Arts Society King Artist Members
(Listed alphabetically, please scroll down)
Mahtab Abdollahi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Fine Art (1998) and completed her Masters of Arts (MA) in Illustration from Fine Art University (2003). She studied Graphic Design in George Brown College and graduated with honours in 2009. She has participated in numerous group and nine solo exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Canadian Drawings online. She is also a board member of NGA, the Newmarket Group of Artists. She teaches watercolour, drawing and painting to adults and children. mahtababdollahi.com
Dinah Artman was born in Romania and grew up in Israel.“My father was the one to introduce me to Photography, he was my inspiration”.
Her work is a composition of photos taken around the world and the recapturing of their extension using acrylic paint onto the frame, to create an original piece. Most of her career life she has been teaching computers and looking for the best way to combine technology, photography and art. The pictures she creates combine all three. www.imaginreality.wixsite.com/4real
Michelle Artman was born in Israel, and she says she was a kid who bored easily and needed a creative outlet. She loved music and singing and would draw and paint at every opportunity- especially in class. Based on the thought that she was always drawn to being able to create without limitation, she found it exciting to apply this to jewelry and challenge herself to create pieces that are both comfortable and inspiring. Using primarily precious metals such as sterling silver and fine silver in her pieces, she loves how silver goes with everything and can still be so exquisite and refined. In her pieces, the stone is the inspiration; its origin, the colors, shape, imperfections- all speak volumes to Michelle and inspires her to create something spectacular that will capture the natural essence of the stone and be forever cherished by the wearer. www.neshikotjewelry.etsy.com
Carlo Allion received his formal training in Fine Art, Philosophy, Mythology, and Photography at Centennial College in Toronto from 1978 to 1981. A full-time Artist since 2008 with over 100 juried Art Exhibitions and Gallery representation Carlo has established himself as an accomplished mid-career Artist in the industry. The subject matter in his work varies from Canadian Landscapes to Abstract and Figurative presented in a unique contemporary style. www.carloallion.com
Robert Ball is a King City artist who specializes in Raku Clay masks. He has lived in King since 1996 an this is where his artistic career began. Robert has gone through many sculpture mediums including wood carving, stone, and for the last 5 years has discovered Raku. Robert focuses on faces in the form of masks for wall hanging or free standing sculpture.
Ed Bartram, one of Canada's foremost painter/printmakers, has consistently found his source of inspiration to be the rugged northern landscape of the Precambrian Shield. Unlike his predecessors, such as the Group of Seven, Bartram explores contemporary techniques and influences to focus upon the abstract and dynamic elements in the landscape. With his innovative techniques, he effectively captures the powerful forces which were at work during the formation of Georgian Bay's metamorphic bedrock. www.edbartram.ca/
Karina Basacchi is a visual artist who is fascinated with the idea of change, and explores the impact that transformation has on the mind, body, and soul. Her work conveys the shock, emotions, and physical shifts that are brought forth during a process of transformation. She uses intuitive gestures and movements to create her abstract paintings. www.karinabasacchi.com Karina also values and explores the importance of memories and family. In 2017 she created the Sentimental Sound painting, which is a customized painting that combines audio and visual senses to create a one-of-a-kind experience. This unique experience allows the viewer to re-live their sentimental memories through a speaking artwork. www.sentimentalsound.com
Karen Bowen's passion for nature, science and design can be seen in the representations of scenic beauty and in the evocative contrasts and complements of pattern found in her artwork. Using oils and acrylics on canvas as well as mosaics, Karen takes expressive and spiritual inspiration from niches in the worlds' ecosystems. "The reward, as an artist, biologist and writer, is to have us consider the Earth less haughtily, more as admirers and caretakers.....and to enjoy the human virtues of innovation, storytelling and free design." Karen L Bowen was born in Toronto, Ontario. She and her husband have raised three wonderful children on the banks of the Holland River and in the countryside of King Township. Karen pent 26 years teaching Biology and math in York Region. Now, she steals time away from work and duty to explore her creative side and to forge an Act 2, through art and writing. www.karenlbowenart.ca/
Amanda Brittin loves to introduce a creative element into the objects that are part of daily life. Whether it is a floor cloth underfoot, a piece of jewellery being worn, or a glass mosaic bowl on the dinner table, Amanda infuses humour and whimsy to her colourful pieces of functional art. www.amandabrittin.com
Marianne Broome was born in England but spent much of her childhood in Malaysia. The stunning scenery and abundance of exotic animals and plants heightened her love of nature and keen interest in drawing and painting. Her artwork was selling in local galleries and department stores while she was still a teenager. Marianne settled in Canada in 1980 and lives in the beautiful countryside near Toronto, Ontario. www.naturesedgestudio.ca/
George Burt is an artist specializing in wood turning who uses natural found items such as cedar rail, and local fallen trees, offering a variety of styles and unique colours to his bowls, vases, pens, and figurines.
Cael Cohen is an oral storyteller who trained under master storytellers in Toronto. She specializes in telling strange tales of wonder and ghost stories, and has performed at the Toronto Festival of Storytelling. She also writes young adult fiction, paints and is an amateur ornithologist. Her hobby is bartending. She is a part-time Bar Steward at the Tottenham Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 329. Cael is a philosophy professor at York University. Her area of expertise is existential phenomenology. Her work is influenced by John Dewey, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Evan Thompson. Her research weaves together complexity theory, emergence theory, enactive cognitive science, ecological thinking and Buddhist psychology. Cael has won several teaching awards. Accounts of her pedagogy, course design and use of teaching technologies have been reported on CBC Radio, CTV News, Toronto Sun, Metro News, 680 News Radio and in other media. cmcohen@yorku.ca
Giovannina (Joanne) Colalillo is an visual artist, Illustrator and art instructor with the Ontario Arts Council, King Museum and King Parks and Recreation. Her award winning dynamic, vivid and fluid water soluble wax pastels and whimsical black and white ink illustrations have been produced for editorial, advertising, publishing, corporate, icons, design, conceptual, people, portraits, food/beverage, nature, products, children and animals. Her illustrations and artwork have ventured world wide appearing in various magazines, publications, books, corporate promotions, exhibits and private collections. www.aareps.com/ www.giovannina.com
Cell: 416-458-6697 OR Tel: 905-939-1156 OR Email: giovanninacolalillo@gmail.com
Cell: 416-458-6697 OR Tel: 905-939-1156 OR Email: giovanninacolalillo@gmail.com
Aloel Cristal has loved pottery her whole life, since a child she always dreamt of learning to beautiful pots and mugs and all sorts of dishes. Her first tastes were influenced by Latvian traditional pottery, and her deepest appreciation and love still remain there. Later on she discovered Japanese traditional pottery, and that also struck a very deep chord. It felt very real, very connected to some essence of being, of nature and of the elements. In 2009, her passion for pottery finally brought her to an opportunity to take classes, and thus began her own journey in clay. Now she is exploring the process of becoming a part-time potter, while remaining a holistic practitioner and an organic hobby farmer.
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Alexandra K. Conrad is a professional fine art artist with over three decades of art creation experience; graduate with honours from Ontario College of Art and Design. Alexandra paints various subjects: portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, nature and abstracts. Her mediums are mainly oil and acrylic in vibrant colours and thick paint applied with brush or palette knife. She enjoys other media as well. Limited Editions Fine Art Reproductions of some of Alexandra’s paintings are available. akconradart.com |
Santino Curro was born in the small beautiful seaside town of Scilla, Reggio Calabria, Italy. Here he attended his early schooling. Being part of a large family, the first son of six children was not easy for a poor family therefore during the early 1960’s the parents looked to immigrate to America in order to provide a better life. During the early years, held various jobs, gaining experience in various fields finally settling in a career in the shipping industry. For over 25 years he has dedicated his life to the shipping trade and today being in charge of a large shipping company in the city of Toronto Canada. His love for art started during the early, like every other student started doodling on scrap papers, in exercise books, pen & pencil drawing in classroom book pages. In High School, Charcoal drawings became an easy transition. Today his preferred media is oil, painting landscape sceneries, nature and symmetrical structures, with a love of trees. Through the years Santino, developed a love for food and he is an acclaimed chef in his own right. Has taken up hobbies in growing plants, trees, grapevines ect. His interest in collecting old artifacts, has been able to accumulate a fine collection of antiques. Today along with his family still lives in and calls Toronto Canada his home santinothepainter.com
Inge Dam has been weaving for 34 years and in 1992 completed an in-depth study for Ontario Handweavers and Spinners to become a Master Weaver. The subject of the study was Iron Age Textiles from Northern Europe (the Iron Age was from 500 B.C. – A.D. 800). In the course of my study, she became interested in tablet (card) weaving. In excavations of Iron Age sites in Northern Europe (particularly in peat bogs and burial grounds), ancient textiles have been found with tablet woven borders. Through inspirations of these textiles, Inge now incorporates tablet weaving into fabrics by weaving the tablet borders and bands simultaneously with the fabric on the loom. From fabrics, scarves, shawls, jackets, and coats are created. She also makes unique bags from my leftover handwoven fabrics. In 2013, Inge published a book Tablet-Woven Accents for Designer Fabrics: Contemporary Uses for Ancient Techniques.
Brett Davis was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1957. He works in all aspects of ferrous and non-ferrous metals which include welding, fabrication, fountain design and patina. He has created public and commission based cast bronze sculpture for the private and public sector, for more than 25 years. ageofbronze.ca
Sue DiGioacchino is an illustrator and designer, and finds herself looking for pattern, form and movement nature-inspired subject matters. She enjoys working on a large scale which enables her to examine these elements more closely. Colour is important to Sue, and she typically works with a monochromatic or complementary colour scheme, executing mainly with acrylics and oils. She believes there is beauty everywhere in nature and her job as an artist is to translate that beauty to the canvas for others to enjoy. Sue is also the owner of The Patrick House Art Studio & Gallery, in Aurora, On. The Patrick House is a heritage home which has been converted to a public gallery and studio space. It serves as a venue for artists to showcase their work as well as a place for “non-artists” to come together and create in an intimate and inviting atmosphere. Offering fun workshops and teaching art is also a passion of mine and I believe creating art is a lifelong process for which anyone can enjoy. Van Gogh’s quote “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together”, are words which I live by.
Patricia Earl paints to convey the light, colour, and mood of what she sees and feels around her as Mother Nature so generously provides. She doesn't have to travel far to find subjects that inspire her. She doesn't have to travel far to find subjects that inspire her. The gentle rolling hills, farmlands, forests, and wild flowers that she loves to paint are found in abundance in Ontario’s countryside, on the hiking trails, and in her own backyard. Some of her inspiration comes from her view from the backseat of our motorcycle as she and husband Jim travel the Ontario countryside or American southwest In studio, Pat enjoys painting with both acrylics and watercolours, but the latter especially appeals to her. She loves the freshness of the medium, and being able to apply and pour colours right on the paper, watching the painting evolve beneath my brush. Pat enjoys the constant challenge of keeping the white of the paper and using the transparency of watercolours to ultimately make the painting glow.
Maryam Ebrahimi is a professional artist with over two decades of Fine Arts experience both as a selling artist and teacher. She graduated with a Bachelors in Fine Arts in 1997 and obtained a Graphic Arts Diploma in 1989. Maryam has participated in numerous solo and group exhibits in Canada and overseas. Her favourite medium is acrylic paint. She is known for using vibrant colours and for her depth of layering. Her style is unique and engaging. Maryam teaches a variety of classes in watercolour pencil and acrylic to students of all ages and skill levels. She also prepares students applying to fine arts schools with their portfolio work and refinement of technique. maryamebrahimi.com
Jacqueline England was born in Nottingham, England, and was educated both in the U.K. and Canada. Jackie has been actively interested in the fine arts, and under the tutelage of Michael Spillane of the Spillaine Studio of Fine Arts. She has a special interest in producing photorealistic paintings of horses and wildlife, working in various media. As a young teen, while finishing her education in England, she spent many a long hour with her first love, horses. Upon returning to Canada, time was also spent raising, training and showing horses. Jackie worked for many years as a computer analyst and resides in the Streetsville/Mississauga area. Before making painting her primary interest, she was an established bear artist. Her unique hand-designed bears have appeared in numerous shows and gift shops throughout Ontario and have been featured in bear magazines throughout Canada, the United States and Britain. jacquelineengland.com
Denise Flys is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and. She previously owned a children's costume shop and now makes an artistic connection between those costumes art her art. Denise's art reflects love of environment and looks to Vuillard and Matisse for inspiration. deniseflys.ca
Eva Folks has been creating surreal worlds full-time from her home studio in Aurora, Ontario since 2011. Words and phrases that capture her attention are the creative inspiration for her illustratively styled paintings. Vibrant hues never cease to delight Eva. Her medium is acrylic paint on canvas, paper, and wood panel. evafolks.com
Louise Garin paints in oil and acrylics. She travels extensively and takes many photographs and tries to capture the play of light and shadows in her landscapes, and sensitivity and emotion in her portraits. Louise is fascinated by the people, places and things that she encounters daily and hopes all can enjoy that feeling when viewing her paintings. louisegarin.com
Debra Gibbs started on the Potters Wheel at age 16 learning with students and went on to graduate from Seneca College with a Visual Arts Instructor’s Diploma in 1981. After successfully completing a four-year apprenticeship with a Master Potter of FINE Porcelain, she continued to teach pottery in her studio and showroom. Debra's Wheel Thrown FINE Porcelain dinnerware and gifts show in many galleries and stores including The McMichael Gallery Canadian Art Collection and The Art Gallery of Ontario. While participating in Trade and Contemporary Craft shows she has won several awards of excellence for Master Quality Craftsmanship / Booth Design & Display. www.facebook/dgpottery
Brigitte Granton is an award winning artist who paints landscapes in oil and acrylic paint. She is drawn to the rolling hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine as well as the rugged landscapes of the Parry Sound/Muskoka area. Her works hang on banners throughout King and in private collections. brigittegranton.com
Donna Greenstein is a realistic artist focusing mainly on farm animal and bird images. Her oil paintings harken back to an earlier time when everyone knew how to ride a horse, milk a cow and name of all the species of birds flying around them. She hopes that the viewer is touched by the emotion in her paintings. Donna constantly looks at the world through artist’s eyes and thinks about her next painting. donnagreenstein.com
Helen Hermanns paints naturally, with intent, strict ideals and a thirst for constantly keeping depth and feel through the use of light in her paintings. She enjoys capturing the feel and beauty of horses in their natural surroundings or in work. Helen’s medium is oil on canvas or board. helenhermanns.com
Michelle Hudson, contemporary abstract artist, has chosen to honour her inner intuitive compass and create vibrant collections of ink paintings on Yupo paper - most notably, an abstract, impressionistic underwater series, an autumnal Ontario series and stunning florals. Michelle’s creative impulses have led her to use unconventional tools to manipulate the inks, such as various blending solutions, bits of plastic, tubing and different kinds of compressed air.
michellehudsonart.ca
michellehudsonart.ca
Karen Hunter attended the Ontario College of Art in 1981 and after four years received her diploma in Design/General Design in 1985. In those years among many courses, she took three jewellery courses; non-ferrous metal forming, and three enameling courses. Since graduating Karen has taken workshops in: Anodizing Titanium and Niobium, Photo Etching on Metal, Fold-Forming, Photograph Your Work, Lapidary, Hydraulic Press Forming, Blacksmithing www.karenhunterjewellery.com
DEBORAH JOLLY,Canadian artist, uses alla-prima techniques, intense colour, and existential philosophies to create high-energy abstract artworks in oil and acrylic. Using fingers, palette knives, and the occasional brush, JOLLY denies structure and deliberation to expose texture and movement as her signature. A relentless creator, JOLLY embraces her instinctive, frenetic process, knowing that time is never truly on her side.
JOLLY’s works are held in Private Collections in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Glasgow, New York, and Tokyo, as well as Commercial Collection, held in Montreal. deborahjolly.ca
JOLLY’s works are held in Private Collections in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Glasgow, New York, and Tokyo, as well as Commercial Collection, held in Montreal. deborahjolly.ca
George Keltika spends much of the colder months at his easel painting landscapes depicting unconventional interpretations of his local environment. During milder weather, he dabbles in traditional plien air sketches in oil. He is a retired Head of Arts teacher (Pickering College in Newmarket). Originally from the Windsor Ontario area, George graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1979 and Bachelor of Education in 82’. His diverse background includes working as a pictorial artist for an advertisement company to teaching life drawing at St. Clair Community College (Windsor) to teaching at a northern Ontario First Nations reserve (Sandy Lake). After university, he helped found Windsor’s first and only artist run gallery called Artcite that is still thriving after 36 years. Although George has been exhibiting his paintings for the past 40 years, time has now afforded him a opportunity to involve himself with the local art communities. A new body of work has recently emerged from his studio.
Ona Kingdon TWSA, CSPWC, is an elected member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and a signature member of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America. She was selected as ‘one to watch’ by the popular Watercolor Artist Magazine in 2012 and has since won major awards both Nationally and Internationally and has had her work published in several art magazines and books. She loves to focus on the feeling or emotion when creating art and enjoys painting or drawing any subject matter that has an emotive element to it. onak.ca
Chris Kingdon has always been fascinated by the intricate yet fragile natural world that can be found just a step outside one's doorstep. To the largest of ecosystems to the smallest of insects, his photographs put a spotlight on this often overlooked beauty, and demonstrates just what we risk to loose if humankind doesn't soon start better protecting and preserving the world around us.
Chris has exhibited in multiple juried art shows and won art and photography awards locally and internationally. chriskingdon1.wix.com/photography
Chris has exhibited in multiple juried art shows and won art and photography awards locally and internationally. chriskingdon1.wix.com/photography
Sharon Kirsh is a North Toronto artist, who reconnected with her artistic roots, after pursuing careers in Interior Design and Corporate Training. Always pulled towards the creative life, Sharon offered workplace creativity seminars within the financial services industry, and then shifting further towards creativity when she became an interior designer. Now she works as a fine artist. Sharon paints with thick transparent layers in cold wax on birch panels or paper. The rich textural surface of the work is enhanced by digging lines and scraping back to reveal what lies beneath. This creates a history, which adds to the depth and meaning of the work. Sharon also teaches fine art at various institutions across York Region, and her works can be found in various private and commercial collections throughout North America. sharonkirsh.com
Janna Kozoub (painting under the pseudonym Joanna Ross) was born in Moscow, Russia, and came to Canada in the 90-ies. Moving to Canada gave her a unique vision that allows her to see the world from multi-cultural and multidimensional perspectives. Janna has three passions: nature, animals and art. All her impressions are reflected in her art. Her oil paintings cover a variety of subject matters: nature, human and animal portraits and, most importantly, human relationships.
Melina Lisi is an abstract Resin artist, born and raised in Toronto. She moved to King Township in 1981 and is an active member of the Arts Society King. Melina has participated in various juried shows, including the Schomberg Street Gallery event. Melina had a long-time interest in the arts. It was not until 200 2 when she became afflicted with a chronic condition known as Trigeminal Neuralgia, a disorder which affects the facial nerves, that her passion for the arts was reignited. One of the outlets she turned to was her love of contemporary art. She was determined not to have this diagnosis defeat or change her, so with vigorous research she discovered holistic alternatives. Melina strives to create awareness and believes that this condition affecting every 12 per 100,000 people can be prevaile. Melina began to experiment with acrylic paint and then moved on to other various mediums including ink and Resin. She describes her artistry as, “Creating my inner peace and becoming totally immersed with my creation. My concentration takes me away and my pain subs ides. Art is my therapy. Art fulfills me”. She recalls a very spiritual mentor once told her, “You’ve been given a wonderful gift, one that must be shared”. Melina believes that life takes you on a path and everything leads you on a journey to where you should be. Life has led her to art and for that she is truly grateful.Melina is self-taught and creates her paintings with various ediums , acrylics, inks and pigments, just to name a few, but it was Resin that captured her attention with its lustrous glasslike finish and 3-D effect. She was captivated Instagram: @resin_art_by_melina Email: resinartbymelina@rogers.com
Greg Locke has been producing his own unique style of stained glass artwork since 1996. His Father picked up the hobby after he retired; after watching him make lamps and window catchers for friends and family, he tried making a simple lamp and liked it. Enjoying the result and challenge, and to compliment to his interest in furniture design and construction, he starting making more. gothamglassworks.com
Helen Lucas's prolific career, spanning over five decades, has produced deeply personal insights into her life – from the darkly fearful and repressed figures of the formative years, to icons, mischievous angels, flowers and doves – each spiritually linked to the last.To the many already familiar with Helen Lucas’ floral paintings of the last three decades, you’ll be anticipating the burst of life and colour she brings to the canvas. To those who have yet to learn about this remarkable artist and the special gift she possesses, you will easily come to understand how Helen Lucas has arrived today as one of Canada’s most loved and distinguished floral artists. helenlucas.com
Bill Lunshof was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1957, Bill grew up in a Dutch immigrant family and had an interest in the visual arts from an early age. Also an avid gardener and photographer Bill’s art takes much of his inspiration from nature. For the past five years Bill has been painting with a group of like minded artists at the Newmarket School of Fine Arts where he learned to paint in Acrylics. In the last two years Bill began painting in oils and experienced an ‘aha’ moment when he realized how much he enjoyed the ability to more easily blend colours and get the nuances of the natural world expressed on canvas. Bill also loves to work with paper and explore the world of collage and multimedia. He prints and makes many of his own unique papers and blends these with other media and ink transfers for one-of-a-kind artworks. In 2015 Bill joined the Society Of York Region Artists and became active within the organization. Bill now co-ordinates the quarterly Aurora Town Hall rotation of artworks that SOYRA sponsors. blunshof.com
Laura Mark has been an Art Director/Graphic Designer for over 28 years now. For 16 years, she worked for a retail merchandising design company which afforded her the luxury of handling many interesting materials and hardware fasteners. She'd often find miscellaneous odds and ends lying around the recycling bins of the warehouse that were inspiring so I would rescue them and save for later. One day, she was suddenly inspired to make herself a cool leather cuff using this piece of smooth, round, glass-mounting hardware. She was quite impressed with the result, so I wore it to work the next day. There began Pink Daisy Designs. www.pinkdaisydesigns.ca
Ann Murray Livingstone is a graduated of the University of Toronto and Sheridan College with Honours and has her B. A., in Art and Art History. Ann's medium is oil and she specializes in landscapes, horses and animals. She quilts saddlepads and considers herself a 'horsewoman'. Ann is also the Art Director at Cantercall Farms Riding Art Summer Camp.
Robert McAffee is a professional Canadian landscape artist, photographer and traveler. He left the Toronto Dominion Bank Financial Group (TDBFG) in 2009 after 12 years, to pursue his passion and dedicate himself full-time to travelling Canada to paint its dramatic landscapes and share them with the world. His paintings portray an intimate vision of the Canadian wilderness that’s alive, brooding and rhythmic. With their backdrop of endless northern skies, his canvasses sing with poetic vigour and blaze with the vibrant colours of nature. www.robertmcaffee.com
Janet McLeod Wortel is an artist with roots in commercial illustration and peculiar academic arts training from Western University. Currently living in a rural home near King City, Janet works on both graphic design and illustration projects, as well as painting for personal enjoyment. Janet’s main media are digital art in Adobe Illustrator, ink sketches with watercolour washes, and acrylic paint. If you have time to kill, Janet is always willing to talk about plein air art, the McMichael gallery and sketching people in pubs or public places. Just be prepared to be in a sketch yourself.
Yulianna (Yuliya Marusina), a local artist originally from the Ukraine realized her artistic talent(s) at the very young of 4 years old when she first began her drawings. Over the years, She has developed that talent into any array of workable skill sets in the vastness of “the arts”. Today, Yulianna is able to proficiently work with Oils, Acrylics, Watercolors, Graphite Pencils and Murals, including Molding and Molding Pastes ; her talent is as limitless as the imagination itself and inspired by God. To present, Yulianna continues to pursue film, photography and fine arts and is able to express all these things in her works. Most recently, Yulianna has been awarded first place in a number of local art competitions. In December 2017 she opened fashion and design company Yulianna Luxury Brands. Yulianna is a true master of her skills and is ambitiously seeking to develop her art, works and talent while pursing to become an established artist and to become an icon in the fashion industry. www.yulianna.ca
Mary Morganelli immigrated from Italy where her love for art developed at an early age. Her artwork was put aside to start a family, but recently she revived her passion by taking private lessons. She adores painting whatever inspires her, including portraits, landscapes, flowers, animals, automobiles, and more. Using an array of mediums, her therapeutic creations tell stories, express emotions, and some are just for fun. For Mary, variety is the spice of life. www.mariellart.com
Michele Mele is an acclaimed singer/songwriter now with six albums under her belt. Mele is carrying on the family business, as she grew up in a family of talented professional musicians. Her ability as a composer, songwriter and arranger became evident early in her career. In 1991, she composed,arranged and conducted an orchestral work for the Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra as well as Choral Works. Michele also became active leading a band on the club circuit as well as writing and arranging for other artists. Her debut album was released in 2002 and she continued on with several other well-received releases and acclaimed performances. www.michelemele.com
Nancy Newman, a retired art teacher and practising artist, has studied and taken workshops with wonderful Canadian artists including David McEown, Karin Isenburg, Brian Atyeo, Linda Kemp, Art Cunanan, Pauline Holancin, Jake Mol, Margaret Roseman, Barry Coombs, John David Anderson, Elisabeth A. Gibson, Jean Pederson and Gordon Mackenzie. In addition she has been fortunate to work with well-known American and international artists such as Stephen Quiller, Janet Rogers, Tom Lynch, Sterling Edwards, Karen Vernon, and Alvaro Castagnet. Nancy has participated in many juried shows including the Toronto Watercolour Society’s Aquavision, Art Aurora, and the Society of York Region Artists, where she has received several 1st Place Awards, Honourable Mentions and People’s Choice Awards. Nancy’s work has been exhibited at the Aurora Cultural Centre, The Colleen Abbot Gallery, the Papermill Gallery in Toronto, The Blue Mountain Foundation of the Arts, the Skylight Gallery in Aurora, Nielson Park Creative Centre, the Georgina Arts Centre and The J. D. Carrier Gallery. nancynewmanart.com
Hoda Nicholas is a Canadian artist born in Cairo, Egypt and currently lives in Newmarket, Ontario. Hoda uses colours expressively and vibrantly to capture moments in time highlighting the beauty in a flower, a landscape, a pear or a child’s face. Hoda’s intention is to evoke a feeling, rather than depicting a realistic representation of the subject, allowing the viewer to interact with the paintings at a more emotional level. The subject might vary but the end goal is always to inspire a sense of joy and beauty through each painting. Pursuing art is an ongoing journey for Hoda filled with excitement and anticipation of what each painting will bring forth. WWW.HODANICHOLAS.COM
Hendrika Ono (Ria) is a versatile artist who enjoys working in a broad range of mediums and styles through the exploration of wood burning and oil painting on wooden panels.
Liina Peacock was born and raised in Toronto and currently resides in King City, Ontario. She is a respected, self-taught contemporary , mixed media artist, who primarily works on canvas. In recent years she has participated in many juried art shows and group exhibitions in and around Toronto. Her works are found in both private and corporate collections, and she continues to create one of a kind original works of art for shows, galleries and, online auctions. www.liinapeacock.ca
Dorita Peer is a writer, poet, artist and more. Dorita was one of the founding members of write now @ King! way back in 2007. Many years later she is still a vital member, and a strong supporter of other writers in the group. She suggests creative ways for them to hone their craft, always focusing on their particular style or strength. She is a strong role model, reading excerpts from her own memoir, her novel, screenplays, essays, and poems. Dorita is a regular contributor to King MosAIC and she is on the editorial Board.
Silvia Phillips has been creating in various forms throughout her professional and personal life. Thanks to the encouragement of local artists and friends, this mostly self-taught artist only recently started to exhibit in art shows. Her favourite medium is oil, and her paintings are her response to what she sees and feels around her, repeated in form and colour. Silvia was born in Germany and now makes her home in Schomberg, ON.
CAROLINE PIETRANGELO was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She studied fine art at Centennial Cegep then at Concordia University. Her medium of choice is acrylic paint on canvas. Caroline’s style is impressionistic and very colourful. Her subject matter is usually whimsical landscapes or animals. She currently lives in King City, Ontario with her fiancé and son.
Lucy Quintero is a native of Colombia, and she grew up enjoying the mountains and the tropical beaches where she found a great appreciation for nature. In high school she was interested in many forms of art and later, when she received a degree in Architecture, her passion for art focussed on oil painting. After graduating, she attended private classes with different teachers and also participated in numerous workshops to improve the technique. Although she is known for her depictions of landscapes and still life, Lucy’s work is very diverse and includes a wide variety of subjects. Her richly colored style has afforded her the opportunity of showing her work in private collections and shows in Bogota, Florida and Canada. www.lucyquin.com
Anne Reimer’s paintings show a remarkable sense of colour, love, and understanding of nature. Her inspirations come from the beauty of area scenes and travels, depicting barns, mills, and capturing still life from her garden. Over the past 25 years, she has exhibited in a variety of shows and galleries. Her works are displayed in many homes in Canada, the United States, and many other countries. She spends many hours in her home studio, painting for shows and filling commissions, as well as teaching. Her love for art grows with each painting as she seeks to fulfill her ambition. niagarapumphouse.ca/courses/instructor/anne-reimer
Michele Rose was born just outside of London, England, in the beautiful rolling hills of Essex County, and has been using her creative forces from the young age of ten. In 1982, she moved to Canada and studied at Ontario College of Art. Michele experimented with many styles and media throughout her post graduate years. She soon discovered her one true love, painting inspirational landscapes, florals and abstract works. Her paintings depict the quaintness of Michele's homeland while celebrating the vastness of Canada's beauty. Her primary goal is to create peaceful, calming landscapes, into which the viewer can escape from the hectic demands of everyday life. michelerose.com
Clare Ross has been showing and selling her work internationally since 2008. Her work has been reviewed in magazines in Canada and in England. She periodically opens her studio for tours and exhibitions. In 2012, Clare joined ASK and in 2014, she was one of 12 artists juried into the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA). She is currently the Vice President of the OSA. In 2016 she received an honourable mention from the Society of Canadian Artists for her piece titled "Soft Sunrise." She currently shows in juried and other group shows and privately to interested buyers. She is working on two photographic projects for 2017: "Conversations with Nature" - an interpretation of our interference with nature, and a yet to be titled project focusing on the declining population of butterflies. Clare has a presence in social media and you can follow her work on Facebook and Instagram. www.clareross.ca
Josée Savaria was formally trained as a graphic designer in Montréal, Josée subsequently discovered the tremendous liberation found in expressing her imagination and projecting her unique whimsical imagery on surfaces using the power of texture and colours. She is particularly captivated by marine life and her art is influenced by the endless variety of form and function found in the creatures that inhabit the blue planet: turtles, seahorses, starfish, fish...The marine world and its power profoundly move her, and its variety and mystery infuse her with a deep sense of awe. Integrating and adapting the varied facets of colour and material, she endeavours to vividly portray the sea and its creatures. The end results are fanciful, stylized and vibrant ocean views presented as landscapes and seascapes: the dynamic edge where the terrestrial world meets the marine. Josée resides in Newmarket, Ontario and her paintings are currently held in corporate and private collections around the world, including Europe, Austral-Asia, Japan, and South and North America. joseesavaria.com
Mary Shaver, for as long as she can remember, art has been part of her life. She became a Roman Catholic nun in 1958 at the age of sixteen but left the order and that structure ten years later in 1968. At that time, she entered a period of great creativity and productivity. She wrote and recited poetry, created drawings, paintings and collages, had solo exhibitions and wrote three books: Moments (a book of poetry), The Naked Nun (an autobiography} and A Woman Alone (a novel). She began to revisit her own creative process in earnest, first producing playful collages and then, in 2013 beginning to paint acrylic on canvas paintings. She was welcomed into The West End Art Collective in 2015 and have participated in the annual ART TOUR four times from 2015 until 2018 along with some group exhibitions. Now retired from teaching, Mary joyfully and gratefully dedicates her time to painting. www.maryshaver.ca
Judy Sherman is known for “Classical Paintings with a Twist”. She is fascinated with the reality and emotions that cartoons evoke and at the same time and admires the quality and aesthetics of the old masters. Her paintings incorporate these two ideas resulting in a juxtaposition of the traditional style along side of pop culture. Judy's paintings must tell a story, evoke a spirit of nostalgia and elevate the soul. www.shermanj.com
Holly Speers' passion for clay started 30 years ago when she joined The Richmond Hill Potters Guild. Since then, she has taken many workshops as well as attended George Brown College and The Koffler Centre for the Arts. Holly taught pottery to seniors for the North York Board of Education for eight years and at CACY (Caledon Art Camp) for five years. She now creates wheel thrown functional pieces and teaches classes in her studio, inspired by her garden, pets and wild, unruly property. www.potterybyhollyspeers@gmail.com
Karola Steinbrecher is a Canadian fine art painter based in Toronto. Her award winning pieces are lively and expressive, delivered in very intense colors, on exciting, rich backgrounds. Karola’s work achieves a fresh new approach on traditional abstract and floral depictions. She exhibits frequently and her art has been purchased to private and corporate collections in Canada, the U.S.A and Europe. karola.ca
Cheryl Uhrig is an accomplished artist and like her cartoons and children's book illustrations, Cheryl's vibrant oil and acrylic paintings each tell a story. Her paintings invite you in for another look. Each slice is designed to invoke an emotion, a memory -or just make you smile. Life is full of slice.
Phyllis Vernon paints in a variety of media and styles – her art is an exciting and constantly changing event as she explores and experiments with her love of colour, texture, light, form, media, and a wide variety of subjects. Originally a watercolour artist, she has broadened her scope to include acrylics, inks, graphite, collage and hand-pulled prints, blending realism and abstraction. Phyllis travels extensively and often paints from her photographs and sketches. She has participated in workshops with professional artists in Canada, United States, France and Spain, as well as extensive reading and research on her own. She accepts commissions and delights clients by capturing in paint a favourite location, often an ancestral home in Europe. www.phyllisvernon.com
Lynn Wilson lives and paints in King City. She displays in many shows and works in acrylics painting large, colorful floral images, abstracts and raw silk on gallery profile canvas.
artbylynnwilson.com
Darlene J. Winfield has traveled the world extensively and while living abroad spent time drawing and studying art and art history. Her passion to travel allowed her to visit some of the most important galleries and museums around the world. The experience of living abroad in Mexico and Indonesia has brought her to a new understanding of the world and our place in it. The main focus of her art is the Canadian landscape done through representational painting. Landscape to her, represents our world, our responsibility. www.darlenejwinfieldart.com
Tom Wray's medium is photography and his inspiration comes from outdoors. He captures images of landscapes, waterscapes and flowers, turning them into compelling pictures that have an almost painterly quality about them - hence the name Images Photo Art. When Tom takes a photograph, he thinks about composition, angle, light and atmosphere. The finished picture might be soft and dreamy, or bright and cheerful. His intention is to evoke an emotion; it might be calming, exciting or mysterious. Maybe it conjures the memory of a previous experience. And sometimes his images will pose the question "What is that?" provoking a sense of curiosity. imagesphotoart.com
Michelle Zikovitz has been weaving functional baskets for over 20 years and teaching for the past 15 years, throughout southern Ontario. Her early weaving years were spent at her 2 floor looms focusing on woven tapestries, rugs, placemats and runners. A basketry workshop taught by a fellow guild member, a love of baskets and the ability to weave baskets almost anywhere all led to a new found passion of basket weaving. Reed is her personal material of choice for teaching, incorporating her own hand dyed reed whenever possible. Michelle enjoys experimenting with random dyed or “space dyed” skeins of reed, creating many unique colour combinations and resulting in truly one of a kind baskets. When not basket weaving or working, Michelle dabbles in photography, sewing, fibre arts and various painting mediums. She loves to explore and find local basket weavers, artists, shops and galleries on her travels. michellezikovitz.ca
