Marie Messina

Marie had a serious issue to deal with before the Studio Tour last fall ..... her studio space was gone! Here is her story.

This summer I had a sewage backup in my basement.  My studio was down there.  All my shelves, clay boxes, table, and everything else we had down there was totally gone.  

We have a partially finished basement with carpet, drywall build in cabinets and an adjoining bathroom.  It all had to come apart. Drywall had to be replaced 3' up the wall, all carpet and sub floor out.  Beautiful bathroom cabinet gone.  Anything that was wood or any material that can absorb had to be disposed.  

The whole area had to be disinfected and then we waited for this trade and that one to come and fix and paint and install everything back again.  It took 3 months, finally all done and looking good and I was able to start producing some pots for the tour.  What an ordeal!!!!! 

Notice the snake by Marie's grandson

The finished product

 









So now I have a new and improved studio.

Diana Bullock

Twelve of  Diana Bullock's paintings are on display at the Cornerhouse Restaurant in downtown Stouffville until January 3rd 2012. 
Diana also has a painting in DEBUT...details here

Diana says 

 "I love to paint, I love to paint quickly, and to play with paint and I enjoy different media and the possibilities that each offers. Each of the media that I use have different methods and results however they all cross over and influence each other. 

 

Recently I have been experimenting, with good results,  abstract paintings in Sumi-e [Japanese ink paintings].  Sumi-e tends to be very traditional so this is a wonderful adventure. This is a direct result of my new work in mixed media. 

I believe in enjoying the process of painting and the product is just a bonus."



To see more of Diana's work visit www.alternativesinart.ca or follow her on Blogger or Twitter

Colin Whitebread

Colin Whitebread has an exhibition of paintings at For the Love of Jo Coffee Shop in downtown Stouffville for the month of December. Stop by and have a peak.

     
Colin says

"In an attempt to counteract too much doing and over-analyzing I paint to be more mindful and present to the beauty of our world. It is for me a spiritual exploration. At the easel I attempt to express myself and enliven my subject matter with colour. I love art history, and am inspired by a wide range of artists past and present. Chagall, Klimt, Hunderwasser,Van Gogh, Picasso and many more are sources of inspiration. As I paint and draw more, I find myself becoming more experimental with media and more abstract. My favourite media is acrylic , mostly for health reasons, but I love oil for many reasons. Art is an awesome way to explore life’s journey and hopefully bring some wonder to others. Let’s keep on creating"

Wendy Lavalle

Stouffville Studio Tour artist Wendy  recently did an Introduction to Encaustic Workshop for the Grade 11 Art Students at Stouffville High.  This included a brief history, explanation of the material, importance of working safely....then they did the hands on part....She taught them to prep the boards, their palettes, colour mixing and basic techniques - brushing, fusing, incising, collaging, etc.  Each workshop was 3 hours long.  


Wendy ran 3 intro workshops and 2 advanced ones for the Grade 12s.  A total of 60 students participated. 

In the advanced workshops for the Grade 12s they worked on a special project piece that will be hung in the school.  It was 2 triptychs - so 6 pieces that are based on the theme of how moderation - both industrial and technical is hurting our earth and natural resources. Young people are very interested in environmental issues concerning our earth, resources and future. The artistic approach was graffiti art and the students researched graffiti artist like Pascal Paquette, a Canadian artist; and Banksy, and internally known artist; prior to developing their own idea.

 

The workshops were very successful - and many pieces including the 2 triptychs will be displayed at the Latcham Gallery's Images show on Dec 8th.

Wendy started conducing Encaustic Workshops at High Schools for senior art students about 3 years ago.....initially to introduce the students to this unique medium...and give them a chance to develop a piece that can be used in a portfolio application for Art School. 

She also conducts private workshops in her home studio for small groups of 2-4.  These workshops are typically 4 hours long - are designed to teach artists the medium, techniques and provide access to high quality studio space, equipment and material so they can experiment, create and produce several pieces of work.  All in the beautiful setting of her home studio on 25 acres of natural hardwood forest - endless inspiration!   A catered lunch and creativity exercises can also be arranged to expand the workshop into a day long art retreat. 

For more information about workshops please email her at wendy@greenartsgallery.com. To view Wendy's work please visit

www.greenartsgallery.com

John Walmsley

Make sure you see this great exhibition. 

John Walmsley won first prize for this painting at National Aviation Museum's Artflight  International Aviation Art Competition in 2007. The theme was Abstractions of Flight.  

His aviation art is on display curated by the Latcham Gallery at 19 on the Park, downtown Stouffville from Nov. 5, 2011 until Jan. 7, 2012