Doug Carter’s Juke Joint Drawings
September 2 – October 16, Arts Place Gallery, 714 King Street, Port Colborne
Gallery Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 12n – 4:30 pm
Or by appointment: text or leave a message at 289.783.2075
The drawings in this exhibition were sketched inside some of the various bars and pubs I played and drank in throughout my musical career in the Hammer aka Hamilton. The Kenilworth House. The Moosehead. The International. The Colonial. Gliders. And more. Most are all gone now except the Kenilworth. And especially Kilroy’s (formerly the Park House and currently Rolle’s Rockets). And some dance halls around town too. And more recently at Flyers / Readers Café in Dunnville. I sketch with oil based china markers (similar to pastels) which can be smudged or made into washes with a bit of thinners. They are very compatible with oil paints which I also occasionally use. Some sketches I complete on the spot but mostly I collect information and work on them as necessary at home. And from the original sketches some have been turned into black and white woodcuts. The above image is of the Fabulous Thunderbirds at Wentworth House, McMaster University.
New Exhibition
See and read more about George Sanders Remembered at
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/whatson-story/6787031-exhibit-remembers-port-artist/
Portals Plus, Derek Richards
June 3 to July 10, 2016
Arts Place Gallery, 714 King Street, Port Colborne
Hours: Thursday to Sunday, Noon to 4:30 p.m.
Derek was born in Montreal in 1937 and very early began to show a sense of the pictorial. The family moved to the picturesque Eastern Townships where Derek was given a Brownie camera and picked up a childhood interest in landscape and nature photography. Moving to New Brunswick and Europe with a father in the armed forces, he continued an interest in photography, experimenting with darkroom print-making, colour slides, and had a brief fling at free-lance photography.
Married, with 4 children, and after a period in Toronto working for the Ministry of the Environment, he eventually settled in St. Catharines in 1972, to work in computers at the Lincoln County Board of Education. Retired now, Derek’s experience in computers and small-scale computer publishing fostered an interest in digital illustration and printing.
His youthful attempts at chemical print-making have now come full circle with a new technology that provides all the facilities and techniques of the early photo darkroom, but in a context that increases productivity and brings the photo artist closer to achieving some of the expressive and interpretive freedom of water-colourists and other graphic artists. Derek also sees himself as part of a tradition that is sensitive not only to the inner promptings of the artist but to the identity and independence of the subject and its context in the world. Despite a weakness for close-range subjects such as flowers, rockscapes and doorways, he describes himself as a wide-angle, zoom-out kind of guy.
Art Show Looks at Port Colborne Greats
http://www.niagarathisweek.com/whatson-story/6542327-art-show-looks-at-port-colborne-greats/
PORT COLBORNE — Arts Place is taking a look back at the matriarchs of art in the city.
The artist-run cooperative gallery kicked off an exhibit of works by Madelaine Fregren and Mary Prittie last week. The exhibits celebrates two of the gallery’s founding members and cornerstones of the Port Colborne art community up until May 29.
“They are the matriarchs of the art scene in Port Colborne,” said gallery coordinator Joyce Honsberger.
Fregren, who now lives in Oakville, was known for her effortless watercolours of still life scenes ranging from birds to landscapes to floral depictions.
Prittie, who passed away in 1999, exhibited extensively throughout southern Ontario and was recognized for her unique colour harmonies, feathery drawing and bold depections in oils, watercolour, batik, ink and charcoal.
Honsberger recalled Prittie, never one to work from photos, often painted on site, usually in her car. She remembers Prittie choosing a new vehicle based on how the dashboard would allow her to paint.
“They were really bright lights,’ said Honsberger, noting both taught with a contagious enthusiasm in the city.
“They had this buoyant spirit,” she said.
On opening reception will be held this Saturday, May 7, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The gallery is located at 714 King St. and is open from noon to 4:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.
thanks to Steve Henschel
Steve Henschel is a reporter and award-winning photographer covering the communities of Welland, Pelham, Port Colborne and Wainfleet for Niagara This Week in addition to contributing to Niagara Life magazine. He has a passion for telling the stories of those living in south Niagara and hopes to one day take life seriously. Follow him on Twitter.
New Exhibit, Paintings by France Duff
“Wanderings“ France Duff
January 30 – April 1;0
Opening Reception, Sunday February 7, 2 – 4 pm
.
Gallery Hours: February, Saturday & Sunday 12n – 4pm
March, Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 12n – 4pm
April, Thursday – Sunday, 12n – 4pm
Click here to read about France in Niagara This Week / The Leader
France was born and raised in Quebec and has called Welland her home for many years. She was introduced to the world of music at an early age. It opened up a taste for other aspects of the art world, leading to experiences in fashion, jewelry and beauty. She later turned to architecture and design, graduating from Niagara College in Interior Design. As she practiced as a designer for a number of years, she found she was always working in very structured presentations. Realizing that she wanted to be freer, she was able to express herself more naturally in painting. What started as an interest and hobby turned into a focused exploration of watercolour and acrylic, mainly landscape, seascape and still life. France has taken studies from local artists and has recently become a member of Arts Place Art Gallery. She won a Welland Rose Festival Juried Art Show award in 2015.
France describes her creative interests, “My painting is representational, based on my sensitivity to the colours of nature, and the details of plant life and the built environment. Experiencing the awakening of nature from its dormant state , and the differences I saw in landforms on my travels have further inspired me. My greatest happiness is to show the viewer the beauty of nature I see all around me.“
Upcoming events at the Gallery:
Annual Silent Auction, Sunday, April 17, 2 – 4pm
Don’t miss this “Rite of Spring” as we begin to assemble original paintings,
jewelry, home décor items, artwork and special surprises for an afternoon of fun
and support of Arts Place Gallery. If you have any items you’d like to donate
for the Silent Auction, please call Joyce at 905.899.1519 or the Gallery at 905.834.9060
to arrange pickup or drop-off.
