Tag: exhibitions

Behind The Scenes with Visual Artist Jill Price – Unmaking Towards a Better Future.

by Richard Young

By Beth Stewart.

This is the tenth in an ongoing series in which The Beat Magazine 2025 takes readers “Behind The Scenes”  to meet the talented creative individuals who make the London area such a vibrant arts and culture community.

In this segment, Beth Stewart profiles former London Visual Artist Jill Price.

(Pictured: Jill Price, Studio 8, Barrie, Ontario. Photo by Frances Thomas.)

While former Londoner Jill Price is proficient in multiple mediums, over the past four to five years, her practice has become more process than outcome-based.

She is increasingly interested in the history and agency of materials and has come to realize how the visual arts may perpetuate the environmental harms that have preoccupied her work since 2010.

She gained understanding of the material excess and waste of the global fine art market through her research into the global fast-fashion industry while earning her MFA at OCADU. She recalls, “I was able to make connections between the two industries as well as became more informed about the proliferation of international art fairs, biennales, mass-produced art paraphernalia and the abundance of waste produced just in mounting one season of exhibitions at a large institution.”

As a result, Price seeks to “disrupt” Anthropocentric (the belief that human beings are the most important entities in the universe) perspectives.

This shift has led her to incorporate methods of unmaking and reconfiguring into her practice: she unmakes and reconfigures items that she has found, acquired, or created in the past into something new. This allows Price to put into action her concern for the planet, to repurpose materials that would otherwise contribute to Earth’s ecocide and to, hopefully, inspire others to work in more eco-ethical ways.

The list of individuals and institutions who have inspired or helped Price along the way is endless. Fortunate to have had rich educational experiences at Western, OCADU, Queens, and even during high school, she notes how she has been blessed with involvement in vibrant arts communities such as London, Barrie, Midland and Kingston, Ontario, which have led to many important friendships, mentors and business partners that have been instrumental in her professional and creative growth as an arts administrator, writer, educator, practitioner and more importantly a human.

(Pictured: Jill Price, “Undoing Geography, 2026”, reconfigured paintings on canvas, pegboard, wood panels, reclaimed coloured Ikea shelves and rotating motors, various sizes. Photo courtesy of the artist.)

Price’s installation of soft sculptures, titled “Undoing Geography”, is currently on display as part of the 2026 Kellogg’s Art Competition (https://100kellogglane.com/events/art-comp-2026). Composed of deconstructed and reconfigured landscape paintings, the piece speaks to how landscapes are always in a state of flux and how everyone experiences an environment differently.

Beyond this, Price has a new body of meditative drawings emerging on top of reclaimed drop cloths and is maintaining two other long-standing projects.

(Pictured: Jill Price, “We Are Forest, 2026”, reclaimed books, natural pigments, cardboard, poplar dowels, brass chains, wood desk, wood stool, handmade seed paper and window vinyl, various sizes. Photo courtesy of the artist.)

One is “We Are Forest”, an installation at West Gwillimbury Library, Bradford, Ontario that invites visitors to sit in the space below an assemblage of hand-dyed and hand-cut leaves constructed from old books that were slated for landfill and write a letter on hand-made seed paper on behalf of trees. Some of the letters have been planted in the library’s outdoor garden, meaning Price’s installation will long outlive the temporary exhibition of hanging paper branches.

(Pictured: Jill Price, I’ve Been Here Before”, installation shot at the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Photo by Toni Hafkenscheid.)

The other ongoing body of work is Price’s “I’ve Been Here Before”. Recently exhibited at the Art Gallery of Mississauga, it is comprised of museological displays of detritus garnered from regional beach cleans. As she continues to orchestrate shoreline cleanups at home and abroad, Price’s goal is to travel the installation, titled “Wht-trSH”, to different cultural centres around Lake Ontario. Learn more about this project at: https://www.artgalleryofmississauga.com/events/ive-been-here-before-cathie-jamieson-and-jill-price/

For more on Jill Price, visit http://www.jillpricestudios.ca, @jillpricestudios, or at UN/making Network Eventbrite to participate in beach cleans. People interested in how Price integrates beach cleaning walks into her drawing practice are welcome to follow her explorations on Instagram: @drawingaswalking. Cutlines:

By Beth Stewart.

Beth Stewart is a writer, educator, and visual artist. She has a B.A. and a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and a Diploma in Art Therapy from Western University. Beth has worked as an Art Therapist with Canadian war veterans and as a Secondary School Teacher of art and English for the TVDSB. She retired in 2024.

Beth was the arts editor at Scene Magazine from 2004 to 2006. She founded Artscape Magazine in 2006 and served as its editor until 2008. In addition, Beth wrote on the arts for Lifestyle Magazine from 2006 to 2017 and served as the copy editor for The Beat Magazine (in print) from 2009 to 2013.

As a visual artist, Beth works mainly in dry media and favours coloured pencil. Over the past decade, Beth’s focus has been on wild and domestic birds. Beth is a member of the Coloured Pencil Society of America, the Gallery Painting Group, the Eclectic Collage Collective, the Lambeth Art Association, and a founding member of the Coloured Pencil Artists of Canada group.

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363

Behind The Scenes with Visual Artist Ryan Boris Hamilton – Bold and Expressive

by Richard Young

By Beth Stewart

This is the fifth in an ongoing series in which The Beat Magazine 2025 takes readers “Behind The Scenes” to meet the talented creative individuals who make the London area such a vibrant arts and culture community.

In this segment, Beth Stewart profiles Visual Artist Ryan Boris Hamilton.

(Pictured: Ryan Boris Hamilton, “Woman in Glasses”, mixed media on birch wood panel, 40 by 30 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.)

Ryan Boris Hamilton is primarily a portrait and figure artist, but he explores other subjects as well. While his work varies in style, it typically starts with an acrylic base to which he adds mixed-media elements, such as drawing, wallpaper and fabric. Through layering colours and textures, he finds new ways of “framing” his subjects.

He has now worked as a professional artist for 25 years and has shown across Canada.

The BealArt graduate, who specialized in classical painting techniques, printmaking and sculpture, has lived in Toronto and Vancouver before returning to London. While in Vancouver, he wrote and illustrated a book of poetry. “The Lark, the Trees, the Stars and Me” (2012) is available on Amazon.

(Pictured: Ryan Boris Hamilton, “Woman in Hat”, acrylic on birch wood panel, 24 by 18 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.)

Hamilton has a natural urge to create. He pushes himself to the limit and strives to make each finished piece a “favourite” that must then be surpassed.

He says portraits are challenging as small mistakes have a huge impact. Consequently, it is rewarding when he nails it, and clients are thrilled with portraits of loved ones.

Hamilton was recently part of the London Artists’ Studio Tour. He is an Ontario Arts Council grant recipient and is presently working towards a solo show of his work from the last five years.

Ryan Boris Hamilton is currently in the top 100 for the 2026 Kellogg’s Art Competition. His mixed media on birchwood panel “Man on a Bench” invites viewers to engage with the subject. The figure looks off at something unseen that prompts him to smile, whilst the background is a busy and playful mix of patterns, textures, fabrics and shapes.

(Pictured: Ryan Boris Hamilton, “Man on a Bench”, mixed media on Russian birch wood panel, 36 by 24 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.)

He is active on Instagram at: ryanborishamilton

By Beth Stewart

Beth Stewart is a writer, educator, and visual artist. She has a B.A. and a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and a Diploma in Art Therapy from Western University. Beth has worked as an Art Therapist with Canadian war veterans and as a Secondary School Teacher of art and English for the TVDSB. She retired in 2024.

Beth was the arts editor at Scene Magazine from 2004 to 2006. She founded Artscape Magazine in 2006 and served as its editor until 2008. In addition, Beth wrote on the arts for Lifestyle Magazine from 2006 to 2017 and served as the copy editor for The Beat (in print) from 2009 to 2013.

As a visual artist, Beth works mainly in dry media and favours coloured pencil. Over the past decade, Beth’s focus has been on wild and domestic birds. Beth is a member of the Coloured Pencil Society of America, the Gallery Painting Group, the Eclectic Collage Collective, the Lambeth Art Association, and a founding member of the Coloured Pencil Artists of Canada group.

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363

A Quick Crawl through June’s Art Scene

by Richard Young

By Beth Stewart

Kick off the month with a Community Art Crawl on Thursday, June 4, 2026. From 6 to 9pm, art lovers can discover makers, creators, and performers all along Dundas Place (between Richmond and Clarence streets).

(Doug Mitchell in front of “Ambient Sticks”, acrylic on basswood, 2012. Photo courtesy of Michael Gibson Gallery.)

In conjunction with Art Crawl, Doug Mitchell is doing an Artist Talk at Michael Gibson Gallery, 157 Carling St, from 7-8pm on his Recent Works show. The London, Ontario, artist works in painting, sculpture, sound, and photography. His current pieces investigate the colour spectrum and were influenced by his extended observation of light reflecting through prisms in his studio. Also on display is Mitchell’s multi-panelled “map” of the forks of the Thames River in which he layers images, maps, and text. Recent Works is at MGG until June 26. For more info, visit: http://www.gibsongallery.com/

Art Crawl is a recurring event on the first Thursday of the month, from April to November. If you are an artist who is interested in participating, visit https://www.tapcreativity.org/community-art-crawl for guidelines. There is no cost to participate and no registration required.

Museum London’s Summer Launch Party, 421 Ridout St. N., is on June 11, 2026, from 7 to 10pm. At this pay-what-you-can at the door event, visitors can explore all three floors of the Museum, meet featured and visiting artists and curators, and dive into some hands-on creative activities. There will be food, a cash bar, and a live set with DJ Harina of OA(SIS).

(Amanda McCavour: Double Shadow, 2025-26, thread, digital embroidery, free-motion machine embroidery, appliqué, hand stitching, nuno felting, pins. Photo courtesy of Museum London.)

While there, be sure to see Double Shadow, a site-specific installation by Toronto-based textile and embroidery artist Amanda McCavour. Bringing together more than 400 stitched elements, the installation transforms the Museum’s Atrium into a field of lace-like forms. Double Shadow continues at Museum London to March 14, 2027. For more information, visit: https://museumlondon.ca

(Poster for the Community Art Installation Project. Image from Woven into Myself (2025) by Mackenzie Daniels.)

A Community Art Installation Project featuring work by Kristi White, Mackenzie Daniels, and Mike Cywink that highlights stories of Indigenous culture, history, and community takes place on June 12, 2026, from 11am to 12pm at RBC Place, 300 King Street. It includes live music and remarks from the artists and from City representatives.

Also, at RBC Place on June 12, 2026, is Murals in Motion. From 11:30am to 2pm, on the Encore Terrace, this one-of-a-kind summer lunchtime event will see four local artists transform blank boxes on wheels into vibrant murals. Watch their work unfold while enjoying lunch from local food vendors, drinks from the licensed bar, games from Downtown London, and summer beats from a guest DJ. For more information, visit: http://www.londonarts.ca

(Abel Gingerich and Mike Sloane, “Who Knew”, 2026, magazine clippings, 9 by 12 inches. Image courtesy of TAP Center for Creativity.)

The opening reception for Dear Abel / Love Mike takes place at TAP Centre for Creativity, 203 Dundas St., on June 13 between 2 and 4pm. Focusing on the act of correspondence, the paintings, mixed media, and sculptures allow the public access to friendly dialogues and the inner workings of relationship building between artists.

“Able” is Abel Gingerich, a multi-disciplinary artist living and working in London, Ontario. His body of work includes paintings inspired by real-life scenes, including garbage, concert venues and liminal spaces, covering themes of consumption, self-destruction and third spaces.

“Mike” is Mike Sloane, who has published scholarly articles and book chapters on topics ranging from trash to veganism.

Dear Abel / Love Mike continues to July 4, 2026. For more information, visit: http://www.tapcreativity.org/

(Julia Ismambetova, “High Above I”, 30 x 30”, acrylic on silk. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

Where I Like to Be with Kim Atlin, Julia Ismambetova, and Tracy Bultje continues to June 20, 2026, at Westland Gallery. This show brings together works that feature places people like to be and includes cityscapes, riverside vistas and forests.

Need more land? Westland has Made in Canada, a group show celebrating Canadian landscapes by Canadian artists, from June 23 to July 18, 2026. For more information, visit: westlandgallery.ca/

(Natasha Beaudoin, “Wordle 1,208 5/6”, oil, airbrush, chalk pastel, and oil pastel on canvas, 203 by 203 cm, 2025. Image courtesy of McIntosh Gallery.)

At McIntosh Gallery, exhibitions by Natasha Beaudoin and Eric Allan Cameron continue to July 3, 2026.

Beaudoin’s Refracted Realities demonstrates how painting can engage the emotional and psychological conditions of contemporary digital life. The exhibition draws on the visual language of historical paintings and recontextualizes it through the cultures shaped by screens and social media. Natasha Beaudoin is an MFA candidate in the Department of Visual Arts at Western University. Refracted Realities is her MFA Thesis Exhibition.

Cameron’s Distant Sun brings together new oil paintings that distill night skies, distant horizons, and bodies of water into restrained, atmospheric compositions. Eric Allan Cameron is an MFA candidate in the Department of Visual Arts at Western University. Distant Sun is his MFA Thesis Exhibition.

For more information, visit mcintoshgallery.ca/

(Promotional image from Michelle Wilson’s Those in Glass Houses. Image courtesy of Forest City Gallery.)

Michelle Wilson’s Those in Glass Houses continues to July 23, 2026, at Forest City Gallery, 1025 Elias St. In this exhibition, Wilson investigates an unusual component of colonial rule – the greenhouse – which was a crucial tool for transporting plants and people around the globe. Collaborating with family members, Wilson merges personal anecdotes with critiques of the British empire, the trade of exotic flora, and the abduction of children. For more information, visit: https://www.forestcitygallery.com/

Finally, Kellogg’s Art Comp 2026 continues to September 7, 2026, at 100 Kellogg Lane. Touted as Canada’s largest Art Competition, this exhibit features works by 100 artists displayed for 100 days in spaces throughout the building. For more information, visit: 100kellogglane.com/events/art-comp-2026

By Beth Stewart

Beth Stewart is a writer, educator, and visual artist. She has a B.A. and a B.Ed. from the University of Windsor and a Diploma in Art Therapy from Western University. Beth has worked as an Art Therapist with Canadian war veterans and as a Secondary School Teacher of art and English for the TVDSB. She retired in 2024.

Beth was the arts editor at Scene Magazine from 2004 to 2006. She founded Artscape Magazine in 2006 and served as its editor until 2008. In addition, Beth wrote on the arts for Lifestyle Magazine from 2006 to 2017 and served as the copy editor for The Beat (in print) from 2009 to 2013.

As a visual artist, Beth works mainly in dry media and favours coloured pencil. Over the past decade, Beth’s focus has been on wild and domestic birds. Beth is a member of the Coloured Pencil Society of America, the Gallery Painting Group, the Eclectic Collage Collective, the Lambeth Art Association, and a founding member of the Coloured Pencil Artists of Canada group.

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363

Sarah Cowling: Painting with Paper Plus

by Richard Young

By Beth Stewart

Sarah Cowling works in collage and in acrylic, and in some pieces, she combines the two.

Cowling describes the act of collage as “painting with paper”. It involves taking unrelated materials, usually paper-based, and combining them to create a new whole. Anything flat that can be glued down is fair game.

She uses premade Japanese and Thai papers, paper culled from old books and magazines, found paper, travel photos, and paper she herself has created.

She says inspiration often comes from a single piece of paper that has somehow caught her eye. Travel experiences often fuel her art as well.

Her self-created contributions are archival tissue papers or drawing papers that Cowling has painted using acrylics, brushes, and Gelli plates.

(Pictured: Sarah Cowling, “Behind St. Aidan’s”, collage with hand-painted papers, 12 by 12 inches.)

Much time is spent searching for or creating papers, often long before they are used. She describes the act of pulling together the pieces as meditative.

Cowling has an innate desire to create. She says, “It is something I need to do; a compulsion perhaps. I see a landscape or have a piece of paper that sparks an idea.”

She works both in-studio and on-location.

Cowling’s work ranges in size from 12-by-12 inches to 20-by-20 and up. While her collages offer bold chunks of colour that overlap and stack to create tactile line and form, her acrylic paintings combine bold brush strokes with intimate mark-making.

(Pictured: Sarah Cowling, “How Big is That Bull?”, collage with hand-painted papers, 8 by 10 inches.)

Cowling’s “Behind St. Aidan’s” shows the hard edges that appear on many of her collages. Yet another collage, “How Big is That Bull?” speaks to her love of storytelling. The latter is part of her ongoing exploration of family history in which she processes tales told by her mother and her aunt about family members.

In contrast, the acrylic on cradled board piece “Storm Coming” demonstrates her ability to suggest landforms and foliage as well as motion through bold brush work.

(Pictured: Sarah Cowling, “Storm Coming”, acrylic on cradled board, 20 by 20 inches.)

She credits this writer and artist, Jill Price, as being early providers of a gallery space for her (Axis Studios, Covent Garden Market). She thanks Al Stewart (Westland Gallery) for making space for local artists with the Miniature and Square Foot Shows. She is indebted to three local London art groups – the Brush and Palette Group, the Gallery Painting Group, and the Lambeth Art Association – for providing learning and exhibition opportunities as well as camaraderie and support. All of the aforementioned provided opportunities that are necessary for artists to succeed.

(Pictured: Sarah Cowling, “Utopia”, collage with hand-painted papers, 16 by 16 inches.)

Of late, Cowling has been involved in an ongoing project with the Kolaj Institute, creating collages based on folklore. To date, she has attended two folklore-focussed residencies with the Institute; one was in Scotland, and the other was in Knoxville, concentrating on this topic. She is grateful to Ric Kasini and others at the Kolaj Institute for their support.

(Pictured: Sarah Cowling, “Niagara Gorge”, collage with hand-painted papers, 40 by 60 inches.)

She currently has work in the Frankingstyle Gallery in St. Thomas and is looking forward to the 2026 London Artists’ Studio Tour, Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26. Cowling is #16 on the map at 180 Timber Drive. For more information, visit: https://londonstudiotour.ca/

2026 London Artists’ Studio Tour, Friday, April 24 to Sunday, April 26.

Sarah Cowling can be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sarah.cowling.98 and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahcowlingartist/

By Beth Stewart

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363

Lisa Johnson Takes Your Breath Away at Westland Gallery

by Richard Young

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

(Lisa Johnson, Photo – Westland Gallery.)

Lisa Johnson’s recent artist residency in Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, is the driving force behind her Full Circle exhibition at Westland Gallery.

While this was Johnson’s third month-long residency at Pouch Cove, this time was different.

In 2021 and 2022, she recalls clambering over rocks and sitting amongst lichen and berries to sketch. This time, she went to Pouch Cove during an East Coast winter, where the conditions are challenging and the landscape is stark. She encountered nature at its most elemental.

Johnson was excited to do a winter residency to bear witness to the dramatic contrast of snow against the black coastal rocks. It is a location she describes as “transcendent” and “raw”, alluding to its timelessness.

Wearing long johns and a parka, and with crampons on her boots to keep from slipping, Johnson was able to go out for hikes, drawing, and even a bit of plein air painting.

(Lisa Johnson, The Painter and the Poet. oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)

On a typical day, she would paint in the studio first thing in the morning and later, if it warmed up a bit, go out for a hike either on her own or with other Pouch Cove residency artists. Returning to her studio, she’d paint for the remainder of the day on large canvases she’d stapled to the walls.

Charcoal gesture drawings have always been an important part of her practice; she loves their simplicity and energy. With this series of paintings, she aimed to achieve a similar aesthetic using oil paint on canvas. The resulting work is pared down to the point of abstraction.

It is an approach that perfectly captures the starkness of the landscape in winter and the drama of this Eastern coastline. It is evident in two oil-on-canvas pieces: “Drawing on Memories” and “Aerie”.

(Lisa Johnson, “Drawing on Memories” oil on canvas 22 by 24 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)

(Lisa Johnson, “Aerie”, oil on canvas, 40 by 38 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)

A particularly striking piece is “Silent Drift”, measuring 40-by-30-inches, it has an oriental flavour with its ink-like markings, flattened perspective, and preserved white space.

(Lisa Johnson, “Silent Drift”, oil on canvas, 40 by 30 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)

Full Circle includes landscape paintings created during this residency as well as work inspired by it and created after returning to her Ontario studio.

In the latter, Johnson continues with the approach that she began in Newfoundland. These paintings are large and gestural and employ a neutral palette. It is work she describes as closer to drawing.

(Lisa Johnson, “Early Riser”, oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches. Photo by Beth Stewart.)

Full Circle also includes more colour-filled works from a spring and fall series, some from Newfoundland, and some from other Canadian locations.

These are sequestered in the upper level of the gallery and lean more toward using the visual vocabulary of color, value, shape, and composition to communicate memory while abstracting the landscape.

(Installation shot. Photo by Beth Stewart.)

Lisa Johnson’s Full Circle is invigorating and breathtaking. The show continues to November 29 at Westland Gallery, 156 Wortley Road.

For more information about Westland Gallery, visit https://westlandgallery.ca.

For more information about Lisa Johnson, visit https://www.lisajohnsonart.ca/

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363

Artist Profile: Cora Linden – Mixing it Up.

by Richard Young

by The Beat Magazine’s Beth Stewart

(Pictured: Cora Linden, Over the Hedge, Collaged paper on wood panel, 12″h x 12″w x 1″d. Courtesy of the artist.)

Cora Linden is a mixed media artist and a long-time fixture in the London art scene. She is known for her unique two and three-dimensional assemblages into which she incorporates repurposed materials, specialty papers, and distinctive textural elements.

Linden’s work is driven by a few core principles. First, anything can be transformed into an art supply. Perhaps the weirdest thing she’s repurposed is a cracked beaver skull. She believes creativity thrives in resourcefulness. This is evident in her one-of-a-kind pieces. Linden rejects the idea that people should settle for mass-produced décor and believes that art should be accessible to all. She seeks diverse audiences and places. This is why Linden’s work can be found at craft markets and at conventions in addition to traditional galleries.

(Cora Linden, Breaking Through, PVC with collaged paper & thread, 26″h X 16″w x 6″d. Courtesy of the artist.)

At this time, Linden continues to work on her Human Evolution series. The first piece, titled Breaking Through, with its bold vertical stripes and collaged excerpts from a vintage medical reference book, was exhibited at the Pride London Art Show 2025. In the text, a male doctor explains three types of women. Linden says, “The ideas are incredibly outdated now.” The piece illustrates how one’s true nature inevitably overtakes the path prescribed by so-called experts. Linden promises there will be more pieces in this series in 2026.

(Pictured: Cora Linden, Horn Solo, horn with faux florals in wooden frame, 15″h x10″w x 2.25″d. Courtesy of the artist.)

To experience more of Cora Linden’s work, visit Altered Arte & Handicrafts (AAH!) pages on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/alteredartehandicrafts or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AlteredArteandHandicrafts

By Beth Stewart

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009620916363

Weekend Roundup of Arts Events in the London Area, October 24-26.

by Richard Young

Compiled by Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager, The Beat Magazine 2025

This is the first in a series of weekly features highlighting selected arts and culture events in the London area. What better way to begin than with International Artists Day, celebrated annually on October 25th!

Continuing Art Exhibitions in the London Area

There is a lot of great art being exhibited in London area galleries. Let’s take a look at some of it.

The Simple Reflections Art Exhibition continues at TAP Centre for Creativity until November 1, while over at Westland Gallery, The Root of Wisdom featuring works by Clara Kim and Christopher Cape closes Saturday, October 25. Maritime Minute, featuring works by West Coast artist Les Ramsay, continues to October 30 at Forest City Gallery,

The Vice-President’s Day Quilts Throughout the Years exhibition runs to November 1 at the Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre, while works by Lyn Carter and Aiden Urquhart are on display at the Woodstock Art Gallery. At Museum London, the new permanent collection exhibition All Around Me, All Around You still features Canadian artworks and historical artifacts from the museum’s collection.

The Benz Gallery’s “Scared Stiff” Halloween Exhibition continues during our regular hours until October 31st. Stop by to collect or just get into the spirit! 👻

https://www.thebenzgallery.com/current-exhibition

The Gallery Painting Group’s Art Show and Sale opens tonight at 5 p.m. and continues to Sunday at 3 p.m. at First-St, Andrew’s United Church, 350 Queens Ave. in London.

(“Bridge Robin”, coloured pencil on Museum Board, 12 by 12 inches by Beth Stewart)

You can find Beth Stewart’s reviews of some of these exhibitions elsewhere on The Beat Magazine 2025 website.

You Want Theatre? We’ve Got Theatre!

If you are craving some live local theatre, there is lots to choose from this weekend.

The hilarious The Play That Goes Wrong continues at the Grand Theatre until November 2, while sold-out performances of Infuse Productions’ The Rocky Horror Show continue at the Palace Theatre on October 25 and October 26. The show continues until November 2.

AlvegoRoot Theatre’s production of Sleigh Without Bells: A Donnelly’s Story has two additional matinee performances, scheduled for October 25 at 2:00 PM and October 26 at 2:00 PM at The Manor Park Memorial Hall in London.

Over at the Princess Ave Theatre in St. Thomas, Odesa Company presents Stephen King’s Misery on October 25th and 26th, while the St. Marys Community Players present Norm Foster’s hilarious Hilda’s Yard until November 2.

You can check out Jo-Anne Bishop’s theatre Reviews elsewhere on The Beat Magazine 2025 website.

The Forest City Film Festival Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary

The Forest City Film Festival returns for its tenth year, hosting nine days of screenings and events at multiple venues in Downtown London. London creative, Donald D’Haene’s documentary, Interpreting Erik, is one of the award-winning films being screened.

The FCFF continues until November 2. For a full schedule, visit https://fcff.ca/schedule/

Music To Soothe The Soul

The London Community Orchestra presents From Salzburg to Paris on Sunday, October 26, 3:00 pm. at Dundas Street Centre United Church, 482 Dundas St., London, ON.

Featuring soloist Joshua Lee, performing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K218, composed by Mozart in his hometown of Salzburg in 1775.

The program also includes:
🎶 Debussy – Second Arabesque
🎶 Ravel – Le tombeau de Couperin

Experience the journey from Mozart’s classical elegance to Debussy and Ravel’s Parisian impressionism, a celebration of musical evolution from structure to atmosphere.

Tickets: Adults – $25
Seniors – $20
Students – $15
Children 12 and under – $5

Available at the door and online @ https://www.lco-on.ca/eng/

Encore The Concert Band holds it 2025 season opener, Forward Momentum, on Sunday, October 26 at Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School.

London’s Eastside Bar & Grill hosts Farewell Stanleys release of their brand new, fifth album Mystery To Me, produced by Moe Berg (of The Pursuit of Happiness & The TransCanada Highwaymen), with special guests Brother Leeds, on Saturday, October 25th. Showtime at 8:30pm, 10$ at the door. Copies of Mystery To Me will officially be on sale at this event, available on vinyl & CD. https://linktr.ee/FarewellStanleys

The Gavin Adcock Need To Tour concert takes place Saturday, October 25th, at the London Music Hall.

Visit https://londonmusichall.com/

Over at the Palasad Socialbowl, 63’ MONROE is back to tear the roof off. Loud, raw, and unapologetic—London’s punk pioneers bring decades of sweat, snarls, and speed to the stage. They’re rolling in with the razor-sharp riffs of Limited of Approach and the outlaw rock’n’roll chaos of Jesse James Medicine Show. Expect snarling guitars, thundering rhythm, and a night of pure, high-voltage punk energy.

Licensed – All Ages – $5 Door.

That’s it for this weekend. If your venue has an event you would like featured next weekend, send the details to Richard Young, Publisher & Content Manager of The Beat Magazine at richardyoung@thebeatmagazine2025.ca

An Update from Westland Gallery, Al Stewart

by Richard Young

Submitted by Gallery Owner, Al Stewart

I figured it was time to share an update on the Westland building, which, as you probably know by now, is currently for sale. While our intention is for the Westland Gallery business to eventually move down the road to The Art Exchange building, the 156 Wortley Rd. address remains for sale.

Over the past few months, there’s been quite a bit of interest in the building, but nothing that makes us ready to leave the building just yet. The building will remain available for purchase in the coming months. Until someone comes along who we think can look after our historical building and give back to the village, the gallery will stay in this building, continuing on with our planned exhibitions for 2025 and 2026.

Our next exhibition is a solo show by Lisa Johnson, and it is going to be a knockout. Lisa spent a month in Newfoundland at an artist residency in Pouch Cove, painting absolutely stunning landscapes. I can’t recommend visiting Lisa’s show, opening on October 28th, enough. It’s certainly a must-see.

(Pictured: Painter Lisa Johnson)

Unfortunately, because of the time required to plan the Square Foot Show, we have decided not to do it this year. Both the planning of the show and the returning of artwork take months and months to complete, and we couldn’t commit to a show of this scale this year.

I know there are going to be many disappointed artists and collectors, but it just wasn’t the right timing, with the potential sale of the building.

In place of the Square Foot Show, we have a number of small pieces by our gallery artists on their way for December! We will also be presenting pieces from the estates of several renowned London artists to be sold at very accessible prices for collectors who would like to own a piece. We will have work from the estates of Helmut Becker, Herb Ariss, and Kerry Ferris, to name just a few.

See you at the gallery,

Al Stewart

For more information about Westland Gallery, visit https://westlandgallery.ca/

Nature Nurtures and Teaches: The Root of Wisdom at Westland Gallery.

by Richard Young

by Beth Stewart, The Beat Magazine 2025

The Root of Wisdom at Westland Gallery marries the work of two disparate yet ultimately complementary artists. Ottawa artist Clara Kim’s work with its frenetic brush work reveals recognizable forms, whereas Guelph artist Christopher Cape’s work is understated and ethereal. Together, they offer a respite from the day-to-day with a giant serving of the natural world.

According to Kim, the title of this joint exhibition is a nod to poet William Wordsworth. She is likely alluding to his piece “The Tables Turned” as, in it, he advises “Let Nature be your teacher/ She has a world of … Spontaneous wisdom”. Nature as teacher is certainly seen in the work of both artists.

Kim’s work with its colourful birds, bears and other beasts is contained in the front gallery. Most of the pieces are quite large. She depicts her animals in a style that she says is influenced by both ancient Korean arts and contemporary western sensibilities.

Through the ages, Korean art has been naturalistic, favouring the beauty of raw materials and natural patterns. Kim takes these traditional values and extends them with modern materials and approaches.

To this end, Kim employs a variety of tools and materials in her oil and acrylic paintings including knife scratching, and ink crayon, and pastel drawing. This is clearly seen in her abstract backgrounds and in what Westland Marketing Coordinator Anna Wilson calls the “evolution” of Kim’s mark making.

(Clara Kim’s oil and acrylic piece on canvas, “My World”. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

In Kim’s “My World”, the bear stands firmly on calligraphic shapes and is backed by abstract forms. In her “Rainbow Raven #2”, colourful lines meander playfully as flecks of similar hues dance across the blackness of the bird’s plumage.

(Clara Kim’s oil and acrylic on canvas piece “Rainbow Raven #2” Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

Christopher Cape’s plein air landscapes occupy the upper gallery. Bold and mysterious, these works shun detail in favour of colour, reductionist form and evocative titles. They avoid obvious telling and beg for individual interpretation.

(Christopher Cape’s oil on cradled birch “Before the End”. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

On the other hand, his “Take Flight”, with its stacked birds, bucks the non-representational trend while still embracing its pastel colouration and a limited depth of field.

(Christopher Cape’s oil and acrylic on cradled birch, “Take Flight”. Image courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

Titles stand out as integral to Cape’s art. His are evocative. To what end does “Before the End” refer? What happened “Moments Before”? What does “You Remember More than You Know” mean?

Happily, for the artists, there are lots of red dots to be seen; a few pieces have already gone to their forever homes.

“The Root of Wisdom” continues to October 25, 2025, at Westland Gallery, 156 Wortley Road. For more information, visit https://westlandgallery.ca/

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

For information about Beth Stewart’s art, visit https://bethstewart.ca/

Lambeth Art Association hosts Joanne Poluch, Art Coach and owner of Remarque Art Consulting, October 18th

by Richard Young

On Saturday, October 18th, the Lambeth Art Association is hosting a special event open to the London area artist community.  Joanne Poluch, acclaimed Art Coach and owner of Remarque Art Consulting, will lead a lecture entitled How to Define Artistic Success and How to Approach and Nurture Buyers.

About Joanne Poluch:

Joanne Poluch is the owner of Remarque Art Consulting in Guelph, Ontario.  Joanne holds an Honours Degree in Art History from the University of Guelph and an Art Marketing Diploma from Sotheby’s Institute of Fine Art in New York.   Establishing her business in 2010, Joanne has enjoyed a solid reputation in art consulting ever since. Her business model is versatile and has been based on exceptional customer service, a relaxed and professional relationship with corporate/ private clients, and assisting artists at ALL levels of their art practice. Joanne’s deep passion for art, flair for creativity, and compassionate style have allowed her to enjoy a thriving and successful business. 

Joanne is frequently called upon to be a guest speaker for numerous art groups, locally and at the national level. As a popular and introspective juror, Joanne remains a quintessential player on the art scene. 

Enjoying a very active art coaching/mentorship practice with artists across Canada, her philosophy is simple – build up artists through positive energy and deep-seated support. 

Joanne holds the position of Manager of the Art Sales &  Rental program at the Art Gallery of Guelph. 

She is also a registered current member of CARFAC.

This special event takes place from  1:00 to 3:15 pm at Riverside United Church in London.  Tickets to this event are $10. To reserve your spot, email the Lambeth Art Association at lambethartassociation@gmail.com

To learn more about Joanne Poluch, visit https://remarqueartconsulting.ca/

To learn more about the Lambeth Art Association, visit https://www.lambethart.com/