidery on cloth & found table linens - 8" x 8"




“Hide & Seek” - Mahogany Sculpture - 18”
Edward Jones
Born in Wisconsin, Edward served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII. After the war, Edward studied Aeronautical Engineering and Architectural design at The University of Southern California.
While living in Toronto, Edward painted and crafted jewelry. Several of his pieces were accepted for the “Gather of Glass” show and catalogue.
Edward also became a successful freelance photographer. Several of his photos were made into covers of "The Toronto Magazine”. In collaboration with his first wife he wrote “Christmas around the World” which ran in the Holiday Inn in-house magazine. Edward has won awards in Spain for his sculptures and has enjoyed a lifelong exploration of the world, including England, Spain, New York, Florida, Toronto, Argentina and the Philippines.
He currently resides with his wife in Manila and continues to paint and create sculptures from exotic woods. Edward’s sculptures reflect his interest in the abstract and bring forth the beauty of nature.



Merike Martin
Born in Estonia, Merike graduated from the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) and has worked as an illustrator, graphic designer and display artist in Toronto and Vancouver. During her career, she also painted and drew, and participated in various solo, two-person and group exhibitions in Canada and the United States. Merike has worked in acrylics, watercolour and pen and ink. Since 1998, she has been mainly working in pastels, including plein-air landscapes and abstracts.
Merike has traveled in Europe and Asia, and these experiences helped to shape the way she views life and the process of making art. Her work is represented in private collections in Canada and the United States.


“Evening Shadows” - Pastel -11" x 15"




“Cool Days, Warm Rays” - Oil on Canvas - 16" x 20"
John Stuart Pryce
John's love for art began at a very early age, as he discovered great satisfaction in his ability to draw and paint. He continued developing his artistic interests, and eventually became an art major at the highly acclaimed H.B. Beal Tech. in London, Ontario. Since that time John has worked and studied in Montreal, Chicago and Toronto.
During a successful career as an architectural illustrator, his work was used in projects around the world. His seemingly loose yet eloquent technique is the result of years of experience in the disciplines of drawing, colour and composition. John currently divides his time between painting and sharing his artistic knowledge with others through his painting workshops.
"The purest and most rewarding form of painting, in my opinion, is "en plein air" as it challenges all of the skills and discipline of the artist."


Ann Vickery
Ann first picked up a paint brush in October 2007, and with her skills as a make-up artist, uses her understanding of color and composition to create vibrant textured pieces. Her paintings, done in oil, reflect her passion for color, but at the same time instill a feeling of tranquility.
Ann’s extensive travels in Europe and abroad, provide the inspiration for her paintings. In November 2008, she was chosen as one of 43 artists from a pool of 380 submissions, for an art exhibit at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto’s arts and entertainment district. Recently she was commissioned to create a painting for a triathlon event to benefit Breast Cancer research.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Ann grew up in Edmonton, Alberta and lived in various cities across Canada, until making her home in Stouffville, Ontario in 1997.

“The Sale” - Oil on Canvas - 24" x 36"


"A Taste of Spring" - Acrylic on Canvas - 24" x 36"
Jake Vandenbrink
The peacefulness and solitude of nature are what best describe the realistic art of Canadian born artist Jake Vandenbrink. His work portrays a timeless sense of serenity, through carefully rendered depictions of the landscape. Working primarily in acrylics, Jake captures the landscape with striking compositions, which emphasize light, colour and mood. Among the artist's favorite subjects are serene lakes, streams, forests and mountains.
Jake's work continues to attract collectors both in North America and overseas. His original paintings and limited edition prints have also been highly regarded among conservation groups in both Canada and the U.S. with thousands of images being sold to raise funds for the restoration of habitat and protection of wildlife. In 1995, Jake was named "Artist of the Year" by Ducks Unlimited Canada.


John Walmsley
Initially educated in fine art, John received his education at the Manchester College of Art and Manchester University in England. He began his career as a commercial artist, working for PE&E as head illustrator and company artist, and then partnered with Joan Chalmers to form J. J. Commercial Art Inc.
John’s lifetime interest in flying and sailing is reflected in his art. He is a member of the Canadian Aviation Artists Association, the American Society of Aviation Artists & a Friend member of the Guild of Aviation Art in the U.K. Locally, he is a member of the Stouffville Studio Tour and the Society of York Region Artists. John was awarded first prize of “Art Flight 2007” at the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa. His artwork is in permanent collections at the National War Museum, Ottawa; the RCAF Museum, Trenton; the National Aviation Museum, Ottawa; the Bowman Collection, Newmarket; and the Millennium Collection which is presently touring Canada.
John loves to sketch and paint, whether it be a teapot or a landscape. When requested, he continues to give demos and instruction. As he quotes, “There are no secrets in art.”

“Quay Side Fishing” - Watercolour - 14" x 10.5"



“Northern Lights” - Acrylic on Wood - 13" x 12"
Mimi Zeeman
Mimi Zeeman has been painting in acrylic since childhood. Her ideas come from her love of music and her multicultural family.
Born in Toronto, Mimi studied art at York University and then embarked on life as a musician, constantly returning to painting when inspired. Influenced by her European roots, she approaches painting with traditional technique, using multiple layers of paint or glazes as in oil painting. Mimi uses modern tools and subjects, doing new stuff in an old way – aiming to create something fresh and inspiring for people to look at.




Many of our artists accept commissions.
For more information about our services and artist submission
requirements, please contact Susan Philips at:
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