Rural Horizons: Introducing acrylic paintings by Mike Smith

In the front room this month we have a focus wall with new work by Mike Smith of Cobourg Ontario. The featured selection of acrylic paintings by Mike Smith depict familiar elements in the rural landscape where the sky and horizon feature prominently. Architectural pieces, such as the lighthouse featured this month are rendered in high realism with technical precision.

Mike Smith was born in South Africa and has lived in Canada since the late 80’s. He has been involved in art for most of his life - working as an art director and creative director for advertising agencies in Toronto and South Africa until 2003 when he decided to paint full time. Since moving to rural Ontario outside Cobourg, the inspiration for his paintings has been the beautiful countryside of Eastern Ontario. Smith has participated in numerous shows, including The Art Gallery of Northumberland, the Fine Art Festivals in Merrickville and Westport, and Cobourg. In addition he is represented by several Ontario galleries. View more artwork by Mike Smith on his artist page on our website. Welcome to Tay River Gallery Mike!

New Paintings at Tay River Gallery

Have a peak at wonderful new paintings by landscape painters John Alexander Day and John Stevenson now on display at the gallery listed below. Well worth the drive!


November Shadows by John A. Day, Oil on canvas 24 x 30 framed


Start of the Day by John A. Day 24 x 24 oil on canvas framed


Mountain Stream by John A. Day 30 x 30 Oil on Canvas framed


Still Waters by John Alexander Day 30 x 30 oil on canvas framed.



River, Fall by John Stevenson Oil on canvas 20 x 40 framed


Three Birches by John Stevenson Oil 24 x 30 framed


Fall Bay, Black Lake in Gatineau Park by John Stevenson 24 x 36 oil on canvas


Ottawa River at Luskville by John Stevenson Oil on canvas frame 20 x 40 framed


Rocks in the Mist by John Stevenson, 20 x 40 oil on canvas framed.

See these new gems soon!

Extended Holiday Business Hours at Tay River Gallery

Tay River Gallery will have extended business hours during the holiday season in December.

The gallery is open Monday to Saturday from 10 - 6 p.m. Closed Sunday.

The gallery will be closed Thursday December 24th to Sunday December 27th.

Gallery reopens on Monday December 28 to Thursday December 31st.

Closed January 1st.

Martha Markowsky in the News

Martha Markowsky recently won 2nd Grand Prize for Figurative Reality at the 26th International Gala Contest of Visual Arts, given by le Cercle des Artistes Peintres et Sculpteurs du Quebec on Sunday, November 15th, 2009. The prize was awarded for her painting titled, "Performers on Stage". Pictured above is Martha with her award certificate.

Martha Markowsky is an accomplished artist well known for her impressionistic paintings of orchestral musical ensembles with tuxeoded musicians. Other popular painting subjects include her nostalgic cityscapes of children at play in old Quebec neighbourhoods. Pictured below are a few examples of orchestral paintings in oil by Martha Markowsky. See Tay River Gallery's website for paintings by Martha currently on exhibit at the gallery.

"Strange & Beautiful" Art Exhibit at Tay River Gallery

"Strange & Beautiful" opens today at Tay River Gallery. The fall art show features an unusual mix of intriguing works by 9 talented area artists. Alanna Baird, Dawn Code, Hennie Marsh, John Graham, John Hiscock, Renate Hulley, Deborah Saulnier, Monika Seidenbusch and Katrin Smith are the presenting artists.

The reception for Strange & Beautiful will be held on Saturday October 17, from 2 - 4 p.m. at 28 Wilson St. W. in Perth. Join us for this event and meet the artists!

The show will run from October 6 - November 21, 2009. Six weeks of viewing opportunity for this spectacular show!

For further information call Lisa Brown at 613-264-5449.
(Click on Flyer image to see enlarged view).

Strange And Beautiful - Call for Artist Submissions by Sept. 10, 2009

Tay River Gallery is accepting submissions from Ontario and Quebec artists for an upcoming juried show,"Strange and Beautiful". Deadline for submissions is Sept 10th. Quality artwork in your choice of media, of an illustrative, painterly or abstract nature with the emphasis on the Strange "the unusual,different, eccentric, unfamiliar, peculiar, fantastic, bizarre, mystifying, perplexing" art that can at the same time be viewed as Beautiful " having beauty; having qualities that give great pleasure or satisfaction to see, hear, think about, etc.; delighting the senses or mind". The focus is on compositions where either content (subject matter) or perspective taken (interpretation) is particularly unique, imaginative and arresting.

Submission by email to lbrown@tayrivergallery.com. Include Artist Statement, Biography and Resume. 4 - 6 images (low resolution jpg)and description of works (size,media,etc). and reference to personal website if available. We will acknowledge submissions as received, so if you do not hear within a few days, please resubmit. Selection mid- September.

Tay River Gallery is a commercial contemporary fine art gallery in Perth Ontario established in 2002 and representing many noted artists from Ontario and Quebec. The gallery is located west of Ottawa (45 minutes from Kanata) and north of Kingston ( approx 1 hr.)

Artist Spotlight: Suzanne Goudreau

Tay River Gallery is pleased to welcome Suzanne Goudreau from Oka, Quebec to the gallery. Suzanne Goudreau is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of Eastern Canada and has been the recipient of numerous prizes, honourable mentions and highly regarded selections. One of them is a mention for Originality from the reputable Canadian magazine, Magazin'Art. As a figurative artist, Suzanne has a particular fondness for working in oils and acrylics. She completed collegial studies specialized in Architecture and then following courses in Civil Construction at University and has complete courses in Fine Arts. She has pursued her passion for Portraiture, Drawing, Classic Painting, Pastel and Mixed media with numerous courses and workshops both in Quebec and the United States. Suzanne has published two colouring albums and heads child- and adult-oriented workshops in technical drawing and painting. Her portrait commissions are in high demand for the striking realism and emotion depicted in her portrayals. On view in the gallery in the current Summer Group show are exquisite figurative as well as pastoral landscape works by Suzanne.

Artiste peintre figurative, Suzanne Goudreau affectionne particulièrement l’acrylique et l’huile. D’abord diplômée au collégial en Architecture suivi de cours en Construction Civile et en Arts à l’Université, elle entreprend plusieurs formations au Québec et aux États-Unis en portrait, dessin, peinture classique, pastel, aquarelle... Elle est également récipiendaire de plusieurs prix, mentions (dont une Mention Originalité des Éditions Magazin’Art) et sélections. Elle participe également à plussieurs expositions de groupe et solo partout au Québec. On peut trouver de ses tableaux à la Galerie Art et Culture au Vieux-Montréal et à la Galerie Arte Bella sur Crescent à Montréal. Elle apparaît dans le « Répertoire Biennal des Artistes Canadiens en Galerie » de Magazin’Art, et est Membre Signataire de la Société de Pastel de l’Est du Canada
La publication de deux albums à colorier ainsi que des cours dispensés aux adultes et jeunes en dessin technique et peinture viennent compléter sa démarche à ce jour. Enfin, ses pinceaux, qu’elle utilise avec soin pour traduire l’émotion, nous offrent les multiples facettes de la vie par des sujets tout aussi variés qu’originaux dans lesquels le réalisme impressionne.

France Tremblay takes Grand Prize in "Paint the Parks 2008" Competition

We are pleased to hear that France Tremblay's painting,"Southeast View from Zabriskie Point" depicting a landscape observed at the Death Valley National Park in California was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner, obtaining first place in the "Paint the Parks" (2008) competition. France Tremblay, Ottawa area artist, is represented by Tay River Gallery in Perth and a small selection of works by France can be viewed at the gallery.
"Paint the Parks" (formerly called "Arts in the Parks") is a prestigious artist competition in the United States. Each year, it commissions a professional panel of jurors to select from thousands of entries the hundred winning images, well known as the "Top 100". See more about this competition at www.paintamerica.org.

Also in the artist's news, France's artwork entitled "The Sovereign" has been selected as a finalist (Top 40) in the Wildlife Art category of The Artist's Magazine Annual Art Competition (2008). This is a significant accomplishment, as this worldwide competition attracts around 15000 professional artist participants every year. France will be congratulated in the December issue of the magazine.

France's artwork entitled "White Splendour" and depicting the rare white morph of the great blue heron was selected as part of an international competition and will be presented at the prestigious Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum (New York City area), along with 112 works of the world's foremost nature and wildlife artists. Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum, Oradell, New Jersey, exhibition from Sept 10 - Dec 21st.
Bravo France!

Plein Air Painting in Charlevoix with Alan J. T. Bain

Alan & Audrey Bain were totally enthralled with their painting trip to Charlevoix this summer. The weather cooperated, which is a big plus for plein air painters,(Alan and Audrey are both plein air painters) and the scenery was spectacular. In the passage below, Alan recounts highlights of their trip and provides a few photos from the trip as well for your enjoyment. (Don't forget to click on photos to enlarge.)

Audrey and I just returned from a 20 day trip to Charlevoix area. We took the good weather with us! Amid local complaints of the worst summer season they have ever had, we had only one afternoon of rain! Friendly people, excellent camping, a chance to revive my stumbling French, and an incredible variety of scenery.








First days at St. Simeon, painting on St. Lawrence shoreline. I did three sketches here, beautiful spot! Then we moved in to Ste. Simeon itself, painted view along the river. Also Baie des Roches, a beautiful area, just turn in circles and paint new paintings! Tide in and tide out, constant change.

Moving west, Cap St. Fidele has an interesting rocky shoreline and a pretty creek at the top of the bay. Pte. Aux Persil is a well known spot, tourists all over! Church and mance are the focal point. The old dock was attractive, I painted it from the adjacent boat launch.

Parc National des Haute Gorges. We visited here but couldn’t go in because we had our dog Brandy with us. So we explored a few bush roads in the vicinity and discovered some absolutely spectacular long views. Northern Charlevoix at its best! We parked at the top of a hill and painted, with what seemed like most of Charlevoix spread out in front of us!

La Malbaie is famous for its long view coastline. We explored the road between La Malbaie and Les Eboulements, back and forth, up and down country roads. 100’s of photographs! We visited the museum in La Malbaie. Their feature was an exhibition of nature painters, Bruno Cote among them, with gorgeous paintings. Not to be missed if you are travelling through!

Baie St. Catherine was our furthest east. I painted a lovely old barn. The owner of the property had Audrey and I set out our paintings and he called out his family to have a look! We shook hands all around, and left the best of friends!

My conclusion? We would go back at the next opportunity! Fall should be spectacular! The people are friendly, helpful and always inviting to painters.

Alan J.T. Bain is an accomplished watercolorist,and elected member of Canadian
Society of Painters in Watercolour(CSPWC) and Canadian Society of Artists (SCA). Alan served as CSPWC Director for Eastern Ontario and President of OWS. His paintings have enjoyed international acceptance and can be found in private and corporate collections across Canada, United States, Scotland, and South Africa.

Recent watercolours by Alan Bain are featured at Tay River Gallery in Perth this fall. A mixed selection of paintings featuring boreal forests and pastoral settings with barns demonstrate his adept brushwork and wonderful use of colour. (See our previous blog post for photo of Alan's work).

Alan has a busy fall schedule. 4 paintings are also featured in Algonquin Visitors' Centre until October 30. On Oct. 25,26 Alan & Audrey will also be showing paintings at Rockland, in the show "Coloris sur la Baie". Oct. 30,31 and Nov.1, Alan will be participating in a paint-out at Adventure lodge, and doing a demonstration in watercolour. Alan and Audrey live near the picturesque St. Lawrence Seaway in Eastern Ontario.

Tay River Gallery Photos of Serendipity Show 2008

For your viewing pleasure: Photos taken at Tay River Gallery featuring many of the works currently being exhibited in the Serendipity Show this fall. Not all the works are shown. Visit Tay River Gallery in Perth before October 31 to see this spectacular and exciting show. (Note: Click on each photo below to see an enlarged image.)
Enjoy!

J. Allison Robichaud News

J. Allison Robichaud was one of ten talented Canadian artists asked by Ford Canada to create a distinctive painting inspired by one of the Ford vehicles. The countryside painting created by Robichaud is posted on the Ford site and was inspired by the Ford Taurus, a family car perfect for the country drive, or for the family vacation in the idyllic countryside Robichaud depicted. Pictured above is Allison painting other new work this spring on location. See his painting on the new Ford Canada Web site.

Sneak Peak at Figures Fabulous!

Are you curious? The Figurative Art Show running this month and July at Tay River Gallery offers a blend of drama, humour,introspection, mystery and visual beauty in art you will want to take home.

See 12 dynamic area artists explore the single most riveting subject of artists throughout the history of art. From ancient times, artists have used the human form to express their thoughts and ideals. Historically, artists devoted years of training to master the nuances and complexities of the human body. This show brings together contemporary variations on the figure as central motif that demonstrate strong individual style and technical fluency in innovative expressions.
View snapshots of the featured artists and their works taken at the reception earlier this month and tell me you are not enticed to visit.

Pictured below from reception photos in the order listed: Martha Markowsky, Shirley Mancino,Reid McLachlan, Maria Lezon, Csaba Kertesz, Esther Schvan,Karen Phillips Curran, Debbie Ottman-Smith, Isidora Spielmann, Catharina Breedyk Law, and James Zaluski. Missing from photos, Jennifer Gibbs.

For a more detailed view of paintings featured in the show you can also visit www.tayrivergallery.com. or better yet, visit the gallery to experience the art for yourself.