MEET OUR TALENTED MAKERS FOR 2017
Andrea Ellis
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Andrea is the talent behind Buells Creek Chic. She does custom hand-painting of vintage & antique furniture. She appreciates the wisdom of older pieces and recognizes the treasure that heirloom furniture represents.
It's amazing how a touch of paint and a distressed/ antiqued finish can make you love your furniture again.
It's amazing how a touch of paint and a distressed/ antiqued finish can make you love your furniture again.
Angela Verlaeckt Clark
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Angela Verlaeckt Clark, an international stone sculptor, warm glass artist and poet, now lives in Ottawa. She was born in Sherbrooke, Québec. Her tactile, abstract sculptures are emotional, nature-inspired shapes with a voice she translates into a poem. Her glass art is a riot of richly hued, vibrant, joyous colour that fractures in the light. Beauty, strength, and grace define both her mediums and instinct is her guide.
Angela is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA), the Sculptors Society of Canada (SSC) and a member of the International Sculpture Center (ISC) in the USA. She has exhibited with the Society of Women Artists (SWA) and the Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) in London. She returned to Canada in 2009. |
Betty Matthews
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Betty is an artist living in Gananoque Ontario. She works in watercolour, acrylic and acrylic collage.
Betty believes that art plays an important part in everyone's life, whether as a hands-on approach, or simply for the sake of enjoyment. There are many different forms of art - including visual - and she is very happy to be a part of that world.
Betty believes that art plays an important part in everyone's life, whether as a hands-on approach, or simply for the sake of enjoyment. There are many different forms of art - including visual - and she is very happy to be a part of that world.
Carolyn Barnett
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Carolyn has been an artisan for thirty five years. Her field of endeavour is textiles, her canvas the human body, her tools are her hands and domestic knitting machines and wet wool. Carolyn has made knit garments, felted garments, wearable art, one at a time, primarily for women but has done extensive work for both men, children, commercials and the theatre. Now she is transitioning to working mostly with her hands, wool and a lot of water to bring the wet felting she has used initially for collars now to a whole garment.
Carolyn's training includes her Mother (who spun and wove), primary school in England, one year of Fashion at college and seminars over the years. She holds an Early Childhood Education diploma and shares her art through seminars and workshops. Clothes are a necessity, for modesty and warmth so they are always with us, Carolyn just wants to have fun with them. As a textile artist she works with natural fibres like wool and silk in both her knitting and felting. She loves the freedom from structure she has with felting, creating a fabric, using colours freely, experimenting with what will work technically and what won’t and how to make the ‘won’ts, into ‘wills’. With hard work Carolyn has had her knits commented on as they traveled the world; New Zealand, Italy and the Cannes Film Festival, she hopes to do the same with her felted work. |
Christel Klocke
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Christel is a retired college teacher in her field of Gold and Silver smithing.
Christel’s jewellery combines practiced bench work with artistic excellence using sculptural shapes, various textures and colours of metals and gemstones. Her goal is to create an interesting piece of jewellery that exhibits balance, beauty and a sense of design in its composition. Some pieces are meant to be worn only for a few hours, some for days and others all the time, however, all should make you feel extremely happy. |
Diana Earle
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After a long career as a production potter, Diana Earle is now officially playing. Sculpture is her game! "I just want to make what I want to make. It is so exciting to be juicy again. Working on a piece for weeks or a month is a luxury I have earned. The more ambitious it is, and the more difficult it is, the more excited I am."
Themes grab Diana's imagination, and she delves into them through a series. "I've been exploring water, organic growth, and dance. Body language is always important. Dance movement is developing, accelerated by more texture.
Themes grab Diana's imagination, and she delves into them through a series. "I've been exploring water, organic growth, and dance. Body language is always important. Dance movement is developing, accelerated by more texture.
Fraser Radford
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Fraser Radford was born in 1987 in Brockville, Ontario. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Art History, with a minor in Religious Studies (graduated in 2009) from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, a Fine Arts diploma from St. Lawrence College in Brockville, Ontario (2014), and a post-graduate certificate in Studio Process Advancement from the Haliburton School of the Arts (2014). He has held numerous volunteer and paid positions at galleries and museums in Kingston, Toronto and Brockville. He has apprenticed with Shayne Dark, one of Canada's prominent sculptors based out of Kingston, Ontario.
His work is represented by Rothwell Gallery in Ottawa, Ontario, and Denison Gallery in Toronto, Ontario. His work is held in numerous private collections in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia, and has been exhibited across North America. His work has also been published in several magazines in Canada, and the U.S, as well as The Peace Project, a catalogue produced by Gallery 9 in Culver City, California in 2010. |
Holly Dean
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Holly shapes her organic and geometric forms with layers of paint, collage and transfers. Lines and texture weave across her tactile surfaces, concealing, then revealing what came before as she scratches and scrapes. She repeats the process of layering and excavating until her fantastical worlds come to life.
Holly's paintings may be subtle, atmospheric, spacious, dreamlike; or maybe it's a day when they become playful, dramatic, full of mystery and tangles, light spearing through the darkness. — calling to mind the haunting music of Clannad, the lyrical prose of Patricia McKillop’s novels, the richly woven tapestries of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. They are offerings of her inner world — an instinctive reaching out to share the magical serendipity that brings us all together. |
Ingrid Schmidt
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Ingrid received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Queen's University and her Fine Arts Diploma from St. Lawrence College in Kingston.
Ingrid paints mainly in oils, watercolour and liquid acrylic in a fresh expressionistic style. The mighty St Lawrence river and the rugged landscape offer constant inspiration. Her large landscapes are distinguished by strong composition, the use of bold colours and gestural brush marks. In her floral paintings she is more interested in capturing the essence of the flower than giving an exact rendering. She is a founding member of the very successful artist run V.A.G.A. Art Gallery (Visual Artists of Gananoque and Area), and an exhibiting member of TIFAA, the Thousand Islands Fine Art Association. |
Jennifer Abrams
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Originally from Gananoque, Jennifer now lives in Ottawa pursuing her two passions – jewellery design and integrated, interpretive dance.
Fascinated with stones from an early age and inspired by the beauty of nature, she really enjoys designing and creating one of a kind originals - pendants, bracelets and necklaces. Workshops in wire techniques, lamp-working, knotting and lapidary - the cutting and polishing of stones - added new dimensions to her designs. She is most inspired by creating casual or elegant pieces working with nature’s amazing treasures. Jennifer's Variations Collection features individually selected or hand polished semi-precious stones, shells, crystals and fossils from her local area and around the world. Sterling silver or gold filled wire accent the personality, shape and texture of each handcrafted piece. Creating jewellery, like dance, is a soothing or energizing experience depending on the properties of the stone or the rhythm of the music. She loves designing custom pieces, using your treasured memento or a personally selected stone from her collection. Jennifer's designs are appreciated and worn across Canada, the USA and UK. She is delighted to bring pleasure to customers and beauty to every day. |
John Schweighardt
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John's interaction and involvement with a stone grave marker for a family plot in 2004 and particularly his experience with the artist who carved that marker planted the seeds of curiosity and intrigue that led to his interest in working in stone.
Dabbling at first with very basic tools and creating small objects with local found stone served to increase John's curiosity and led to expanding his repertoire of tools and what he did with them. He began showing and selling his work in the spring of 2008 and in 2009 John turned away from his long standing post as a carpenter and contractor to work solely as a stone artist. Without formal schooling in the arts and without formal training as a carver, his own mistakes have been his best teacher and John's extensive experience with tools in his previous life has also proved to be an asset. Over the years John ventured farther afield from his home in Lanark County, while staying within Ontario's borders to collect new and interesting stones to work with, work that he has been showing and selling at shows across Ontario since 2009. As well as some representation in stores and galleries, John's website too has been a valuable asset in promoting and selling his work. Works of art that have found homes across Canada, the US, Australia, and Europe. |
John Sorensen
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John's background as an architectural antique dealer and passion for ballroom dancing influence his choice of subject matter. He uses the rich warm colours and texture obtained from traditional oil paint to interpret his two primary interests – old room interiors and “ordinary” people dancing or just sharing a quiet moment together.
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Kevin Juckers
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Woodsparrow Fine Furniture and Design was established in April 2013 by Kevin Juckers. The company focuses on solid woodworking for the home, including items such as tables, dressers, beds, and wardrobes as well as custom interior doors and stairs. Woodsparrow also constructs kitchen cabinets and furniture and replicates and restores parts of furniture if they are missing or damaged.
Kevin Juckers developed a passion for woodworking at a young age. During secondary school he participated in all of the wood shop classes and was able to work alongside Canadian prolific writer, speaker, and geographer, Dr. James Raffan, to restore a 13 foot canvas canoe. He graduated as an honours student from both Algonquin College’s Cabinetmaking and Furniture Technician Program in 2009 and Carpentry and Millwork – Heritage Program in 2011. Upon graduation he worked for a few professors from Algonquin College and assisted in building new cabinets for the wood shop in the newly located Algonquin College Perth campus. He furthered his skills by attending the “Studio Veneering Techniques” course with Adrian Ferrazzutti at Rosewood Studio. At present he continues to work on developing his business in the beautiful 1000 Islands Region. |
Kitty Kelly
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613-704-1138
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Kitty's passion is painting - she wants to share what she sees and feels by putting it onto canvas with the hope that the viewer experiences those senses as well.
Self taught, Kitty has always been interested in the world of art and is now immersed full time in painting. Her favourite medium is acrylic, however, oil & watercolour are sometimes used. She was born in Toronto, Ontario & has lived in Australia, Victoria, B.C., P.E.I and now resides in Brockville, Ontario.
Self taught, Kitty has always been interested in the world of art and is now immersed full time in painting. Her favourite medium is acrylic, however, oil & watercolour are sometimes used. She was born in Toronto, Ontario & has lived in Australia, Victoria, B.C., P.E.I and now resides in Brockville, Ontario.
Larry Thompson
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Greyweathers Press was founded in 2005 on a love of beautifully designed type arranged skillfully on a well-proportioned page. My original intent was to print letterpress books, although that ideal has grown to include an interest in creating linocuts, woodcuts and wood engravings. All work is hand printed on a Vandercook letterpress proofing press. The traditional printer’s craft, now largely forgotten, comes into play, as mastery of the final product demands that the printer must also be designer, illustrator, engraver, technician and occasionally inventor.
In the grand tradition of printing history, and with all the vanity implied, Greyweathers Press takes a biblical turn with Ecclesiastes, a penance by the printer in respect of the passage of time and life. It represents the most ambitious project undertaken by the Press to date. Ecclesiastes is one of those very satisfying books of the bible on which no scholars can seem to agree about much. The ambiguity and contrast make for an interesting tension, and with the almost Shakespearian language of the King James Version, these contentious verses harmonize into one of the most beautiful prose-poems of the Western canon. |
Lea Hamblett
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The creative spirit behind The Artful Dragon Studio is Lea Hamblett, who has been creating artwork using multi-media applications since 1984.
Originally from England, Lea and husband Phil, now call the beautiful Thousand Islands area of Eastern Ontario home. They live in their home hidden away in wooded lot surrounded by nature’s bounty. They are also close to the river where they keep their sailboat. Nature has always been an important inspiration and most of Lea’s early artwork was of wildlife or natural scenery. Over the years, Lea has produced porcelain, paintings, pencil drawings, pen and ink artwork using the pointillism technique, quilts and embroidery. Lea is now designing and creating, by hand, wearable art jewelry in .999 fine silver, glass, polymer clay, resin, wood and resin and silver wire. The new collections for 2017 will include a technique that paints pictures with clay. |
Margot Miller
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Margot Miller has taught at Sheridan College, St. Lawrence College, Queen’s University and Sir Sandford Fleming College. She is an Honour Graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design University and the Ecotourism Management Programme, Fleming College.
She worked in the textile design industry in India and has traveled extensively in India and Asia, documenting traditional textile techniques. Currently she teaches and operates her own textile studio and shop in the village of Rockport. She is a recipient of a Design Canada Award and has exhibited at numerous galleries including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Film Board of Canada and the Ontario Craft Council. Her passion is a dedication to preserving our natural and cultural resources and she is a past board member of the Leeds Stewardship Council and the Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Association. She is presently a member of theThousand Islands Residents Association and a board member of the Thousand Islands Arts Centre, Home of the Handweaving Museum, in Clayton, N.Y. She has been involved in the Dry Stone Wall Across Canada Association and leads tours to visit dry stone structures in various countries. |
Monica Viola
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Monica was born in Santiago de Chile. She has always been fond of drawing and painting. She studied Art at the Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Bellas Artes and graduated in 1983 as an Artificer specializing in Metalwork. In 1999, Monica took a pottery class in Vancouver and fell in love with clay and functional pottery. When working with clay, she likes to introduce a playful quality to her work that is a spontaneous reflection of her own cultural background. Since clay is her vehicle of expression, she tries to stretch its versatility by bringing together her love for drawing and shape.
Monica's glass fusing began in 2012. It offered her a different element to compose with. Working with glass offers a transparency that clay does not offer. Today, her work continues to evolve in every media. Her latest work is a reinterpretation of her own early work. Monica made a series of dry pastel drawings called “Interchange” and these images have now found their way into her ceramic art. Monica continues to be playful, marrying new ideas and techniques to her culture and artistic growth. Her work is not a complete circle, but a joyous evolution of ideas. |
RND Shop
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The RND Shop est. 2010 by Laura Starkey and Jamie Carter
Laura uses both block printing and silk-screening methods, exclusively on fine linen. Drawing from her original paintings, drawings and computer renderings she creates new and fresh textile patterns in the form of tablecloths, napkins, pillows, tea towels, dishcloths, hand towels and facecloths. The RND shop uses 100% natural Linen. Linen is one of the strongest and longest lasting natural fibres, 2-3 times stronger than cotton. It is a comfortable, breathable fibre that is easy to care for, just wash and dry. Linen will also wick away moisture and inhibits the growth of bacteria. Making it the best choice for textile use in the home. Everything at the RND shop is designed & printed and sewn in house. In addition, Jamie creates home decor items from wood, including butcher block cutting boards, tables, and custom furniture. He uses Hardwoods exclusively in his Chop Blocks, predominately Walnut, Maple, Hickory and Beech. The new wood is always North American Varietals and the reclaimed hardwood can range from Jojoba to Purple Heart. Jamie lets each piece dictate the form. Everything at the RND shop is built in house. The paintings on our website are created by Laura. Laura has been an artist most of her life. The new series she is working on is about layering, discovering and exposing who she is. Nothing is planned. Each starts out messy and dark and focuses on letting go. "Each layer opens up more and more. It is exciting to see where I am going." L.S. |
Stephen Elliott
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613-382-2689
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“ Steve creates still life constructions from re-purposed bits and pieces that are too interesting to discard.”
Steve worked with still life as a painter, as a printmaker, and now as an assemblage artist. Through his current work he selects visually interesting bits from objects, from old structures and machines, and reshapes them into contemporary sculptures. Through these assemblages he creates a new object of aesthetic interest that merges memories of a past life with a new reality. These truly eclectic constructions are partially recognized and surprisingly new.
Steve worked with still life as a painter, as a printmaker, and now as an assemblage artist. Through his current work he selects visually interesting bits from objects, from old structures and machines, and reshapes them into contemporary sculptures. Through these assemblages he creates a new object of aesthetic interest that merges memories of a past life with a new reality. These truly eclectic constructions are partially recognized and surprisingly new.
Studio Vine Glass
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Studio Vine Glass is a company founded on the principals of quality and design in Canadian glass. Combining the endless pursuit of mastery of skill with the unique qualities of the material itself, Claire and Steven utilize this captivating material to it's fullest potential. They combine a variety of skills and both contemporize traditional products and create completely new and thought-provoking sculptures.
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Winona Elliott-Schep
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613-382-2689
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Winona is a painter who, for more than 20 years, has been working with the interesting surface qualities made possible through the encaustic process (painting with wax and pigment). Her work has strong formal qualities that reveal an interest in texture, colour and shape as main expressive elements. Her concerns with the formal aspects of visual art are enriched, often in a lyrical way, with a complimentary narrative and iconographic overtones.
Winona studied Art History, Fine Art and Education at Queen’s University and photography at St. Lawrence College. She works from her studio in Gananoque. Winona has been a member of the Society of Canadian Artists and Ontario Society of Artists and has been active in regional arts initiatives for many years. She retired from a rich career of teaching art and photography in order to devote her time to work on her own creative pieces.
“Hanging by a thread and snapping lines capture the anticipation of energy released through the loss of control. Threads that string together remnants, delicate, broken lines, express the energy of change, the tension between being suspended and falling - controlled uncertainty.”
Winona studied Art History, Fine Art and Education at Queen’s University and photography at St. Lawrence College. She works from her studio in Gananoque. Winona has been a member of the Society of Canadian Artists and Ontario Society of Artists and has been active in regional arts initiatives for many years. She retired from a rich career of teaching art and photography in order to devote her time to work on her own creative pieces.
“Hanging by a thread and snapping lines capture the anticipation of energy released through the loss of control. Threads that string together remnants, delicate, broken lines, express the energy of change, the tension between being suspended and falling - controlled uncertainty.”