September Highlights

Until October 3rd, we have on display some wonderful figurative work in oil, watercolour and bronze.
We are pleased to introduce striking figurative paintings in oil by Jay Li, Kanata area artist. Jay Li was born in 1962 in Guangzhou, in southern China. He completed his B.F.A at the Guangzhou Fine Arts Academy and then taught at the Fine Arts College of Canton, China for five years. Jay Li continued his studies first in Melbourne, Australia and then Europe developing his technique in oil painting. He has been living in Canada since 1998. Jay Li uses symmetry as well as warm and cool colours to create his compositions. He uses variations of the same themes to obtain new perspectives and pictorial space. He says of his philosophy, the painting is an impenetrable surface that seeks to establish balance between objects, space, colours and surface.


Shirley Mancino shows a selection of eight of her latest figurative watercolours painted in India in early 2009. Interesting studies of people engaged in activities captured during her travels are created using the beautiful local Indian paper. Shirley Mancino is a well known Westport/Perth area artist who travels to paint and paints to travel.

See Holly Atkinson's exquisite bronze sculptures on exhibition which include a mix of figures including an adorable big eyed lemur, a dragon, bird and a penguin, and frogs in a pond scene. Holly is a Toronto area sculptor who spends time at her Sharbot Lake cottage in summer.

Gallery News - Gallery to be closed September 1 - 11, 2009

Tay River Gallery will be closed from September 1 to September 11, 2009. We are taking a short vacation after a busy summer - escaping to the beautiful Georgian Bay area. We also have some minor renovations to the flooring to complete at the gallery during this period.

The gallery will reopen on Saturday September 12th, 2009. Highlights this month will include new watercolours by Shirley Mancino, completed on her trip to India this past winter; figurative works in oil by Jay Zhi Jian Li, Kanata artist and bronze sculptures by Holly Atkinson. There is also an ongoing exhibit of over 100 works by other gallery artists.

Artist Spotlight :Sculptor Holly Atkinson, SCA exhibits Bronze Works at Tay River Gallery

Tay River Gallery is pleased to welcome Holly Atkinson, talented Toronto sculptor, to the gallery. Holly lives in Mississauga Ontario and has a summer cottage in Sharbot Lake near Perth. Holly graduated from Toronto University with a Bachelor of Fine arts and Sheridan College in Art program, and also studied in Paris France at the Atelier Lucernaire. Holly is a versatile artist - sculptor, painter and teacher and has exhibited nationally and internationally. Her work consists of sculpture in bronze,ceramic,paper, fabric and winterstone. Holly Atkinson is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artist, a member of Colour and Form Society, The Medallic Art Society of Canada and The International Federation of Medal.

Holly is currently showing a number of her exquisite one- of- a- kind bronze sculptures at Tay River Gallery, created using the lost wax casting method.
The Lost wax method or casting is an ancient process dating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. It is still the best method for capturing exquisite detail in metal objects, which could not otherwise be produced given the complexity of their design. This process allows anything modeled in wax to be recreated fully and faithfully into various metals. The lost wax method is still used today in the areas of sculpture, and fine jewelry. It is a demanding, labour intensive and expensive process, but rewards the artisan with an object of great detail and individuality.