We always get multiple requests to join our little group but we do not wish to be a large group. After much discussion, and researching the work by different artists wanting to be part of us, we voted and in late 2023 added three wonderful new artists to SOVA.
Angela Burdon, Connie Munson, and Joanna Turlej
The Southern Ontario Visual Artists had a very busy 2023 year, with different exhibitions. October and November we exhibited at the wonderful Alton Mill Arts Centre.
In September the Southern Ontario Visual Artists works were also on display at the Steve Wilson Studios and the Gallery, 4452 Queen St., Niagara Falls. Presenting artists, were Lynden Cowan, Robert Chisholm, Michelle Eissler, Helen Duplassie, Charlene Nickels, Margaret Pardy, Janice Ykema, Daureen Murphy, Joanne Lomas and Steve Wilson
Below you can see some of the works exhibited.
In April the Southern Ontario Visual Artists will be exhibiting at the Gibson Gallery in Alliston and August will see us in Shelburne.
We also did our Annual Wind in the Woods art exhibition and people are now watching for it. Will be doing it again in fall of 2024. Since it is also a Studio Tour weekend for the Alton Mill Arts Centre, I will be in the studios.
As an added bonus when going to the Wind in the Woods, the leaves are just starting to change and a drive in the country is wonderful.
We hope to see you there. 10% of all sales go to the Newfoundland Pony Society for their work in bringing back the critically endangered NL Pony.
STEVE WILSON, SFCA,SOVA,OSA,CFS,SCA
Email: stevesart@gmail.com
As an award winning Artist and Juror, Steve is a signature member of the
Federation of Canadian Artists, an elected member in the OSA, SCA, CFS and
SOVA. He has exhibited nationally and internationally across Canada, the
United States, England, Tasmania and Turkey. He has been featured in many
publications, podcasts and TV, and received the Mayor’s Choice
Award in Niagara Falls Art Competition 2021, and 1st, 3rd and 4th place in 3 different
categories in the 2021 American Art Awards among many other awards.
In his work he strives to evoke an emotion, to create a feeling or message by capturing
in one frame or image a story. As well as challenging the viewer’s perception, in
some cases, he presents a satirical look at the world we live in. Steve tries to
include those little extras that allow the eye to explore and discover hidden gems
or messages. His love for architecture and our urban and suburban landscape
draws him in and challenges the way he portrays our world.
Artist Steve Wilson also has a beautiful gallery in Niagara Falls, Steve Wilson Studios and The Gallery,4452 Queen St. ,Niagara Falls ON L2E 2L3 , and starting in February 2024 is excited to welcome visitors to his second studio that is just down the street from his gallery’ at Exchange Artist Studios ,Steve Wilson.5943 Sylvia Place, Niagara Falls, ON L2G 1S9 . You can see Steve in the second studio only by appointment.
Steve’s beautiful piece 8:10 on Queen was selected for the Signature Members show at the Federation Gallery in Vancouver in October
Below you see some of Steve’s new pieces.
As well as being involved in SOVA exhibitions, and being selected for various competitions, this wonderful skilled artist was also involved in a solo exhibition at the Niagara Falls Art Gallery(8058 Oakwood Drive, Niagara Falls.) in December.
SFCA, OSA, SCA, CFS, SOVA,NOAPS
Lynden Cowan
Life adds new ventures from time to time, and Lynden has been asked to be a regular contributor to the publication https://picturepathway.ca/
which is connected to https://justsayincaledon.com/
Apparently there is community interest in my artwork, so she feels honoured to do a short story on individual paintings
If you scroll to Explore by Contributor and also the Meet the Team page , you will findher.
Above is the photo of a recent commission, titled Five Hundred and Nine Memories This is a 16 by 30 inch oil on gallery wrap canvas and was a gift to their parents from the now grown children as the parents had sold their family home after 36 years to move closer to the grandchildren.
Picture Pathway published a story about this artwork, so you can read more there or on Lynden’s website www.lyndencowan.com
· Lynden was in multiple shows in 2023 , as well as being busy in her studio at the Alton Mill Arts Centre on weekends.
Some of these shows were the Federation of Canadian Artists 2023 Annual International Exhibition, Vancouver, juried, July 2023
The prestigious Kellogg’s International Exhibition, juried, London Ontario, summer 2023 Only one hundred artists ( out of several hundred international) were juried and selected for this important exhibition. Tobermory was one of them
· Toronto Outdoor Art Show, juried, July 2023
· Allied Artists of America , 110 th Juried exhibition Sept 2023
· Woodstock Art Gallery, juried August 2023 to Oct/23
· Artists for Conservation 16th Annual exhibit at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens Sept/23
Lynden felt honoured to be invited to an event hosted by the Ontario's 29th Lieutenant Governor at her Suite in Queen's Park. The occasion was the launch of Breath.Heart.Spirit Exhibition , celebrating the 150 th Anniversary of the Ontario Society of Artists. and after the opening speeches she signed where your artwork was shown in the special catalogue . Winter Solitude, 24 x 30 inch oil on gallery wrapped canvas was the artist’s painting juried and selected for this special event.
As well, Lynden was published multiple times in 2023. Some of these publications were American Art Collector, Western Art Collector (an editorial on the Vancouver Exhibition with the Artists for Conservation, and Southwest Art magazine who were doing an editorial on women artists across North America. Southwest also included Lynden in the Who to Collect in the USA in 2022.
· Canticle Center Gallery, Lourdes University, Slyvania, Ohio Nov/23 to Jan/24
· FCA Perspectives Exhibition, at Etobicoke Civic Centre, Juried Oct/23 & Nov/23
· Studio M Gallery, Colour and Form, juried Nov/23
· Alton Mill Arts Centre, Southern Ontario Visual Artists Oct & Nov/23
· American Art Awards, 5th place out of 72 countries , Realism Landscape Oct/23
· Lynden has started off 2024with having her painting Fishing ( seen below) juried and selected for Visual Arts Mississauga , Why do you Create juried exhibit, Jan /24 to Feb 11th/2024
· Ucluelet, is a 24 by 30 inch oil on gallery wrapped canvas (shown below ) and was one of a small number juried and selected to grace the walls of the Ontario Legislature , for all of 2024. A wonderful Honour.
Guardian is a recent painting, (sold), 16 x 20 and started 2024 off well by being selected by the prestigious Federation of Canadian Artists 2024 Artist’s Choice Online Exhibition. The exhibition runs Feb 1st to Feb 21, 2024.
You can find Lynden most weekends in Studio 202 at the Alton Mill Arts Centre. Commissions accepted lynden@lyndencowan.com
website www.lyndencowan.com
Also on instagram
CHARLENE NICKELS
Charlene had a busy year particularly from the summer to the end. The skilled watercolour artist who now lives on Prince Edward Island , had her work in a couple of local Galleries, Ellen's Creek Gallery & Framing as well as Artisans Waterfront Gallery which is a cooperative of juried PEI artists. As well, the artist shipped her work back to Ontario so she could be included in our SOVA shows in the spring, summer and fall, and then would fly back to visit with everyone and participate in the exhibitions.
Charlene is currently working on a bit of a different aspect of water color and one she have not tried before. There was a lot of experimenting before starting. Below is included 2 of the photos the artist took of the harbour at North Rustico and an early stage of the water colour artwork with the three individual canvases (16"x20") for the tryptic and the finished stages.
HELEN DUPLASSIE
Artist Helen Duplassie had a busy year. As well as being involved with the SOVA exhibitions she was selected for two juried shows in the fall, one at Headwaters Arts and one at Joshua Creek Art Centre. Helen also participated in Elora Plein Air and the Forms, Faces and Spaces Exhibits in Norval and Georgetown.
Helen accepts commissions and did two commissions in 2023, one of an orca and one of a house as well as working on the commission of the St. John, NB house and on a large painting of the Tower of Pisa.
Juried show paintings ”The Colosseum” and “King Street.”
CONNIE MUNSON SOVA
Artist Connie Munson is one of the three new elected members to SOVA. She is a skilled artist in many mediums, and an avid photographer. studiobydesign.ca
Email: ellie73m@gmail.com
Passionate about all things photography, E. Connie Munson has built five darkrooms, and is planning number six. She is an active member of several arts organizations, serving on boards, committees, editor of newsletters, and volunteering as needed.
Showing her work in area galleries, most notably her recent honours have included pieces hung in the a la carte Gallery of the O.L.A. at Queens Park, along with honourable mentions of pieces at Joshua Creek Heritage Arts Centre and Beaux Arts Gallery, plus third place for a piece hung in the Members Only show at the McMichael Gallery.
This is her artist statment that introduces her.
Artist’s Statement
Chasing the light and working with nature’s paintbrush, I travel lightly using available light for hand-held captures of landscape photography and candid portraiture. My Archival Collection,Analogue Meets Digital World, includes Ltd. Ed. art prints from high-res scans of Kodachrome 64slides and B & W negs.The low-angled light of dusk or sunrise, and atmospheric conditions like mist, fog, and approaching storms are my favourite conditions for shooting. The sense of mystery and the unknowable can add to a sense of drama with other nuances in composition heightened.
Ephemeral images with a timeless or iconic feel can emerge out of these shifts and changes in light. The sensuous roll of the hills, cloudscapes, fractal patterning in trees, are components that help me discover the glorious in landscapes. It becomes visceral for me as light plays on forms and shapes while framing shots and later when editing the composition.
My candid portraiture is a focus on our emotional landscapes with the photographer as observer. As people relax into who they are, moments of magnificent feeling can be revealed.Most frequently my focus is of solitary figures, captured spontaneously.
I’ve built five darkrooms, am planning number six, and render both analogue and digital
images on different strata: pigmented prints on canvas or on paper, on aluminum and acrylic. My exploration with digital SLR’s is a new adventure, whether editing in a cell phone or computer.Texture, fabrics, and technical processes fascinate me with their possibilities for printing.
Overall, I hope that my images are compelling for the viewer, connecting them to the universality of our inner truths and awe at the sheer beauty that surrounds us.
Some examples of Connie’s work.
Lynne Schumacher studied commercial art at Central Technical School in Toronto, but decided that painting landscapes were a better fit for her personality. Many hours were spent in study at portrait and life drawing sessions to improve her skills at expressing moods in her work. Her journey has taken her from art shows like Toronto City Hall Art in the Park to McMichael to The Artist Project.
Currently, her work can be seen at the Art Gallery of Ontario and various commercial galleries. Her work has been purchased for many corporate and private collections. She has received many awards for her very realistic nature paintings. The People’s Choice award is the one that she finds most satisfying as it is the public who pass judgement about the quality of the work and who eventually will purchase the pieces.
Artist Lynne Schumacher had a successful 2023 with several of her artworks sold in different galleries.
Below are examples of her work.
DAUREEN MURPHY SOVA
Email: drmurphy3@sympatico.ca
Born in Scotland, raised in Newfoundland, Daureen Murphy is a landscape artist and poet. Her imagination and creativity are influenced by her east coast upbringing. Daureen paints seascapes and landscapes in bold colors seeking the life and spirit of place. Her descriptive poetry is often the origin of a story on canvas.
An avid horse woman and advocate against equine cruelty, Daureen Murphy has embarked on a project of illustrating some of her fantastical equine stories. The epic poem “Whispered” is her most recent project and consists of twelve paintings depicted in verse. This project continues to be exhibited as a solo art show.
As a member of SOVA and Headwaters Arts, her individual pieces have been exhibited in various provincial galleries including but not limited to,
The Steve Wilson Gallery, Niagara Falls, Ontario.
The Helson Gallery, Georgetown, Ontario.
The Sisnett Gallery, Georgetown Ontario.
The Etobicoke Community Centre
Gallery, Etobicoke, Ontario.
Assembly Hall Gallery, Toronto, Ontario.
The Pond Gallery an The Falls Gallery, The Alton Mill Arts Centre.
The Headwaters Arts Gallery, The Alton Mills Arts Centre.
Wind In the Woods Art Show, Mono, Ontario.
Daureen’s work also hangs in numerous private art collections in NL, Ontario and the USA.
During her 35 year career as an artist, Joanna has explored different media, among them watercolours, acrylics, and mixed media. In 2014, her explorations led her to embrace paper collage. Her very specialized and unique technique has rendered her a lot of success. Joanna exhibits nationally and internationally and she is an elected member and president of the Colour and Form Society (CFS).
In 2020, Joanna’s work was accepted to the Government of Ontario Art Collection.
Joanna is an art teacher and a presenter and has taught in art organizations such as Oakville art Society, Oakville Galleries and Oakville Art Studio Inc. In 2022, she began teaching at the Haliburton School of Art, Fleming College. She also teaches via Zoom and was also invited to do a presentation via Zoom for Don Valley Art Club and Clarkson Art Society.
Above you see Artist Joanna Turlej at the IMPACT 2023 at NPCC in Toronto, ON.
Her painting “Magical Garden” was is this exhibition, on the right side of where the artist is standing. A beautiful exhibition of 80 works accepted out of around 360 submissions.
Joanna taught multiple art classes for adults in 2023, but was also juried into many exhibitions. Below you see her beside her artwork titled Contemplation”, a paper collage, 40”x30” at the opening reception of the Colour and Form Society’s 71st Open Juried Exhibition in Mississauga’s art district of Port Credit at the Studio M Gallery, 951 Lakeshore Rd. E. Mississauga, ON
Other examples of Artist Joanna Turlej’s beautiful paper collages.
JANICE YKEMA, OSA, CFS, SCA, CFS, SOVA
Email: janart1@gmail.com
Janice Ykema grew up in Niagara-on-the-Lake in a farming community, but as her art practice grew so did her associations within the art scene. She is a member of Ontario Society of Artists, Colour and Form Society, as well as the Southern Ontario Visual Artists. Janice can be found at the Royal Winter Fair, and was honoured to be selected for the 2015 poster. Her work has been applauded as being both energetic and restful, “a pleasing blend of abstract with realism.” She is included in private, corporate and international collections.
The artist has participated in all the SOVA exhibitions in 2023 and will be joining us in the scheduled 2024 shows.
More examples of the artist’s work below.
ROBERT CHISHOLM, SOVA
Studio: Alton Mills Art Centre, Studio 202B
Email: robertchisholm49@gmail.com
Robert Chisholm is noted for his impressionistic, intuitive style that with a combination of natural colours, and freedom of brush strokes, allows the painting to evolve. This award- winning artist works mainly in acrylic and oils. Born in Nova Scotia, but now residing in Orangeville, his East Coast influence emerges in his landscapes and portraits.
A member of the Headwaters Art Group, and the Southern Ontario Visual Artists, Robert’s artwork is enjoyed in multiple Private and Corporate collections across Canada, the USA and abroad.
As well as participating in several exhibitions in 2023, Artist Robert Chisholm is also a regular exhibitor at the Kawartha's art festival Fenelon Fall fair grounds in the fall.
Above recent artwork by Artist Robert Chisholm, and with fellow SOVA artist Lynne Schumacher.
Artist Angela Burdon has just become a member of SOVA and will be exhibiting with us in 2024.
Angela Burdon’s fascination with the freedom of the spirit is seen in the flowing manes of her wild horses and the luminous beauty of her abstract cloudscapes. She explores her passion for nature and emotion with an adventurous mix of materials and mediums.
Formerly a Palliative Care Nurse, Angela combines the techniques she learned from ateliers in Florence, Barcelona and Seattle with inspiration from such diverse sources as Sorolla, Sargent and Santos, to fuse her traditional training with a contemporary and life-affirming approach to art. Angela has exhibited in multiple cities across Canada, and into the USA.
Below you can see examples of this very skilled artist’s work.
Joanne is an emerging artist and long-time resident of the Simcoe County area and resides in Wasaga Beach, Ontario. She has completed a four year BFA degree with Georgian College and Thompson Rivers University and is beginning a new adventure making art. She is a painter foremost working with acrylics and watercolour, plein air and in studio from photography. Her work is loosely representative to abstract, focusing mainly on landscape and nature. She is also an instructor and for a few years enjoyed a studio in Alton Mills. Currently she is concentrating on traveling and experimenting in digital painting formats. She is an avid Instagram sharer and creator of You Tube explorations of her digital work.
https://youtu.be/rXBySFX43UY
This link will take you to Joanne’s new you tube channel where the artist is posting videos of how her digital photos are created!
Below are more examples of the Joanne’s beautiful artwork.
MARGARET SARAH PARDY, SSA, SCA, OSA, AFC, SOVA
margaret-sarah-pardy.pixels.com
Studio: Alton Mills Art Centre, Studio 203B
Email: sarahs.art@bell.net
Margaret is an international artist and graduate of the Sheridan College Art Fundamentals Program. Her love for animals and nature is what inspires her art and has led her to become a successful wildlife artist. Her works can be found in private collections and shows internationally.
Margaret’s beautiful artwork above is being incorporated into a book cover that will be released April 2024 and is a first for the skilled artist.
Artist Margaret Pardy is well respected for her detailed pet portraits. Above is a recent commission finished for clients.
Golden Boy was been accepted into the JoyII show at the prestigious Summer and Grace private gallery in Oakville.
Wildlife jurors from Galerie Larochejoncas for John B. Aird Gallery's spring 2024 online project selected Evening Blue Heron which is a compilation of a Blue Heron from Parry Sound and the Mill pond from behind the Alton Mill Art Center where the artist’s studio is located.
This wonderful scratchboard was juried and selected for the 2023 fall exhibit in Vancouver also published in a hardcover coffee table book with the Artists for Conservation 2023 show. This was an exciting First time for Margaret to have her work in a hardcover book.
Studio: Alton Mills Art Centre, Studio 203-East
Email: meissler@rogers.com
Michelle Eissler resides in Alliston, Ontario and possesses an Art & Art History degree from the University of Toronto and a diploma from Sheridan College’s Illustration program. She has focused her practice on the exploration of semi-abstracted reality and compositions which challenge the viewer’s perception and interpretation of her surrealistic narratives. She has exhibited locally including Visual Arts Mississauga, Peel Art Gallery, McMichael Art Gallery, Ontario Society of Artists, Quest Gallery, and the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition.
We hope you enjoy following your favourite artists and get the chance in 2024 to visit their studios or see their exhibitions.
All artists accept commissions and you may email them to enquire.
Back to the easel.
SOVA