by Anya Shor
Any time my family moves, the first thing we do is hang the art. It doesn’t matter if the house needs work—and believe me, each one was a project. Until we pull out the sledgehammer, the art stays up. Because, it doesn’t matter if the paint is chipped or perfect, any artless room feels equally soulless. Seeing the familiar worlds contained within the frameworks of our beloved art pieces immediately confirms “home.”
One of my favourite pieces is a photo-based work by Winnipeg artist Sarah Anne Johnson. It’s a photograph of a bearded man (titled as such), who is part of a clay diorama created by the artist, depicting tree-planters standing near a field. But the photograph only zones in on this particular man, standing cross-armed in a navy wool sweater and beanie looking down at the viewer with a challenging gaze. I like him, but I can’t quite decide if he’s a protector or antagonist. It’s as if his purposeful and slightly reproachful look is saying, “Ok, you’re here now, don’t just stand there, what’s next?” But he’s a friend, or rather the artwork is. Bearded Man keeps me grounded.
I’d like to believe that everyone, somewhere inside, innately understands this essence about art—how it makes a home feel complete, with feeling and character; how it grounds us where we are while simultaneously reminding us there are worlds beyond. And yet, why is it mostly treated as an afterthought?
Long after the architects and designers have cleared out, the walls often remain bare. Sometimes for years!
For many the word art evokes images of stark white spaces and intimidating gallerists in black outfits. For most it seems an unattainable luxury. But art is so much more than that, and not nearly as elusive. In fact, art is everywhere. There are so many ways to create artful spaces that inspire without breaking the bank or breaking open a textbook. Art doesn’t need to be pretty, it doesn’t need to please everybody, and it certainly doesn’t need to be intimidating or expensive. It can be unexpected, unpredictable, and perhaps, like the Bearded Man, a little bit challenging.
And it most definitely does not only live on walls. Creating a sophisticated “artful” space is to fill it with art of multiple mediums, objects of design, sculptures, textiles and tapestries—all of which speak to one another in a complementary or playful way, and make a space more interesting. Art fills a space with stories, emotion and dreams.
In other words, it makes a home.
Cheers, Anya
Andrew Peycha
Georgian Bay Pines
oil on canvas, 36” x 60”
Andrew Peycha works in contrasts. His linear landscapes evoke the feeling of the familiar as if viewed through a digital lens. The effect is both modern and impressionistic, simplistic yet intricate. The geometrics create a kaleidoscopic effect which puts the light-play at the forefront of the viewer’s contemplation.
Available at
andrewpeycha.com
tremontstudios.ca
Robin Sheard Nyikos
Above and Below
charcoal on paper, 35” x 26”
Robin Nyikos is a student of light. From her earliest years drawing and painting on the shores of Georgian Bay, Nyikos has been fascinated by the way light impacts a visual moment and informs the emotional experience of a particular time and place. Nyikos works in charcoal, pastels and oils en plein air and from her studio in Collingwood.
Available at
Kristine Moran
The Dance
oil and acrylic on linen, 72” x 60”
Born in Montreal, Kristine Moran now resides and paints in Owen Sound. Having studied fine arts extensively, earning a BFA from the Ontario College of Art and Design, followed by an MFA from Hunter College, New York, Moran brings a level of critical value to her prolific body of work which has been recognized in exhibitions across New York and Toronto. Moran’s work has appeared in leading international art publications, and is part of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum collection.
Available at
Patricia Gray
The Soul of a Place
acrylic on wood panel, 17.5” x 17.5” (framed)
Patricia Gray is a full-time artist of Mi’kmaq ancestry who grew up in northern Ontario, now living and working in Lion’s Head. Patricia’s work reflects her extensive studies in psychology and healing, and a profound personal connection with the natural world. Layering materials,
such as acrylics and glazes on wood panels, Gray creates a textural depth that engages her viewers and brings them closer to a truer sense of being.
Available at
Kara McIntosh
Layering by Rhythm
oil on wood panel, 30” x 40”
Kara McIntosh’s abstracted landscapes reveal the work of a skilled colourist. Deploying a palette which expresses an inner response to the experiential essence of a time and place, McIntosh’s brushwork suggests an instinctual fluidity of movement. Her work invites the viewer into an ever-changing experience, discovering something new from within and out, with each encounter.
Available at
Bryan Wall
Near Britt
oil on wood panel, 10” x 12”
A graduate of fine arts from Western University and a full-time landscape artist since 2005, Bryan Wall paints en plein air, often composing small, jewel-like works in the wild as studies for larger canvases. Wall’s works are elemental, drawn from the natural beauty of rock, water and snow surrounding his Collingwood studio.
Available at
Jon Houghton
Georgian Bay Pine
oil on canvas, 60” x 40”
After years of studying art in Canada and Greece, Jon Houghton came back to the Southern Georgian Bay area he grew up in and opened a studio gallery in downtown Collingwood. Houghton’s smooth application of oil paint, and vibrant palette, give his landscapes a uniquely graphic effect that feels modern and fresh.
Available at
Rod Prouse
Spring Dance on a Northern Lake
acrylic on wood panel, 36”x 36”
Born in England, Rod Prouse graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design and has been living on the shores of Georgian Bay since 1977. Prouse approaches his subject of landscapes organically, allowing the painting to spring to life through a process of immediate observation and mark-making, as opposed to methodical planning. Prouse has exhibited extensively in Canada and beyond, including at the prestigious McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg, Ontario.
Available at
