Tag: painting

The Artistry of Notion, at Westland Gallery until February 28.

by Richard Young

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

The Artistry of Notion exhibition at Westland Gallery celebrates the work and friendship of Johnnene Maddison and Mike Brouse. It includes fifteen of Maddison’s colourful abstractions, as well as three of her small hand-stitched gems, and fifteen of Brouse’s expressionistic pieces.

Maddison’s acrylic-on-canvas paintings fill the front gallery, while Brouse’s oils are spread throughout the rear gallery.

Johnnene Maddison’s delightful pieces preserve small points in time in paint and form.

In her artist statement, she writes about how her subject matter and choice of media has evolved over the years from mixed media work about women – their rights, their history, their challenges – to single-media acrylic paintings that are gestural and immediate.

This work is personal yet also presents Maddison’s experiences as universal truths.

The pieces burst with colour and carefully constructed forms. While the pieces stand on their own, the titles guide the viewer’s observations and direct their thoughts.

(Pictured: Johnnene Maddison, “Doors and Windows”, acrylic on canvas, 36 by 36 inches.)

Her 36-by-36-inch acrylic on canvas “Doors and Windows” rightfully occupies the front window. The subject can be enjoyed as is, but can also be seen as a representation of transitional thresholds.

(Pictured: Johnnene Maddison, “Wandering in My Mind”, acrylic on canvas. 30 by 40 inches.

Upon entering the gallery, her 30-by-40-inch acrylic on canvas, “Wandering in My Mind”, graces the left wall with its cadmium yellow centre clamouring for attention. Another eye-catcher, her 30-by-40-inch acrylic titled “Crazy Trip”, hangs on the back wall. Both embrace angular forms that straddle a line between staticity and busyness.

(Pictured: Johnnene Maddison, “Crazy Trip”, acrylic on canvas, 30 by 40 inches.)

While Maddison boasts a well-established artistic career, Michael Brouse came late to art after taking a class just before retirement. Around 2010, he began painting landscapes, but says he soon became “excited about the distortions caused by waves on reflections [and] segued into expressive abstraction”.

He cites Maddison and American expressionist painter Krista Harris, whose work is rooted in the natural world, as having influenced his work.

His works have an ethereal quality. As with Maddison’s work, titles are important

His layered, scratched, and scraped surfaces suggest landforms and figures, yet these remain elusive. His brushwork is ragged and energetic.

To Brouse, a notion as reflected in the title of this show refers to “an intuition, a feeling, imagination.” Fitting, as his expressive application of paint on a canvas conveys memory and dreams.

(Pictured: Michael Brouse, “Stillness”, oil on canvas, 36 by 48 inches.)

For example, he says his oil on canvas “Stillness”, which hangs on the left wall with its pops of orange, captures a vivid feeling from his childhood. It is one he has also marked with a poem: “Barefoot I stepped/ on to a cold winter floor/ as a child, touched by the/ radiant magic of a breaking morn./ My secret treasure stored away/ in the stillness.”

(Pictured: Michael Brouse, “North Shore”, oil on panel, 24 by 30 inches.)

On the right wall, Brouse’s 24-by-30-inch “North Shore” is next to the 32-by-40-inch “Notion”. While the subject of “North Shore” remains slippery, it contains forms that come tantalizingly close to representational, making it all the more intriguing.

One can assume its neighbour, “Notion”, is the source of the show’s title.

(Pictured: Michael Brouse, “Notion”, oil on canvas, 32 by 40 inches.)

IF YOU GO:

What: The Artistry of Notion featuring works by Johnnene Maddison and Mike Brouse.

When: February 3 to February 28. Opening Reception on Saturday, February 7, from 1:00 to 3:00pm.

Where: Westland Gallery, 156 Wortley Road, London, ON,

For more information, visit: https://westlandgallery.ca/

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

Uncommon Things Ring True

by Richard Young

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

Uncommon Ground at Westland Gallery, January 6 to 31, 2026, brings together work by two disparate artists: Sheila Davis and Kevin Bice. While the works of both are firmly rooted in the environment, they diverge drastically from there. Together, they are a feast for the eyes and mind.

The main level is filled with Davis’s vibrant landscapes; it is an environment of colour, light, and form. The upper-level embraces Bice’s muted still life and landscapes; it is an environment of studied memory. Both celebrate the richness of life.

Davis’s work is awash in brush strokes and saturated colour. Being surrounded by her work is akin to forest bathing, the Japanese practice of immersing oneself in the canopy of a forest to promote well-being. Viewing her work is restorative – especially in the midst of a London winter.

(Pictured: Sheila Davis, “Wallflower II”, oil on panel, 40 by 40 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

In “Wallflower II, a 40-by-40-inch oil on panel, turquoise and lime-green foliage compete with dashes of pink and orange against a band of cream. It is a lively dance of colour and form that beckons a viewer.

(Pictured: Sheila Davis, “Poetic License”, oil on panel, 48 by 48 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

“Poetic License”, a 48 by 48-inch oil on panel, presents a dizzying array of colour and line that echoes an act of spinning around to observe one’s surroundings. In contrast, the vertical thrust of “Weaving Light”, a 42-by-36-inch oil on panel, elevates the viewer skyward.

(Pictured: Sheila Davis, “Weaving Light”, oil on panel, 42 by 36 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

Bice’s work draws from places, people, and objects.

(Pictured: Kevin Bice, “Below the Bridge”, oil on canvas board, 18 by 21 inches – plein air work to celebrate the 150th year of the Blackfriars Bridge. Image courtesy of the artist.)

Some, like “Below the Bridge”, an 18-by-21-inch oil on canvas board, are plein air pieces, with recognizable locations; some, like “Remembering the Lake”, a 40-by-64-inch oil on canvas, seem to be inspired by old family photographs.

(Pictured: Kevin Bice, “Remembering the Lake”, oil on canvas, 40 by 64 inches.Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

Others, such as “McClary Enamelware”, a 25 by 23-inch charcoal on rag paper, spring from time spent in the vaults of Museum London.

(Pictured: Kevin Bice, “McClary Enamelware”, charcoal on rag paper, 25 by 23 inches. Courtesy of Westland Gallery.)

Several of Bice’s paintings are accompanied by story cards. “I find that people are interested in the narrative which leads to the creation of a piece,” he explains.

For some of his works, like the plein air pieces, the narrative is simple: he was attracted by light hitting something or by a juxtaposition of textures that he wanted to spend more time with.

His motivation for studio works is often more complex. He says, “I might start a work because some image or composition or story is stuck in my head.” In these cases, he is never sure what direction the work will take.

In both instances, he views art as a means of exploration.

Of late, he has rediscovered plein air painting, and this is evident in Uncommon Ground. Bice explains, “It’s easy to get complacent and head for the comfort of the studio. Being around other outdoor artists is a great stimulant.”

Uncommon Ground: New works by Sheila Davis and Kevin Bice continues to January 31, 2026. There is an Artist Talk with Kevin Bice on January 10 from 1 to 3 pm and an Artist Demo with Sheila Davis on January 17, also from 1 to 3 pm.

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

Follow Westland Gallery on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WestlandGallery and on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/westlandgallery/

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

Drawing on the Past: Smashing Fashion! The 60s Illustration of Bonnie Parkinson.

by Richard Young

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

London artist Bonnie Parkinson began her career as a commercial artist in the 1960s before turning to fine art in the 1980s and ultimately making her mark in both worlds. Smashing Fashion! The 60s Illustration of Bonnie Parkinson, which runs to January. 10, at TAP Centre for Creativity, is all about her commercial beginnings but with a contemporary twist.

Visitors are treated to 29 pieces, including seven of Parkinson’s original full-page ads from her time working at the London Free Press (LFP) and at Eaton’s, as well as twenty-two 60s-influenced pieces produced late in 2025.

(London Free Press, Special Fashion Section, Eaton’s ad 1969 detail. Courtesy of Bonnie Parkinson and Andrew Lewis.)

To fully appreciate the show, it is helpful to have a sense of the artist’s history.

Parkinson’s early career is a young artist’s dream. She was hired while still in her final year of the Special Art Programme at Beal to work part-time in the art department of the LFP. Upon graduation in 1960, she transitioned to the LFP’s full-time fashion artist.

Ladies’ fashion was in its heyday. Parkinson recalls, “At that time, London had many independent women’s fashion stores; my job was to do all these different stores, but each with a distinctive style.”

In 1964, she left the LFP to work for the T. Eaton Company (Wellington Square, London, Ontario). Between 1967 and 1968, she worked with Canadian fashion designer Marilyn Brooks at The Unicorn (Clarence St., London, Ontario) while continuing to freelance for Eaton’s in the evenings. From 1973 to 1974, Parkinson worked full-time at the Total Marketing Advertising Agency, London, Ontario. Then, in 1979, she was hired by Fanshawe College to teach illustration as well as life-drawing to fashion design students.

(Eaton’s ad 1968, fashion duo in fuchsia detail. Courtesy of Parkinson and Lewis.)

Parkinson describes her early illustrations as stylized and heavily influenced by the 60s phenomenon. It was an exciting time, and she met it with gusto. She drew directly on paper with a fine line marker, no pencil sketch first, and just put down what she saw. The emphasis was on the designed page, bold colour, and elegant lines.

In 1982, at the age of 40, Parkinson left commercial art entirely to paint full-time. Since then, Parkinson has been a constant in the arts community, exhibiting both locally and elsewhere.

(Eaton’s ad 1963, fashion trio in yellow detail. Courtesy of Parkinson and Lewis.)

What prompted Parkinson to put this Smashing Fashion! exhibition together? After 40-plus years as a painter, why did she circle back to fashion art at this point in time? Parkinson credits artist Andrew Lewis.

Lewis approached her in October 2025 with the idea for this show. He thought it was important to show the advertising fashion work that had been done right here in London, Ontario, as art. Parkinson agreed.

She quickly discovered that to do new illustrations of 60s fashions, some sixty years later, took some serious resetting. On top of this, it took a while for her to get back to pen and ink.

She also did an online refresher of the wild and crazy 60s Fashions.

(Bonnie Parkinson’s new illustration of swinging London England’s fashion icon Jean Shrimpton.)

Smashing Fashion! occupies the front two rooms of TAP that comprise Lab 203. It is an intimate area that is well used by Parkinson. The art is simply hung with minuscule magnets for maximum impact.

The full-page ads from the LFP are nostalgic nods to a once vibrant industry. Parkinson’s new illustrations effectively invoke the fashion sense that was part of the 60s’ cultural revolution, but in a less stylized manner and with more attention to detail in the fabrics. As a whole, the 2025 pieces present a veritable rogues’ gallery of the 60s with Andy Warhol, Cher, Jean Shrimpton and Twiggy amongst leggy young things sporting an array of bold patterns and designs.

(One of Parkinson’s new illustrations of 60s clothes.)

Smashing Fashion! The 60s Illustration of Bonnie Parkinson runs to January 10. A Meet the Artist reception is planned for Saturday, January 3, from 1 to 3 pm. It’s a hip way to start the New Year.

For more information about this exhibition and others at TAP Centre for Creativity, visit https://www.tapcreativity.org/

Follow Bonnie Parkinson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bonnieparkinson_artist/?hl=en

Reviewed by Beth Stewart

Web: https://bethstewart.ca/

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

Andrew Lewis Finding Balance: “Notes from the Mindfield” Preview

by Richard Young

by Beth Stewart

(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, one-third of the “The Three Furies” triptych, acrylic on canvas, 37 by 49 inches, 2025.)

Andrew Lewis’s solo show “Notes from the Mindfield” opens Thursday, December 4, 2025, at TAP Centre for Creativity with a reception from 6:00to 9:00pm.

This collection of new work includes over 250 drawings, paintings, sculptures and wearables and explores the artist’s observations and ideas on the complexity of our current era.

It is, he notes, an era sandwiched between the waning of the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence.

The show represents a new direction for the artist. Lewis describes the creative process as more “intuitive.” The result is work that he says “reflects a fragmented world where technology, memory, and human experience are deeply intertwined.” Of note is the dichotomy between abstract and biomorphic forms.

(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, “Ms. + Mr. Squarehouse” (Diptych), acrylic on canvas, 36 by 72 inches, 2025.)

Lewis is a busy creative. His personal work exists in addition to his design/branding business and his teaching at Western University. It is an environment in which he thrives.

The artist says, “At the University, I tell students that artists or designers are like truffle pigs in Italy, finding beautiful morsels that nobody else can see.”

His personal truffle-hunting began two years ago when he came down with COVID on New Year’s Day. It affected his physical and mental health. He says, “My creative process became scrambled.”

Since then, Lewis has witnessed the insidious infiltration of AI into daily life and the resulting deterioration of creative and critical thinking. “I see young, fresh minds not having the ability to provide original ideas or thinking due to how they interact with technology,” he says.

(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, “Ultramarine Series No.3”, acrylic on canvas, 36 by 36 inches, 2025.)

His new work is an escape from the aftermath of COVID and from the pervasiveness of AI.

He began with a series of biomorphic drawings and rediscovered the joy of making images and of unplanned work that just flowed. He describes the resulting work as a fascinating outpouring of the subconscious. That’s what you’ll see at “Notes from the Mindfield”

(Pictured: Andrew Lewis, “Pills, Orgies and Chaos,” acrylic on canvas, 48 by 96 inches, 2025.)

“Notes From the Mindfield” continues to January 10, 2026, at TAP Centre for Creativity, 203 Dundas Street, London, ON.

Associated with this exhibition is an Artist Talk on Saturday, December 6, at 3:00 pm and a workshop on Saturday, December 13, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

For more information, visit: https://www.tapcreativity.org/

About The Artist:

Andrew Lewis is an internationally recognized Canadian artist and designer. His artwork has been commissioned by clients such as the British Columbia Arts Council, Canada Post, the Royal Canadian Mint, Perrier, Scotiabank, the Stratford Festival, Starbucks Coffee, Converse, and VISA.

For more information about Andrew Lewis and his work, visit: andrewlewisart.ca.

Follow Andrew Lewis on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewLewisArtist

Connect with him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/andrewlewisart/

Previewed 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

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/

New Exhibition, Echoes of the Land, opens at Westland Gallery, Sept. 2.

by Richard Young
MEDIA RELEASE – Westland Gallery’s incredibly brilliant and successful textile show will be closing this weekend, and I will be installing the next show, titled Echoes of the Land, this Sunday. This exhibition features Jane Roy, VC Glennie and Denise Antaya; three painters who are creating landscapes and urban scenes with a few figures thrown in to mix it up a bit. Denise is a high realism painter whose landscapes are generally from close to home. VC’s work is leaning towards abstraction, with some architecture and figures introduced for a more urban appearance. Jane has created two impressionistic series of works based on landscapes in both Canada and Scotland. We have worked with Jane for almost as long as she has been painting. She started taking painting lessons with Jamie Jardine 8-10 years ago and within a couple of years she was ready to show her work. I was fortunate enough to be the gallery that Jane chose to exhibit with. I was confident that she had the talent, drive and mentorship that would take her a long way.
Over the years Jane has found her own style, as well as confidence in her ability to create some wonderful work. She and Jamie are now both friends and collaborators and have created many pieces together that are really incredible. Somehow she has an endless supply of energy to be a mother, hockey player, painter and co-executive director of the London Foodbank with her husband, Glen Pearson. I feel honoured to have Jane as a part of our gallery.
Denise Antaya has been with us for about eight years, and again, when I met Denise, I knew she was determined and destined to be a star in the art world. After a life altering event she chose to return to school to study high realism painting. She went to the Academy of Realist art in Toronto where they teach you how to draw and paint like the old masters. Denise is a lifelong learner who keeps evolving and getting better and better. She was a finalist in the Great Canadian Landscape painter show on CBC and wins awards around the world for her beautiful landscapes. Nobody sees or depicts light like Denise. Her paintings make you feel the warmth of the sunshine and the joy a beautiful sunset brings.
VC Glennie is a more recent painter for us. Although she has been in our Square Foot Show for years, she was never able to commit the time to paint a full show for us. VC was a caregiver for aging parents for four years and she selflessly took on the role and drew whenever time allowed to keep her skills honed.
VC has had extensive formal training, starting off with a BA from the University of Western Ontario, then B.Sc.A.A.M. Art as Applied to Medicine from the University of Toronto.  She worked for years in the field as a medical illustrator until she found it too isolating. She then went to Sheridan college to study computer animation and then worked in the United States in that profession for a while. When she returned home, VC took a studio at The Arts Project until she was needed at home full time. When life changed again, VC went back to painting and has explored an array of different styles and subject matters. She was recently in The Figurative Show and has now created  architectural and figurative landscapes that push the definition of landscape painting just a bit.   The show promises to be another great one, I hope you all will be able to come and see it.

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

Q&A Profile Audrey Cooper & ArtWithPanache 

by Richard Young

Soon-to-be ninety-eight-year-old Audrey Cooper is the proud proprietor and curator of London’s downtown art gallery, ArtWithPanache. The Beat Magazine 2009 recently spoke with Audrey about her gallery and what the future holds for her. 

What follows is an edited Q&A Profile. 

When did you open your gallery? What motivated you to open it? 

I opened ArtWithPanache in September 2013. I was given the opportunity to convert 2,000 square feet of retail space in the Talbot Centre in downtown London into an art gallery. So, I said, “Why not? I am only 86 and it sounds like fun.”  So, I signed up and never looked back. 

The real motivation behind it though was when I came to London and started to paint, there were no galleries here willing to take the risk of showing emerging artists. I gathered all the artists I knew, hung their art and away we went. Over time ArtWithPanache became a sort of hangout for artists who would drift in for artist talk and companionship and that continues until this day. We are the only gallery that encourages artists to spend time in the gallery interacting with clients. I do not know why; I love it. 

What is the significance of the gallery’s name? 

I am something of a word junkie and ‘panache’ to me conjures up pictures of cool fashions, 1920s art, and the fantastic background decor in black and white Fred and Ginger movies. 

Have you always been at your present location? 

Yes, the gallery has always been in the Talbot Centre, but because of renovations to the first floor we are in a different space on the first floor. 

What does “London Gallery Run by Local Artists” mean? 

AtWithPanache operates primarily as an ‘Artists Collective.’ Artists who become members of ‘Panache Artists’ are not charged for displaying their work in the gallery; however, they must exhibit at least two paintings at all times and are eligible for one complimentary solo exhibition annually. The gallery commission on sales is set at 5% lower than the standard ArtWithPanache rate. Participating artists are required to volunteer in the gallery for a minimum of two days per month. Gallery staff are always available to assist customers with purchasing original art and to engage in discussions about art with visitors or fellow artists. 

Do you have scheduled exhibitions, or is the artwork displayed on consignment for set periods? Or both? 

Panache Artists regularly exhibit in the gallery, and non-gallery artists are welcome to display their work for two- or three-week periods on commission. Art groups and clubs also participate. Currently, Portside Gallery from Port Stanley is hosting a show with us. 

September is a particularly eventful month for you, with the opening of a show featuring an Oh Canada theme. The gallery is celebrating its 12th anniversary, and you will mark your 98th birthday. May I ask if you have any special plans for the month? 

September will be hopping. The Oh Canada show opens on Saturday, September 20, from 12:00 until 4:00 with our artists’ heartfelt depictions of their love for Canada and what it means for them to live here.  Artists will be on hand to mingle with visitors; refreshments will be served and lots of other stuff going on. 

September 30 is our day to celebrate our 12th Anniversary as ArtWithPanache and my 98th Birthday with an Open House in the gallery. Refreshments and lots of fun and surprises, Join us please. 

I see you were named to. the City of London Mayor’s 2024 New Year’s Honorary List under Arts. Tell me how it felt to receive that recognition. 

Ha! I was completely gobsmacked and still believe there was a mistake made at City Hall. 

Is there anything else you think The Beat Magazine 2009 readers should know about Audrey Cooper and ArtWithPanache? 

Since I have packed in 98 years there is lots more to tell but you will need to drop into ArtWithPanache to find out. 

To learn more about Audrey and ArtWithPanache, visit https://artwithpanachelondon.weebly.com/

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