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.

Serendipity at Tay River Gallery

Experience it for yourself. "Serendipity", the gallery group exhibition at Tay River Gallery during August and September holds the promise of some of life's little treasures of gratifying experience sometimes as simple and personal as an emotional connection with a particular painting and ultimately an artist's vision.

With " 24 plus" outstanding artists featured in a large and varied selection in terms of media, style and subject matter of close to 200 paintings , the exhibition is not meant to overwhelm, but aims to take you on a leisurely visual treasure hunt meant to be visited again and again so please do visit more than once, where you possibly may discover a special work or many, that move you particularly or strike a chord with a nostalgic memory of time or place. Every painting is as unique as the artist, viewer and response and that is part of the magic of working at the gallery for me, to marvel at the connections and the diversity. The serendipity factor of chance encounters is part of the reason we go to galleries to see art and who doesn't enjoy the element of mystery in their lives?

The added surprise or chance factor with this particular exhibition is a playful quirk of the curator this time around, with the unexpected addition of mystery guests and new wonderful paintings during the exhibition period. Need I say more? Please do take the time to enjoy what the art offers.

Plein Air Painting in France with Martha Markowsky

Martha Markowsky and Elaine Archambault left for France not knowing what to expect or where the village Limoux, where they would be spending two weeks was even located. All they knew was they would spend four days on their own in Paris, sightseeing and sketching and then fly on to Toulouse to then travel on to the village of Limoux. They arrived at their lodging well pleased - Le Monastere, owned and operated by Chris and Fabienne, was a wonderful setting, pleasant and very homey.




Martha recounts "This was our routine, breakfast at about 7:30 a.m., then off in the van to visit a small town some where the sun was shining and we would hear the story of the areas we passed and where we would be painting. In addition, it was not just to drop us off somewhere in some medieval town, but there would be a walk about, explained good locations to paint, where the washrooms were, if they were one holers, bring your own paper or modern. Also, where we could leave our equipment as we would walk later, where the cafes were, as well as if we would like to shop. All in all, it was very thorough.....we never felt lost or deserted and there was always plenty to paint or sketch.
Here are some photos of Limoux and various other little villages which we visited and painted."
"Above is a picture of Elaine and myself painting on the terrace which is enclosed and filled with various plants and flowers, from an olive tree, to jasmine, to lime tree, plus plus. As you can see from the warm colours, it was one of those days where the temperature was about 35 C but who was complaining?This was paradise. And after a hot day at the easel, our hosts set up the supper table on that same terrace where we feasted on wines from the region, fresh vegetables along with various meats and not to mention the desserts.



At RENNE AU CHATEAU. Getting ready to paint in the heat of the day, but first we must have some libation to cool off. In another photo, sketching again by the vineyards, under the shade of a tree. BUGARASH suppers always consisted of wine tasting to refresh the palate as well as the "windy" road to get there, just one sample photo of how we travelled to get there. It was carved out of rock. ROQUETAILLADE with its vineyards, rolling hills and village. No easy feat plein air painting when we have this landscape in front of us. Again we are under a tree shaded from the temperature which would be about 36 Celsius.
LAGRASSE, an old village dating back with its narrow streets and houses of stone. Finding some shade against one of the town's buildings we find Elaine sketching and beside her is one of my watercolour sketches of that street. While Elaine worked, I looked for new subjects to sketch and this was very easy to do, as every turn had another painting waiting to be done. Having enough time was the problem." Martha recounts.





A most enjoyable trip for the artists and from the looks of things, a very productive one as well with plenty of paintings.

Martha Markowsky, distinguished Canadian artist and elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists , is well known for her Montreal streetscapes, and paintings of orchestral ensembles. Martha has had more than 20 solo exhibitions, is recipient of numerous awards and commissions from both public institutions and private collectors. Her work can be viewed at many galleries across Canada and her works are in collections in Canada, US and Europe.. See works by Martha Markowsky at Tay River Gallery in Perth or on the website at www.tayrivergallery.com

Plein Air Painting

John Alexander Day and Deborah Czernecky were off on their annual Georgian Bay paint trip with their group last week and have just returned. Deborah recounts " another great week of plein air painting with lots of excitement and adventures painting the great outdoors. " Harrowing experiences with the elements are always part of the trip. They were almost stranded on Franklin Island one night due to heavy thunderstorms and Deborah also had another humorous snake story to recount. We expect to see some wonderful new work of the Georgian Bay region from these wonderful plein air painters in oil. Deborah lives in Victoria B.C. and John in Ottawa Ontario and both travel across the country to paint the Canadian landscape on location. Paintings by Deborah Czernecky and John Alexander Day can be seen at Tay River Gallery in Perth or online at the website http://www.tayrivergallery.com/

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.

Perth Art on the Lawn Show & Sale this weekend

Perth’s 11th annual Perth “Art-on-the-Lawn” Show and Sale takes place this weekend on July 12th and 13th, 2008 at 3054 Rideau Ferry Rd.in Perth. The participating artists are all members of the Rideau Lakes Artists’ Association . 5% of all sales will be donated to the Perth Great War Memorial Hospital Foundation in appreciation of the Hospital’s continuing support of so many in the Perth area.
Show and sale takes place at 3054 Rideau Ferry Road in Perth 10 to 5 p.m. each day.Top photo ,Westport artist Shirley Mancino . Second photo shows Perth artist, Bill Veale. Shirley Mancino is a featured artist this month in the Figurative Art Show at Tay River Gallery,"An Artistic Exploration of the Human Form".