Soprano, Donna Brown performs at National Gallery Sunday February 1st

Celebrated Canadian soprano, Donna Brown will be performing in the National Gallery Auditorium at 2 p.m Sunday afternoon with pianist Jean Desmarais and four NACO players as part of the orchestra's Sunday chamber series. Brown will perform songs by Brahms and Schubert and folk songs arranged by Haydn.

Earlier this week on Wednesday and Thursday evening at the National Arts Centre,in Southam Hall, Brown was soprano soloist in the National Art Centre Orchestra performance of Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass.

Donna Brown became a leading soprano in Europe in the 1980's and has performed in some of the world's great concert halls and opera houses with many world renowned conductors, including Helmut Rilling, and John Elliot Gardiner. She studied music at Mc Gill University and in Paris and has made numerous music recordings. She is renowned for the "floating golden-hued quality" of her voice.

For the concert today at the National Gallery, Call 613-755-1111 for ticket information. The auditorium is a more intimate space and seats 400 .Tickets are $29 general and $14.50 for students. What a wonderful way to spend a dull winter day - and forget the weather, enchanted by Donna Brown's floating, clear soprano voice. Besides, this diva divine is my beloved sister and I for one won't miss this concert!

Lisa Brown

Preview of New Work by John Alexander Day Available Today at Tay River Gallery

Attention art collectors. A selection of new larger sized paintings by John Alexander Day has just arrived at the gallery. For your interest, we are providing a preview online of new paintings available for sale. Don't delay. Details are provided below. All paintings are framed in quality contemporary floater frames.
1. Winter Tamaracks $1600 24 x 36 oil on canvas framed
2. West Coast Afternoon $2000 30 x 36 oil on canvas framed
3. Nature's Palette. $3200 48 x 40 oil on canvas framed
4. Mackenzie King Winter $1475 24 x 30 Winter, oil on canvas framed
5. Reflections of a farm $1200 24 x 24 Oil on Canvas
6. Reflections of Autumn $2350 36 x 36 oil on canvas framed
7. End of the Day $1175 20 x 28 Oil on Canvas
8. Georgian Rock $2200 40 x 30 oil on canvas framed

Plein Air Painting in Winter: J. Allison Robichaud comments

Winter painting is not any different than any other time of the year. It requires a few more preparations than the warmer climate. The first requirement is to compel yourself to go out and paint. On the 31st of Dec 2008, I went out to do the last painting of the year - the temperature was -16 with a 20km wind giving a wind chill in the -20s.

To go out and paint in this extreme means one thing and only one thing, you win over yourself and the next time it is easier to go and do the thing you love best, painting! Weather stops being a challenge when you challenge yourself.

Prepare and set your palette before you leave the house, if not, you will have an much difficulty squeezing tubes of paint with gloves and if you use your bare hands, it won't be long until your fingers are stiff and difficult to use. At sub zero it takes very little time until your fingers are not working right which then leads to all sorts of difficulties, quitting then rages in your mind. Think of canvas size, every second you save, is that much time less out there. Check every aspect of your equipment, the least little discouragement throws you off your creative exuberance. Canvas size, to me doesn't make any difference, the big ones take as long to paint as the smaller ones.

It is best to have a general idea where and what you are looking for so as to not waste any time, since in winter it is often easier to quit the whole idea because of the intense cold. -3 or -10 is not cold. just slightly uncomfortable. REMEMBER ONE THING, IF YOU FEEL COLD SEEPING IN YOUR BODY CORE, GET OUT OF THERE IMMEDIATELY!

Each person has their own preference for clothing, it is not a time to be stylish. Layers of woolen clothing, topped with windproof ski pants and a windproof down/exceptional fill jacket, heavy winter boots and wool socks, a toque which is meant to keep the heat in. Gloves and mitts, I use both, the hand with the mitt is my rag hand (I use only rags, paper towels are too difficult to manage, for me in extreme cold ) this hand has a wool mitt in a leather mitt). Most of the time I do not use a glove on my brush hand, because from early November I start to condition my left hand to be tough to the cold, by not wearing a glove on my walk or shoveling snow, or anything else I may be doing outside.

Hand warmers are available at Canadian Tire where the hunting gear is - they are good, I have one and I also have a heat sink belt, activated in the microwave, which in very, very cold January days I may put on. All of the above is before you leave the house, so it requires a bit of thinking to ensure you have forgotten nothing. You can take a thermos, but I never do, I find I really don't have time to drink, since speed in execution of the painting is the primary goal.

Painting outside in the winter is not noodling time, it is fast broad strokes, paint loaded with medium for maximum slide, lots of rags for wipe outs, little or no drawing, suggesting large shapes and the search for complete simplicity. It really is a dance; you ! the universe, all your equipment ready for the absolute joy of being there doing what no one but you can do, creating a masterpiece of our Canadian landscape, and winning over yourself. It is an honour to be out there on a good nose running cold Canadian winter's day. That's what painters have always done.

J. Allison Robichaud.
January 2009


J. Allison Robichaud is an accomplished plein air painter who has earned the respect of fellow artists and fine art collectors alike, across Canada. He has had 24 solo exhibitions and has participated in some of Canada's most prestigious art symposiums.Allison Robichaud is an elected member of the Institute of Figurative Arts (IFA) and author of "The Reflective Stepping Stones of a Painter. published in 2002. His landscapes and still life paintings are highly collected.

Painting in Winter: James E. Pay comments

Since arriving in Nova Scotia 18 months ago, I have painted outdoors more than ever before, although I have always enjoyed it. Mostly, the en plein air painting is in the summer and early fall. For me, winter is studio painting time. Since I'm older now, the hands no longer can hold a brush in cold weather so all my sketching and painting is done through summer and autumn when the warm ocean tides moderate our temperatures. My wife, Eileen, a great photographer, can still add to my resources in winter with our treks outdoors here, so whatever season, there is never a lack of images to paint. Actually, winter inspires most artists. It is when most art clubs meet and mingle and when lots of paintings are accomplished. There is still something cosy about being inside in winter, looking out, hearing the wind, seeing the coldness and trying the capture it all on canvas. That is what inspires me.

James E. Pay
January 2009

James E. Pay trained as an artist in Canada, UK and USA and lists the late A.J. Casson as his mentor. James is a signature member of the United Society of Artists, (UA)London, England and former vice-chairman of Central Arts, Scotland. He is known for his loose style of watercolour painting,acrylic landscapes and florals. He is a skilled art teacher and conducts painting workshops in Nova Scotia.

Painting & Winter: Mary Nunn comments

When I first heard of hibernation in grade school; I thought it was a brilliant idea and always wanted to adopt it for myself.

I’m a studio painter, my work starts from a word, a mental picture or idea or something that I like the look of. From that point the process becomes an intimate one of honest dialogue between me and my art tools. There are rapid periods of intuitive work, play with colours, line and shapes; much longer periods of reflection and evaluation of the next step in the process to a finished piece.

The winter weather keeps me grounded to my home and studio so there is often a breakthrough to a new place in my WINTER WORK.

Mary Nunn.
January 2009
Mary Nunn is an accomplished watermedia artist and gifted teacher who has conducted watercolour/media workshops throughout Canada and the United States since 1984. Vibrant colour is a strong bias in her expressive works. She has exhibited widely in both commercial and public galleries. Mary Nunn is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA) since 2003.

Painting in Winter: Debbie Milling comments

"My studio has large windows that allow me to enjoy a wonderful and often fairylike view of the Rideau River. The winter is the most productive time for me as I have very little desire to be outside and love to sit in my studio by my woodstove cocooning and painting at the same time. The light that floods my studio is magnificent simply because of the way it reflects off the snow and the way it changes as it moves through the day. I spend the rest of the year primarily doing research and collecting a vast number of open air sketches and photos which provide me with the material to paint in my studio during winter. As most of my work is of spring to summer subjects, I can often place myself in the warmth and the sun just by painting the subjects even though it is 20 below outside!"

Debbie Milling
January 2009
Debbie Milling paints views of remote Canadian landscapes captured in her travels on horseback and by boat. Her studio overlooks the Rideau River near Ottawa. Milling has participated in several group and solo shows in Ontario and her works have been gaining recognition and can be found in public and private collections across Canada.

Winter Painting: Martha Markowsky comments

Snow and winter, my favourite season and reason for painting. In winter the leaves
have left the trees thus exposing the hidden treasures which cannot be seen during summer. Houses with balconies, laundry outdoors, staircases. Also, the "whites" of winter add high contrasts that cannot usually see in summer. Although most people relate to snow as white, as an artist I see a complete rainbow of colours in the snow.....gentle yellows, soft peach, lovely mauves and blues and then there are the shadows leading the eye throughout a painting, patterns dancing over the mounds of
snow.

Painting outdoors does present the challenge, working quickly before the fingers freeze, capturing nature without getting too complicated....a spontaneous happening, not much time for playing in the paint. This will happen later in the studio.

And the studio. Winter keeps me indoors painting when I am not doing plein air. The song "lazy days of summer" ..... and that's what it is and I will find any and every excuse to go outside, but winter keeps me at the easel, finishing paintings started outdoors. There is the rush to capture as much as possible before the snow melts and the whites turn to browns.

Martha Markowsky,
January 2009
Bottom right photo - Martha sketching on her paper placemat while dining in a restaurant. Photo at left is new winter painting, "Down the Lane."



Martha Markowsky is an accomplished artist well known for her impressionistic paintings of orchestral musical ensembles with brightly coloured depictions of tuxeoded musicians. Other painting subjects include her vibrant nostalgic cityscapes of children at play in old Quebec neighbourhoods, and introspective bar room scenes. She teaches classes in oils and acrylics and conducts workshops in the Charlevoix region. Martha Markowsky recently received the Award of Excellence in the Arts for 2008 from the City of Lachine in recognition of her achievements in art. Martha Markowsky is a highly respected and highly collected Canadian artist and elected member of the Society of Canadian artists (SCA), with works in many prominent private and corporate collections across Canada.