May 2021

MULTI-GRAINS OF ENERGY by Naomi Gerrard

From Friday, April 30 to Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Due to the Corona Virus there will be no artist reception.

About the Show:

I have been exploring the energy of the prairies by incorporating the grains grown in the prairies into my art.  I have been working on this idea for several years and call the show of works, Multi-grains of Energy.   I am inspired with the potential surging life of the individual grains which are planted annually in our prairies. Each individual grain has its own inherent personality, range of colours, shape and beauty. These grains collectively change the vast landscape of our prairies each season from their planting season, their maturation to their harvest season. They spread energy, hope and beauty as they develop into nourishing food for us all. I incorporate these grains into my mixed media art works using many of the grains that are grown in our prairies including canola, flax, wheat, oats, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, rye, alfalfa, Clover, mustard seeds and many more. I feel a connection to our prairies and am inspired by its surging life.

I created more than 50 of these mixed media works which have toured many galleries in rural Manitoba.

About the Artist:

Naomi Gerrard grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania.  She trained as a registered nurse and completed her B.F.A. in art at the University of Minnesota before immigrating to Canada in 1980 with her Canadian husband and children.  She is an active member of the Winnipeg art community.  In addition to participating in various workshops in Canada and the USA she has also taught classes and workshops.

The subject of her art work centers on family life.  She has often portrayed children at play in a landscape, mothers with children or families interacting.  Art for her is a search for a visual voice, for the light, spirit, sound and tensions of the moment.  She sometimes makes social statements through her art.    

The techniques she uses center around collage in a variety of media.   She makes her own paper and sometimes uses paper fibers to create texture on paper or canvas.  In addition, she incorporates other materials such as thread, yarn, cloth, plaster and prairie seeds, sand and natural materials.  Color is an integral element in her work.  

Art Works in collections include private collections as well as various organizations purchased works from galleries and from donated works such as the Hog Marketing Board, the School Trustees, UNIFEM, Children’s Research Foundation and university, government and church groups.

Publications written about her art include the Free Press and several rural Manitoba newspapers which were covering art exhibitions of her art through the years. Naomi’s art was published in several articles through the years as well as she is included in: Lysenko, T. (Ed), Manitoba Visual Artists Index, 1983, p.28Stoppler, J. Dewar, L. (Ed.), The Manitoba Society of Artists: Artists Directory, 2003.

April 2021

THE WAY WE WERE: Paintings by Lydia Bartel

From April 2 to 28, 2021

Due to the Corona Virus there will be no artist reception.

About the Show:

This show is based on the "The way we were" and how the restrictions and lockdown have forced us to become resilient and creative in our endeavours as artists to survive, regroup and to rethink how to do things differently.  As a result many galleries have had virtual shows to showcase artist's works.

What I have missed most during these times are the freedoms to go out whenever I choose whether that be to an event, art show, music, coffee, cinema or to meet someone for coffee and being inspired by another artist's creativity. 

My art showcases some of these aspects by incorporating paintings with music, instruments, dance as well as an eclectic mix of pieces that have become our "new normalcy" as we once knew it to be.  The restrictions and lockdowns have affected the "cultural aspects" of our lives.   I hope you enjoy this show with renewed energy and the hope that one day things will revert back to "The way we were".

About the Artist:

I have been painting for about nine years now.  I love the vibrant colors that emulate "energy".  I am drawn to nature and landscapes but have  challenged myself to paint something outside my norm for this show.

I always enjoyed doodling as a child and re-visited my creative side in my later years when I was convalescing from a difficult knee replacement surgery.  Acrylic is the medium of my choice.  I hope you enjoy the show for the month of April!

June 2021

THE VIEW FROM MY LENS: Photography by Denise LeBleu

From May 28 to June 29, 2021

Due to the Corona Virus there will be no artist reception.

About the Show:

The collection I will be showing in June is everything I love to photograph; landscape, horses, old vehicles and flora.

About the Artist:

Artist’s Statement: “If these photographs have a mission, it is this: to stir up emotions from scenes of Canada’s High Arctic, the Canadian Prairies and of places I have travelled.” I was born and raised in Carman, Manitoba, in 2010 I moved to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut approximately 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle. In 2019 I followed my heart and returned to my prairie home. My passion started in high school when my graphic arts teacher introduced me to the world of photography. My love of nature and the outdoors are deeply embedded in my soul and for me photography has the power to bring people into the moment I experienced. My work can be found in many private collections across Canada and the United States of America, in The Gwen Fox Gallery in Selkirk, Manitoba, The Golden Prairie Arts Council & Gallery in Carman, Manitoba, Wayne Arthur Gallery in Winnipeg, MB.
 

Contact Information: Denise LeBleu Photographer 

email: deniselebleuimages@gmail.com 

website:

July 2021

'THIS & THAT': New Works & works from the 'CODDIWOMPLE VAULT' by Helma RogueRaiders

From July 1 to July 28, 2021

Due to the Corona Virus there will be no artist reception.

About the Show:

New Works & works from the ‘Coddiwomple Vault’

2017-2021

And a couple of ditties inspired by the pandemic

Whimsy to live by since the covid pandemic has become a life style. Ach, ojeweh, the shame of it all.

2017 and 2018 shows at the Wayne Arthur Gallery were inspired by the freedom of doodling. I created a body of new works entitled ‘Coddiwomples’ and ‘Ueber Coddiwomples’ Many originals sold but some graced my studio walls for a while and some were stored in my ‘vault’. Thus ‘This and That’ found its way to hang on this gallery’s wall.

The meaning of ‘to coddiwomple’

Old English verb - to coddiwomple is to travel in a purposeful manner toward a vague destination

About the Artist:

Helma lives year round at Boundary Creek in a marsh setting along the west beaches of Lake Winnipeg. Over thirty years painting resulted in a unique style authenticated by the H. RogueRaiders signature. She writes poetry about her neck of the woods and was the Bard at local 'folk nights', before a ‘covid lifestyle’ ruled public meetings out.

Helma is one of the founding members of the WINNIPEG BEACH ART + CULTURE/WINNBAC Co-op and created in 2002 the WAVE with the WINNBAC COOP first directors. Her poetry is published in VOICES, the LAKE WINNIPEG WRITERS’ GROUP journal.  

Helma Rogge Rehders received her BFA HONS 1987 from the University of Manitoba.

August 2021

SURPRISED BY JOY?: Paintings and Soft Sculptures by Judy Sutton

From July 30 to September 1, 2021

Due to the Corona Virus there will be no artist reception.

About the Show:

Although covid has caused us to endure a year of great disappointments, overwhelming sadness and deep loneliness, the year has had one positive aspect.  Many of us, drawn outdoors, have been surprised by the joy of nature.   Judy’s paintings celebrate that joy. Using acrylics in a representational style, she paints the music of the world around us.   Her landscapes, most often featuring wildlife, reflect the rhythm, movement and harmony of nature.  An avid gardener, she also loves to paint florals with bold bright strokes.  While her subjects vary, she strives to re-create the simple beauty that crosses our daily paths with paintings that are clean, clear and joyous.  

Judy also creates soft sculptures with fabric, wire and fiberfill.   She has chosen to share with you a large cast of circus characters dressed in bright and slightly tawdry colors that will surely make you smile.   We hope that when you come to the show you too will be ‘surprised by joy’.

About the Artist:

Judy has long been an active member of the local art community.  She served five years on the board of the Selkirk Community Arts Group, four years on the Local Colour Art Group board and was an Organizer of Art Rocks Show and Sale for six years.  Hoping to make her home community an art destination, Judy has helped to organize the East of the Red Artists and their Studio tours and until the pandemic she mounted a new show of local art each month at the East St. Paul Municipal Hall.  As well she is a member of the Manitoba Society of Artists and Assiniboine South Art Group.  Her work has been shown in solo shows at Gwen Fox Gallery and the Piano Nobile Gallery, as well as Art Expo and many other group shows.  Her art has been greatly influenced by the fine artist-teachers that she hosts in Winnipeg for Leading Edge Great Art Workshops.