Titles from Baico Publishing now available at Tay River Gallery

Tay River Gallery in Perth Ontario is pleased to now offer a wonderful selection of books from Ottawa publisher, BaicoPublishing in our book section. Tay River Gallery's compact book section offers a selection of books from local small presses by Canadian authors as well as a selection of art reference / art instruction books.
Our latest addition to book inventory is a selection of books from local Ottawa publisher, Baico Publishing established in 1997 . The founder, Raymond Coderre brings over 40 years of invaluable experience in the printing and publishing industry. If you are looking for books by talented local authors, you will find a wide range of quality fiction, non fiction, poetry and children's books from this publishing house. The new location of Baico Books' retail outlet is 294 Albert St, Suite 103 (Corner of Kent St.) in Ottawa where you may purchase from the full range of titles. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. Online store for Baico Books is also available at their website located at www.baico.ca
Local Perth residents and visitors to Perth can now purchase from a sampling of titles from this publisher at the gallery. Great for the gift giving season approaching and a perfect opportunity to support your local authors and publishers.

Painting Workshop offered by Shirley Mancino Oct 30- 31, 2008

Shirley Mancino has decided to offer a second collage/layering workshop this month on Oct 30-31st since her upcoming workshop this weekend filled so quickly, and there were a number on the waiting list.The workshops take place in Shirley's stunning lakeside studio in the charming village of Westport. There are still spaces available for the Oct 30- 31st workshop so please contact Shirley soon. Call at 613-273-2984.

Experimental Extravaganza: Collage -2 day workshop Cost $120. Materials not included.
DATE: October 30-31st, 2008, 9 - 4 pm
LOCATION: Mancino Gallery, 68 Rebecca Lane, Westport
This exciting workshop will help artists break free and explore new directions in mixed watermedia. You will loosen up and explore the interesting effects and textures created by combining watercolour or acrylic with various other media, e.g. water-soluble crayons, soft pastels, acrylics. Discover ways to resurrect your unsuccessful watermedia paintings using collage and/or black ink, coloured pencil, gesso or gouache. You will be inspired to move from nature towards abstraction. Composition and design is a fundamental part of the session. Creativity, fun, and individual uniqueness will be emphasized. Shirley will demonstrate using both watercolour and acrylics but you may use the media of your choice.

Suggested Materials List
1.Paper: 3 sheets watercolour paper (22 x 30 in, 140lb)(Optional: canvas or pre-guessoed masonite hard boards, one sheet yupo paper)
2.Brushes: variety of 1", 2", 2 1/2" (hardware store nylon or foam brushes are acceptable - large is important), some rounds, or normal watercolour/acrylic brushes
3.Tools: anything you have to move paint around e.g. palette knives, sponges, rollers, credit cards, combs, spatulas, scrapers, turkey basters, eye droppers
4.Paint: Suggested Acrylics: bring at least 3 primary colours e.g. yellow (cool and/or warm, e.g. hansa, or cadmium yellow). One or two blues: (cool and/or warm, e.g. phthalo and ultramarine). One or two reds: (cool and/or warm, e.g. quinacridone magenta, Naphol or Cad red). Plus white and black. Bring any other colours you have or want to work in.
5.Suggested watercolours: If you work in watercolour, bring at least the same artist quality warm or cool combinations as above plus the mediums listed below)
6.Matte gel medium and gesso, and spackle or "polyfilla (Optional: gloss gel medium, molding or modeling paste, podge, sand, small pebbles, egg shells or any other texture you want to collage with)
7.Plastic tubs or containters: with lids wide enough to accommodate your largest brushes (e.g. hummus or margarine tubs will do - one for each colour and several for water (total: at least 6 - 8) this is important! (Can buy new at Dollar stores/Bargain Shops)
8.Mixing palette (butcher tray or Styrofoam trays will do)

Shirley Mancino is a professional painter whose passion for life and travel are evident in her dramatic artworks. Over the last 25 years, Mancino has developed a distinctive style using mixed media. As an experienced budget traveller, life in Asia is often the inspiration for her work. Shirley travels to paint and paints to travel. Shirley is represented by Tay River Gallery in Perth. See Shirley's current works exhibited on our featured artist pages.

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!

Serendipity show at Tay River Gallery. Further Details

Serendipity is "the phenomena of making unexpected and fortunate discoveries by accident." Taking this concept as theme for our fall show, SERENDIPITY, Gallery Group Exhibition currently features "24 plus" accomplished artists from Ontario and Quebec with over 160 paintings ( perhaps closer to 200) on exhibit. This particular show involves gallery space in all exhibit rooms on two levels. Feedback for the show has been over the top. New works have been introduced periodically during the exhibition as a fortuitous offering to delight and behold, all in keeping with the theme of our exhibition.

With this show we introduced paintings by Mario Beaudoin, Nathalie Chiasson, and Stephen Rothwell in August. We are pleased to welcome these prominent artists to the gallery. Mario Beaudoin , accomplished Quebec artist well known for his colourful strong palette and wonderful village scenes in oils. Charlevoix area both rural and village life are depicted. His characteristic style is instantly recognizable and very popular in galleries across Canada . Nathalie Chiasson , another talented Quebec artist also has a unique presentation and with her innovative technique , has developed a method of painting with coffee and acrylic in her highly texturized paintings . Her still life paintings of wine bottles, fruit arrangements, florals and roosters using coffee medium exhibit a warm glow, and pleasing effect. Stephen Rothwell, well known Ottawa area watercolourist, exhibits a number of stunning paintings in this show of the Tuscany region and villages in Italy, Spain and France. Stephen Rothwell uses an innovative technique he has developed to seal the paintings in acrylic so that they do not require glass. Stephen's loose style of brushwork and distinctive work depicts scenes both rural and urban that capture the light and immediacy in the setting.

Also available in the gallery with Serendipity are all new works by gallery artists,Heather Assaf, Normand Baril, Alan J. T. Bain, Anne Barkley, Leah Dockrill, Pierrette Dulude-Bohay, Margaret Chwialkowska, Karen Phillips Curran, Deborah Czernecky, John Alexander Day, Shirley Mancino, Martha Markowsky, Mary Nunn, James E. Pay, J. Allison Robichaud, T. Wilmot Savoie, Antal Serences, Charles Spratt, John Stevenson, France Tremblay. With this impressive roster of accomplished artists , there are many high calibre still life, wildlife, landscape , abstract and figurative paintings to view and choose from . Added to the show unanounced, we have a variety of new works by Kelly McNeil, accomplished Brampton area artist, of wildlife, domestic animals, and wild birds in oil with her strong brushwork and warm palette.

Another exquisitely serendipitous find this month is the oil and mixed media paintings by Paulette-Marie Sauvé of Vercheres, Quebec. Paulette- Marie Sauvé finds much of her inspiration in the lakes and marshes of Ontario, Quebec and New England and enjoys painting still life and cityscapes.Currently exhibited work features sailboats on area waterways with rich palette and texture. Paulette-Marie studied architecture and painting at the Institut des Arts Appliqués in Montreal, and obtained her Masters of Fine art degree at the University of Quebec. Her work has been shown in galleries, museums, private and corporate collections in several countries. She has obtained several grants and awards, notably in 2002, she received Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 50th Golden Jubilee Medal awarded by The Governor General of Canada. She also received grants from the Canada Arts Council, and is a four time recipient of the Quebec Minister of Cultural Affairs Grants.

We are very pleased to offer new watercolours by accomplished Perth area artist, John Shea, from Elgin Ontario added to the exhibition this week. A graduate of Queen's University, John has been teaching visual art for 20 years and finds inspiration and subject matter from the surrounding towns and the Rideau Canal for his architectural studies and landscapes. His work is very popular locally and he is currently having difficulty keeping up with the demand for his work. Paintings of Code's Mill , a historical building in Perth and two paintings of the Leggat farm are featured this month by John Shea. These current works by Shea are appealing compositions created with highly skilled brushwork and attention to fine detail and subtle nuance.

A warm welcome to Tay River Gallery is extended with much appreciation to new exhibiting artists, John Shea, Paulette-Marie Sauve, Mario Beaudoin, Nathalie Chiasson and Stephen Rothwell.

Fall Hours of Business at Tay River Gallery

An important note to our out- of- town customers. Tay River Gallery will be be open 5 days a week during the fall season, open weekly Tuesday through Saturday. The gallery will now be closed Sunday and Monday except by appointment. For appointment call 613-264-5448.

Regular hours of business as of September 1st are as follows: Tuesday - Friday 11 - 5 p.m. Saturday 10 - 5 p.m.

Only during the summer months ( high season) is the gallery open on Sundays. If you are unsure about our business hours, please check our website home page www.tayrivergallery.com
for hours of operation or call 613-264-5448 before travelling to Perth.