Days of Winter Past

Group Exhibition | November 5, 2019 to January 11, 2020 | Free Admission
Opening Reception | November 9, 2019 | 1 to 4 p.m. | Free Admission
Newmarket Old Town Hall (460 Botsford Street), Serpa Galleries

Gallery Hours & Closures due to Private Events: Newmarket.ca/OTHexhibits

Explore the winter season through the paintings of eight Ontario-based professional artists, in which they have captured their own intimate experience and unique perception of this beautiful and unforgiving season.

*Guided Art Tours available by appointment for Groups and Schools. Fees apply. To inquire, contact Logan Bales at [email protected] phone: 905 953 5313 EXT 2845 .

Artists: Nathalie Bertin, JoEllen Brydon, George Keltika, Ken Kirsch, Sue Miller, Lydia Pepin, Dave Rheaume, and Priyanta Sanyal. 

Curated by Sue Miller and Dave Rheaume.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES 

Nathalie Bertin is Métis, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with documented roots in Michilimackinac & Nipissing, and of Métis, French and Weskarini Algonquin ancestry. Bertin's style is often described as luminescent, energetic, bold and colourful. A self-confessed "colour junkie", she is inspired by the way light filters through stain-glass windows, the layering of colours in printing processes, Woodland artists and the northern European Masters.

Bertin's current body of work focuses on positive images of indigenous women as a means of confronting the romanticized depictions of females as seen throughout art history. She focuses especially on the women role models who have had an impact on her. Her aim is to present a different view of indigenous women – one that is positive, powerful, knowledgeable, gentle and kind.

Several of Bertin's projects are also inspired by traditional storytelling. In 2018, Bertin was awarded an Ontario Arts Council project grant for the creation a series of beaded "Moccushions©" that interpret traditional stories for future generations. The first 8 Moccushions are scheduled for completion by the first half of 2020. Previously, some of Bertin's story illustrations about the Northern Lights were reproduced by the Royal Canadian Mint on collector coins for release in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Her work can be found in collections of the Government of Manitoba, Government of Alberta, corporate organizations and private collectors across Canada, the US, Europe and Africa.

Website: nathaliebertin.com Twitter: @NBertinArt | Instagram: @bertin.nathalie

JoEllen Brydon was born in Toronto and grew up in the farming community of Cavan Township, Ontario, Canada. Her work, which documents our history, has been used in academic research and cited in text and history books.

My illustrative style was not a conscious choice, but rather an evolution and reflection of life with a cast of characters. They taught me how to perceive and relay a curious event in a simple way to reveal the true essence of a story. My paintings, tell the day to day antics of people I meet as well as tales of my family rooted in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and in Canada. Throughout my career I have worked on paintings and projects that explore buried stories and forgotten local histories. I pay special attention, in my work, to the telling of the tale. My objective is to recapture lost histories and simple stories, which become woven into the fabric of a culture.

Brydon is represented in two national collections; The Art Bank of Canada and the Canadian Museum of History as well as in many private collections in North America and the UK. Brydon has exhibited in both publicly funded and commercial galleries in Canada, the US and Ireland She has won several awards and grants over the years.

George Keltika lives in Holland Landing. He retired as Head of Arts at Pickering College in Newmarket where he worked as a teacher for 25 years. Originally from Windsor Ontario, George graduated there with a Bachelor of Fine Arts In 1979. He completed a Bachelor of Education in '83. His diverse background includes working as a pictorial artist for an advertisement company, instructing life drawing at St. Clair College (Windsor), to teaching at a northern Ontario First Nations community (Sandy Lake).  After his undergrad, he helped found Windsor's first and only artist run gallery called Artcite. It still thrives after 36 years. Although George has been exhibiting his paintings for the past 40 years, retirement has afforded him new opportunities. He now immerses himself back to his art and by extension, to a community of artists within the region. The colder months find George at his easel painting unconventional interpretations of his local environment. In the summer, he embarks on traditional plein-air painting trips. New works continually emerge from his studio adding to his large repertoire of paintings.

Facebook: @TheArtofGeorgeKeltika | Instagram: @georgekeltika

Kenneth M. Kirsch was born and lives in Toronto Canada. He received a Graphic Design education from Seneca College of Applied Arts in the late 1970s and has had a very successful career in Graphics and Advertising in Toronto. Working with acrylic paint on stretched canvas, Ken paints the Canadian Landscape that he knows and loves in his own unique Realist-freehand style. He has participated in over 45 Art Shows and Events in over 40 years and has earned much acclaim with many newspaper articles, TV and Radio interviews. He received "Best in Show" in 2014 and "Top10 Artist" in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015 at the prestigious Canadian McMichael Collection Annual Autumn Art Show in Kleinberg. Kenneth was also honoured in 2014 with "Recognition of Distinction" from the Alumni at his old school, Seneca College of Art and Design, which he attended 40 years ago.His paintings may be seen in hundreds of fine art galleries and private art collections worldwide, at an ever-increasing demand and price.

Website: www.kenkirsch.com

Sue Miller made painting her professional focus in 2015 after a career as a freelance graphic designer. Largely self-taught, she has taken a variety of classes at OCAD University and Loyalist College.

Recent awards/recognitions include Top 10 Artist at the McMichael Gallery Autumn Art Sale, a profile in the International Artist Magazine (Aug/Sept 2019 issue), 1st Award of Excellence from the Society of Canadian Artists, and Town of Whitby Public Art Project Winner. Miller has been juried into exciting exhibitions such as the Next2 Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Arts & Letters Club Toronto, a number of Federation of Canadian Artists and the Society of Canadian Artists Exhibitions, as well as exhibitions with the National Oil & Acrylic Painters' Society. In November 2018, she was asked by Tim Packer to participate in a group show called Crossing Paths. She was awarded Signature Status in the Federation of Canadian Artists (AFCA) and is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and the Ontario Society of Artists, as well as a proud member of the Whitby Sunrise Rotary Club.

Website: www.SMillerArt.com | Facebook: @SueMillerArt | Instagram: @suepmiller | YouTube: Sue Miller Art

Lydia Pépin is an Ottawa based oil painter and portraitist. She worked in the animation industry as an artist and manager, before dedicating herself to her painting career, as well as teaching at Algonquin College. She has exhibited at galleries and events across Ontario, and has paintings in private collections across the world. Her portrait commissions include the painting of Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, on permanent display at City Hall, and the portrait of David Grimes, President at United Nations World Meteorological Organization, on permanent display at the UN building in Geneva. Lydia Pépin has recently been featured in the Huffington Post, the Ottawa Life and the Ottawa at Home Magazine.

Website: http://lydiapepin.com | Twitter: @LydiaPep  | Instagram: @lydia_pepin | Facebook: @LydiaPepin

Dave Rheaume is a self-taught Toronto-based artist of Métis heritage. In addition, he is a curator, lecturer and book illustrator.  His film-making background shows through in his paintings, with their sense of story, composition and lighting.  Many of Dave's paintings have sold to private collectors in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.  In addition to many group and private shows, he has exhibited at the McMichael Autumn Art Show and the Ottawa Art Expo.  He is featured as an "Artist to Collect" in the winter 2014 issue of Arabella Magazine. 

Website: www.daverheaume.com |  Instagram and Facebook: @daverheaumeartist | Twitter: @DaveRheaume

Priyanta Sanyal was born in India. She began taking art lessons at an early involving a wide variety of subjects and techniques like landscapes, cityscapes, portraits and still life using acrylic medium. However, she did not really think of pursuing a career in art until recently. In fact, working full time as a Banker, since finishing college, she was not able to devote a lot of time to art, even as a hobby. In 2016, she moved to Canada with her husband, and settled in Mississauga. After taking a few months to get used to her new life, she decided to take up painting again. Initially this was purely for leisure, but as time passed, she started to think about devoting her time and energy to it full time, and to make a career of it. Priyanta has always been inspired and fascinated by landscape vistas. Her love for travel provided her with an opportunity to explore nature and the wilderness, allowing her to draw inspiration for her projects. Currently she is focusing on landscapes that range from mountains to seasides, inspired by both her own travels and her those of her friends.

Website: www.priyantasanyalart.com | Facebook: @PriyantaSanyalArt | Instagram: @priyanta_sanyal_art