Exhibitions 2012

The Promise of Painting
January 7 – March 4, 2012

Three artists work within the promise of painting to uncover and contribute their individual passionate attachments to this form of visual expression. The viewer will experience levels of emotion and relationships to the media of painting and to the artists who manifest these works.

Robert Achtemichuk works with gouache on silk or washi (Japanese paper). Achtemichuk’s studio looks out into an ordinary Ontario back yard in Kitchener. His interest is in the quiet contemplation of the small changes that occur due to time of day, weather, season and the inspirations and revelations from that kind of study. Misty, watery, sensual small paintings are titled the date they were painted.  Sultry, earthy colours of raw umber and grays, and washed out blues and reds direct the viewer through a quiet passing of time. There’s innocence in his work from a delicate touch that exposes poetic vibrating atmospheric simplicity. In today’s fierce world this may be considered otherworldly.

Robert Achtemichuk received his BFA from the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. He apprenticed in colour etching techniques in France and studied master classes at the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas, Mexico City.  He has exhibited his work and taught courses across Canada. He has been the Executive Director at Open Studio, Waterloo Regional Art Council, and the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery. This work is accompanied by a catalogue written by Liz Wylie, Curator of the Kelowna Art Gallery and Gary Michael Dault.   Robert Achtemichuk acknowledges and appreciates support from the Ontario Arts Council and the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund.

Cristina Zanella is interested in the play of light and dark and its effect on the intensity of colour. She treats her subject matter, whether it is dead birds or subtle still life forms, with an eye to balancing broken space with colour, light and line. Her paintings are both vibrant and moody with a linear graceful approach to her marks.

Port Dover based Cristina Zanella has exhibited throughout Southern Ontario. She received a BFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

Ian McLean uses colour to lure his viewer with his unusual environments and combination of elements. His imagery harks on a 1950’s feel but his colour palette is later; part pop art/ part post impressionistic. Residential environments hold an elusive chronology with his use of symbolic objects expressed through textured painted surfaces. Both McLean and Zanella use black as accents in their work and often include lime green, cadmium yellows, oranges and turquoise. McLean’s objects are infused with a landscape of these brilliant colours applied with creamy seductive brush strokes of oil paint on canvas.

McLean resides in the Sarnia area in Brights’s Grove and received a B.Ed. from the University of Western Ontario, and a BA in Fine Arts from the University of Guelph. He has had solo and group exhibitions in Ontario and he is represented by Gallery Moos, Toronto.

In the Community Gallery Space, Jack Jackowetz’s photography is manipulated with computer software. His subject is our built heritage with a focus on architectural renderings. He calls his process post impressionism photography. “I start with an original photograph then I use software to ‘paint’ or enhance the image.” Jack has shown his work throughout the region and is represented by galleries in New York, Waterloo, and Paris ON.

Narrative Transformations: a series of four exhibitions
March 10 –May 6, 2012
Reception: Sunday March 18, 1 – 4 p.m

Jane Hook’s sculptures transform idols from childhood and popular culture, re-telling their stories in order to reveal their powerful influence upon societal and gender roles, yet at the same time they remind us that we have the power to influence these icons ourselves.  With uncanniness that recalls the immense sculptures of Ron Mueck, these small and intimate creations challenge the viewer to consider the distance between idealism and reality.

 The photography of Fausta Facciponte puts us in the presence larger-than-life images of antique dolls that appear to stare at us, blurring the divide between the viewer and the viewed, and raising complex questions about both their narratives and our own.

The artwork of Fausta Facciponte is exhibited courtesy of the Stephen Bulger Gallery

The paintings of Elizabeth Barrett Milner juxtapose diverse symbolic images of the flora, fauna and landmarks of Norfolk County in a way that combines past and present, childhood and adulthood, near and far, and even humour and ominous reality.

The Community Gallery: Kim Di Francesco
Local Brantford artist Kim DiFrancesco paints canine companions in a manner influenced by the history of painting from Renaissance painting to the stylized paintings of Jean Paul Lemieux.  With eyes depicted in the manner of a mirror by Van Eyck, the dogs are in the position to compel the viewer to return their gaze.  At the same time her use of composition and colour seek to pull the viewer repeatedly into the negative space that surrounds the dog.

 
EXPRESSIONS 2012 School Art Exhibition
May 12 - June 10, 2012
Opening Reception/Family Arts Day: Sunday May 27, 11:00 - 4:00pm

We invite the public to view artwork entries from Brantford and Brant County elementary and secondary schools in the school exhibition, "Expressions 2012."

Permanent Collection Exhibition
June 16 –Aug. 19
Reception: June 24, 3 - 5pm

A thematic exhibition from the gallery’s Permanent Collection of contemporary and historical works.

In the Community Gallery Space, Brantford artist Joanne Vegso will display her watercolour paintings of landscape and still life. Joanne received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and graduated from Sheridan College studying design and textiles. She has had solo exhibitions at the Old Town Hall, Waterford, Lighthouse Festival Gallery, Port Dover, and The Hexagon in England and has shown her work in group exhibitions throughout the region. Joanne would like to pay recognition to her teacher and mentor, Gordon Perrier, at the Dundas Valley School of Art.

Jonas Stonkus – Artifacts, Shields, and Power Rods
Aug. 25 – Oct. 28
Reception: Sunday September 9,  1 – 4 p.m.

Jonas Stonkus is a Delhi artist whose work creates an outdoor adventure for viewers during Norfolk County’s annual studio tour. A new perception of his work will be unfolded in a gallery setting. Stonkus uses material, often found materials, in an original way. His work is a well crafted mix of metal, cement and glass that summon up images of the natural world. He drills angel stone blocks to look like wasp nests, includes a series of work made from power rods, and weaves aluminium and galvanized wire to create a tapestry of wall works. His work is a fresh expression of clean lines and concise thought.

In the Community Gallery Space, Robert Crosby paints realistic images, particularly of the landscape of the eastern coast of Canada where he was born

. He attended Niagara College taking both commercial and fine art courses in painting and print making. Robert lives in Brantford and has exhibited his work in group shows throughout the area.

2012 Biennial JURIED EXHIBITION WAR and PEACE
Nov. 3, 2012 - Jan. 3, 2013
Reception: Sat. Nov. 10, 2012  7:00 p.m.

The Juried Exhibition is open to all Ontario artists in all media

THEME: For artists, the subject of War and Peace is an invitation to explore a broad range of ideas: quality in life, current political atmosphere, personal, historical, positive vs negative, aggression, reconciliation.

The province of Ontario is celebrating 200 years of peace through a Bicentennial celebration of the war of 1812. This juried show will address the subject from the artists’ view of War and Peace.

Jurors:
Fleur-Ange Lamoth, Artist
Naomi Johnson, Artist/Curator
Chelsea Carss, Curator

Prizes:

First Prize: $1000.00 - Julia Vanderpolder, The Green Room

Second Prize: $300.00 - E.M. Carr, Toward the River

Two Third Prize Recipients: $125.00 each -

Alejandro Arauz, If we were to cross 

J.P. Gural, Stung Meanchi Dump, Phnom Penh

Glenhyrst Art Gallery of Brant is pleased to acknowledge the Royal Bank of Canada as the sponsor for the 2012 Juried Exhibition.  Thank you for supporting this Emerging Artist Opportunity.