Square Foot Online Show

August 1 to December 31, 2020

Although the doors of our Gallery remain closed because of health concerns related to Covid-19, we are continuing to promote art and support artists. During the remainder of this year, our popular Square Foot Show and Sale will be presented as a virtual online gallery – a place where our artists can display their work, and our friends and visitors can still enjoy good art, and be comforted by it in these challenging times.

This gallery consists of 74 pieces (one more than last year’s conventional show), and it represents work of amazing variety by 26 artists from Grand Manan, Beaver Harbour, St. Stephen, Saint John, Hampton, Fredericton, Winnipeg, Quebec, Ontario, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

A photograph on a computer screen can never replace the experience of viewing actual works of art that speak to us in a unique voice, but we recognize that digital technology has the ability to enhance what we do in the Gallery, and it will continue to play a role in the future.

If you have comments or suggestions about this gallery, we would be pleased to hear from you. Contact our Exhibitions Committee in care of David Ogilvie (dmogilvie@sympatico.ca).

Enjoy the show, and remember that everything on view is for sale. If you are interested in purchasing any of this work, you will find contact information in the biographical section of the gallery.
 

Full Gallery

Click on thumbnails below to enter full-sized gallery. Artist biographies and more information are displayed below this main gallery as well.

Artist Biographies

ALISON OGILVIE

I grew up in London, Ontario, but would visit my grandparents in Grand Manan every summer with my parents and brother. As an adult, I continued to visit the island every summer, and felt a greater ache every time I watched its silhouetted shape fade into a treasured memory until the following year.

In 2018 I decided to move to Grand Manan and become a part of its tranquility, landscape and incredible community. I currently teach at the Grand Manan Community School.

I have always enjoyed art — the process of creating. As I sit before a blank canvas and try to coax out an image, I think about everything that goes into it — planning, composition, the math of perspective and angles, the science of colour mixing and drying time, problem solving, patience, conflict resolution, anger management…and the chance to have a fresh new start if I muck it up!

Every summer I look forward to taking a watercolour course on Grand Manan with artist Barry Combs. As a student, I am motivated by his knowledge and style, and as a teacher I find myself inspired by his ability to help his students discover and celebrate their own unique style and voice in their art.

Alison’s email address is alisonogilvie@icloud.com.

ANNE JOHNSTON

Anne is a pastel and oil artist, who paints landscapes and seascapes of New Brunswick and Maine. She especially enjoys painting the seacoast, fields, hills and any body of water of the area. She attended the Montreal School of Art and Design, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax. She has taken workshops in watercolor with Toni Onley and Chincook Tan, pastel with Michael Chesley Johnson, and Doug Dawson. She has illustrated books and taught art, craft, and nature courses for children and adults.

In part her philosophy has been developed through a combination of experiences including piloting her aircraft, sailing the Bay of Fundy and coast of Maine, backpacking in the mountains of North America, Asia and Europe including the Himalayas. Although Anne has lived in other towns and cities she lives now on the family farm in the house built by her 3x great grandparents in 1800, enjoying her field, forest, brook and all the animals who she shares the land with.

Anne says, “It is the natural world that continues to amaze and inspire me, and sends me into the fields and down coastal roads. The exploration of my art has been a process of sensing the deeper meaning of nature with the emotions and vivid insights it brings to me. It is an endless exploration of color, texture and form. My art explores light, textures and patterns in the landscape and seascapes, the relation between land and water, space between waves. Oil paints and as large a brush as I can use for any particular subject give me the texture with which to accomplish this.”

Anne’s email address is anniepaints@xplornet.com.

ANNECKE GICHURU

Land of the Midnight Sun

When I was about five or six years old and first heard of the land of the midnight sun, I imagined it as being very dramatic. I thought that the sun would be shining brightly in a dark sky studded with stars and that the trees would look as if they were always ready for Christmas.

Quiet Day on the Cove

Coves are often cozy places – and as I am lucky enough to live on one. They have been a constant theme in my rug hooking and other needlework.

BETH REICKER

Beth lives in Hampton, N.B. and has been coming to Grand Manan for over 40 years to enjoy hiking and photography.

Beth says, “Watercolor and acrylic painting are passions of mine — with my challenge always being to create something of beauty that people will actually stop to look at. Luckily, I can count many of the people from Grand Manan as my friends and thanks to their encouragement I have started to show a bit of my work. To quote Edgar Degas and to sum up; ‘Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.’ This is my goal as an artist.”

Beth’s email address is bethreicker@gmail.com.

BILL SCHWARZ

Bill graduated with a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Toronto in 1966, and was admitted to the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1968. Born and raised for the first seventeen years of his life in Regina and Tyvan, Saskatchewan, he won his first colouring contest at the age of five! This burst of glory was interrupted for fifty years by school and his law practice. However, genius can never be suppressed!

His smouldering interest in art was re-kindled in 1997 when his wife, Nancy, suggested they take an art course. In the pursuit of excellence his artistic skills were developed at the Ontario College of Art and Design, the Dundas Valley School of Art, the Homer Watson House & Gallery, the Cambridge Library and Gallery, the Georgian Bay School of Art, the Fallbrook School of Art, and by attending artists’ workshops and painting trips in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Europe. Bill carries on an active law practice in Cambridge, Ontario with PSH Lawyers.

Artist Statement: Art helps me find the balance to what I was trained to do, what I want to do and what I see around me. As a lawyer, I am trained to look at facts, to study detail to find the core of an issue. Often in my practice, what may appear simple may be infinitely more complex. W ith my art, I want to do the opposite. The world around me – landscape, architecture, people – is a complexity of planes, texture and subtlety of colour. I want to make this intricacy simple. I feel that my art is a quest to find a balance between the detail I am trained to find and the simplicity I want to achieve.

I have a personal and abiding interest in the urban landscape. This means architecture of all sorts, from buildings and boats to vehicles or machinery. I am fascinated by the effect that nature has on this architecture…weathering it or breaking it down to give it a unique character. I am captivated by the idea that when architecture is new it looks essentially the same as any other architecture in the same
category…it is time that gives it its unique quality and characteristics.

To view more of Bill’s work, go to his website (www.kirkwoodwagnergallery.com).(Self Portrait, right).

CHRIS WILLIAMS

Chris was inspired by his late grandmother to give painting a try to “escape” the stresses of life .Being self-taught, he enjoys working with acrylic and watercolour mediums. His painting began as a way to capture special memories of a favourite past time, fishing, and to create gifts for family. Having lived in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and currently St. Stephen, New Brunswick, where he is an educator.

Chris draws inspiration from the “Maritimer” way of life, outdoor adventures and local wildlife. His mail address is reelescapeart@gmail.com. You can also find him on Facebook at Reel Escape Art https://www.facebook.com/ReelEscapeArt, and his website is https://reelescapeart.weebly.com.

DAVID OGILVIE

David was born and raised on Grand Manan Island, and now live in London, Ontario where he is an Emeritus Professor of Biology at Western University.

David says, “When I was a teenager, I learned how to develop film and print photos. The first time I saw an image slowly appearing in a tray of developer, I was amazed. It was truly a discovery moment, and I soon came to realize that photography is much more than art and science. Photography is pure magic!”

David maintained an interest in photography as he pursued a career as a scientist and professor. Retirement has provided the opportunity for him to embrace digital imaging, computerized image processing, and the technology to produce archival quality prints on canvas. He believes that the combination of digital photography and artistic canvas is a perfect marriage. He likes variety, and consequently his photos range from traditional landscapes and seascapes to minimalist and abstract images. David says, “I believe that art speaks to us with a powerful silent voice, and my primary objective is to communicate emotions through visual art.”

David’s website is www.davidogilviephotography.ca, and his email is dmogilvie@sympatico.ca.

DEB PERRY

Deb lives in Saint John, and she paints blissfully in her cottage at woods edge with her honey and three opinionated cats. She draws her inspiration from nature, gardens and seaside vistas. A versatile artist, her first love is watercolour although she also enjoys vibrant forays with brush and palette knife on canvas or wood. Fans of her work cite her choice of rich, deep hues in acrylics and subtle nuance in her watercolour as strengths. Of Deb’s paintings, it has often been said that people buy them because the images are happy ones.

Deb welcomes commissions and strives to bring smiles to her patrons. Her email address is hatetoast@hotmail.com.

DEBB FERRIS BATES

Debb is a New Brunswick artist who has lived in Fredericton since 1986. She started a graphic design business in 1987, and she has been Artist in Residence for the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame since 2012. Her work exhibits a touch of realism as she captures likenesses and expressions of the people and animals she portrays. She works in oils but recently has begun exploring graphite, charcoal, and pastels.

Debb’s years of experience as a sign painter has given her the skills, confidence, and dexterity which she now brings to fine art. Her goal is not only to capture the appearance of her subjects, but to further show their true essence.

She is inspired by the people and animals she encounters in daily life. She approaches her subjects with the hope of captivating her viewers and leaving them optimistic. Debb says, “If I could not paint, I could not breathe.”

Debb lives at 840 McLeod Hill Road, Fredericton, NB, E3G 6J4. Her phone number is 506 452-7884,
her email address is debbsart5@gmail.com, and you can visit her website at http://dfbart.com.

ELIZA MAKER

Eliza is twelve years old, and lives in Deep Cove, Grand Manan. She has been doing photography for three years now, and during this time she has also been a regular contributor to the Square Foot Show and the Island Art show at the Grand Manan Art Gallery.

Eliza and her grandmother Elaine haven’t missed an exhibit at the gallery in two years, and they hope to be able to continue visiting the galley again soon.

Eliza’a email address is Eliza.p.maker@gmail.com.

ELIZABETH SANKOW

Elizabeth lives in Lyme CT, but has been coming to Grand Manan for 25 years with her husband. She is a special education teacher who enjoys creativity , spending free time working on hobbies including jewelry making, nature photography, and rug hooking.

This is her first time entering an art show on Grand Manan, after attending the shows last summer, and being encouraged by a friend to participate.

Elizabeth’s email address is elizabethcss@mac.com.

ERICA Nazarro

Erica is a painter based out of Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts. She deals with complex landscapes by using simple strokes and unique color choices. Erica combines watercolor, pastel, and ink line. She has won an artist’s residency in the Dunes of Provincetown, as well as a painting award from the City of Boston.

She shows her work in the South End of Boston, Milton, Concord, Dorchester, and internationally in Cuba and Italy.

Erica’s email address is ericanazzaro@gmail.com, and her website is www.EricaSnazzaro.com.

FRANK HAVEMAN

Frank is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art (OCAD University). He worked as a Graphic Designer for Domtar, and the Canadian Government Exhibition Commission. From 1971 to 2001 he served as Art Director/Visual Evalgelist with Nortel Networks.

Frank has previously exhibited his work at the Grant Gallery in Winnipeg, and he had a solo show at the Grand Manan Art Gallery in 2018. His work is inspired by events, surroundings and social dialogue translated into spatial divisions and colour. He has participated in the Gallery’s Square Foot Show for several years, and he enjoys the challenge of working within the confines of one square foot. His paintings are acrylic on board, and they all measure 12 x 12 inches. Their ready-to-hang price is $150, plus shipping and handling.

Frank’s address is 10 Hobbs Avenue , Ottawa, ON K2H6W9. His email address is fhaveman@sympatico.ca, and his phone number is 613 828-8724. (Self Portrait, right).

HEATHER BROWN

Heather grew up in Fredericton, where she enjoyed high school art classes, followed by Art education courses at UNB. Through high school and university, she took part in local markets and craft shows, selling toys and dolls that she had made. She says, “It felt good to not only finance my education, but to meet and be mentored by local craftspeople and artisans.”

Following her BEd, Heather received her diploma in Guidance Counselling. Not too long after that, she started teaching on Grand Manan, and just recently retired. She now works as a Life Coach, and offers art therapy classes.
Throughout her career, Heather always found time to create. This included, but was not limited to, writing and blogging, drawing, sewing, quilting, knitting, scrapbooking and card-making. She is known to have a camera on hand for most occasions, but especially enjoys capturing the everyday moments of life. It has only been in the last few years she has turned her sights to the landscape around her, and focused on the finer details of Mother Nature. She has welcomed this new season, as a chance to explore more mediums and create even more.

“My days at local markets continue on the island, and I’ve been so blessed to be reunited with Carole Forbes, from our early Fredericton market days. Carole has been such an encouragement to me to take my own art more seriously, and continue my creative journey as life-long learner. I’ve challenged myself to pen and ink, Inktense, watercolour and acrylic.”

“Grand Manan is such a beautiful place to live, and a constant source of inspiration. I’m constantly amazed by God’s canvas of the early morning sunrises at Swallowtail, to the tranquil beaches of Stanley’s and the Anchorage and to the rugged cliffs of Dark Harbour. How blessed are we?!”

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.” -Erma Bombeck

Heather’s has a blog at https://beingstillnow.wordpress.com/, and her email address is chocoholic1265@yahoo.ca.

JOAN INGALLS

I’m a life long resident of Grand Manan and although I appreciate the beauty of the sea around me, I’m a person of the land. I love to garden and look after my laying hens. Several years ago I took a sketching, Inktense class from Carole Forbes. In my busy life I never had time to really pursue it. Six years ago I was diagnosed with an incurable disease that changed my life. Although that sounds tragic I have been very happy since the initial diagnosis.

After deciding not to spend the next 20 years being depressed and useless I dug out my sketch book. Painting has become one of the most important things in my life. I become immersed in each picture, following its lead as it develops. I also love writing poetry and I am currently writing and illustrating a children’s story for my seven grandchildren. Writing is enjoyable but painting is my passion.

Joan’s email address is ringalls@nbnet.nb.ca.

JOHN DRAPER

John is a photographer from Fredericton, NB. His photographic education is primarily self-taught. He also received valuable insight and guidance from photographer Phil Cochrane, photographer Harry Cochrane, who was the official photographer for the Province of NB, as well as from friend and mentor Joe Stone Jr. with whom he worked at Stone’s Studio on Queen St. It was Joe who taught him the finer points of studio lighting and darkroom work.

John bought his first camera, a 35mm rangefinder, while on a trip to Alberta in ’76 when he was awed and inspired by the beauty and majesty of the Rocky mountains. On his return in September of that year, while sitting in front of the Student Union Building at UNB, he realized that while New Brunswick might not be as spectacular as the Rockies, it was just as beautiful in it’s own way and so was born a life long passion for all things photographic. He soon bought a 35mm Olympus OM-1 and gradually moved to a Bronica 645 medium format and eventually to a view graphic 4×5 camera. He made the switch to digital in 2006 and hasn’t looked back.

In 1995 he graduated from the Digital Media Program at NBCC, Smythe St, Fredericton, NB which led to he and four classmates starting “the pixel factory” which, for several years, was the poster child for New Brunswick’s fledgling hi-tech industry, doing web design, digital presentations, 3D animations, photoshop and photography for many provincial government departments as well as private and corporate clients, including the award winning first ever web site for the City of Fredericton. They also did the first ever 3D animations for the Department of Defense in Gagetown.

John has had his own photography business for over 30 years, been a teaching assistant for the Digital Communication course at NBCC (Smythe St), taught photoshop (through the pixel factory) at the College of Craft & Design as well as working for the Centre for Arts and Technology for over 10 years where he has taught courses in Photography, Business of Photography, Photoshop and Portfolio Presentation. He is a past member of the Maritime Professional Photographers Association.

His goal is to create the best possible image in camera and then fine tune the image in photoshop to create the final vision, ensuring there is a touch of magic in every photograph.

You can see more of his work on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnDraperPhotography/, and on his website (http://www.johndraper.ca).

KAREN WAITE

Karen is a painter who lives in Toronto and has been a regular visitor to the Island where she loves being surrounded by the ocean and those who rely on it to make their living. She’s astounded by their bravery and conviction in the face of some serious weather and their dependence on the natural world to sustain them.
Karen says, “Life is a little more ‘real’ on the Island,” and she can’t wait to be there again, surrounded by whales, seals, birds and some pretty amazing people!

Her email address is kwaite55@icloud.com.

KATERYNA KRYVOLAP

Kateryna is an artist originally from Ukraine who now makes her home on Grand Manan Island in New Brunswick. She was raised and educated in an artistic family where she found her passion for fine art which was being passed from generation to generation.

She creates fine art of various styles, and her inspiration most commonly comes from Petrykivka, the ancient Ukrainian decorative folk art which is included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The Petrykivka technique is unique due to the extensive use of fine-tipped brushes made of cat fur.

Kateryna’s paintings are composed of numerous elements which reflect the spirit of the Ukrainian soul. Birds, flowers, and guelder-roses represent happiness, health and wealth. Her positive mood and powerful energy are transferred through her artwork to customers and collectors in Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, and the Ukraine.

Kateryna regularly participates in international exhibitions throughout Europe and North America. Her website is www.kryvolap.ca.

KEN GOLDMAN

I am a retired engineer, photographic artist, writer, and traveller living in Portsmouth, NH, USA. I have always wanted to express myself artistically, but I dance like a rusty robot, sing like a frog with a sore throat, and I can’t even draw a stick figure. So, I decided to try photography.

Photography provides me with tools that allow me to express myself artistically and creatively in a way that is understandable to other people, and in a way that I enjoy. This enjoyment of photography began with shooting photos at the New York World’s Fair in 1964/65 with a Kodak Instamatic 100 camera. My photography took a backseat to life while I was working and was mostly limited to vacations photos. In 2010, as I prepared for retirement, I joined a camera club, started to learn more about photography and started to shoot more seriously. These days you will rarely see me without a camera. Photography keeps me busy and out of trouble.

Like many other photographers, when I first became interested in photography, I was a nature and landscape photographer. Today, though I typically shoot whatever is in front of me, my current focus is street and urban photography, my enjoyment of which began totally by accident.

It was a cold, sleety day in March 2014. I was sitting in a window seat at the Starbucks on L Street NW, near the Farragut North Metro Station in Washington, DC. As I sat there, sipped tea and read, I decided to pull out my camera and take some pictures of the people passing by. Happily sitting there and taking photos, one of the differences between the two types of photography really grabbed me…in nature photography I always cursed the people in the pictures, but, for the most part, in street and urban photography, the people are the picture! Once I realized this somewhat obvious fact, it actually excited me, and I never looked back.

My wife and I have been visiting Grand Manan for more than 20 years. Over these years we have grown to love the island, have gotten to know many people and, we think, have visited most of the island. Having said that, one thing that has surprised and delighted us is that we always find someplace new to visit and explore, and I always have my camera handy to take photos.

Ken’s website is https://kenphotogeek.com, and his email address is ken.photo.geek@gmail.com.

MARIO BEAUDOIN

Mario is a painter whose reputation has grown tremendously with works showing across the country and internationally. Drawing from his Quebecois heritage and his joie de vivre, Mario’s paintings express his passion for colour and form. His paintings engage us with the abstraction of physical and personal landmarks while flattening form into shape, and in his daring and balanced use of colour.

Mario writes of art making, “I am energized by cold winter nights, snow covered pine trees and the last warm days of autumn, all of which exhibit different variations of lights and shadows. I can’t resist the drama as well as the serenity of an old church steeple and the Quebecois architecture rising out of a quiet village to inspire me to create painting that reflects scenes I have enjoyed all of my life.”

Mario builds his art around two principal ideas : Colour contrast and the well defined forms of objects in a non traditional perspective. This urges his landscape paintings of Québec villages. Varying according to the seasons, his compositions carry shades of orange, green and yellow, or deep violets found in our snowy winters.

As a regionalist artist, Mario travels throughout the Eastern Atlantic interpreting all of its splendour with his palette of colours. Grand Manan Island is one of his favourite locations for painting, and he is a regular contributor to the Square Foot Show at the Grand Manan Gallery.

Mario’s email is mariobeaudoin@gmail.com, and his website is mariobeaudoin.com

M.J. EDWARDS

MJ is a multi-disciplinary artist with degrees in English Literature (Mount Allison , 1984), Interdisciplinary Fine Arts (NSCAD University, 2007), and Education (UNB, 2009). She grew up in Kingston, Ontario, and spent her childhood summers on Grand Manan where she has lived full-time since 2007.

MJ says, “Living in the woods overlooking Whale Cove, I find the daily reality of being surrounded by the natural world, with its processes of growth and decay, where land meets sea, strongly influences the subject matter of my art. My work as a museum director and curator and my background in literature also keep me mindful of the passage of time and processes of narrative construction. These and other preoccupations and concerns show up in my art, whether it be in my ink drawings, my documentary photography, my digital montage photography, or my encaustic, oil and cold wax, or acrylic mixed-media paintings. I am curious on many levels and cannot contain myself to one subject, one medium, or one point of view. Life is too complex for that and demands more than one way to delve beneath the surface of the multitude of ideas or feelings that keep arising.”

MJ’s encaustic paintings often incorporate scraps of old documents, photographs, steel engravings, flowers and other flotsam, ephemera and detritus of daily walks, as she creates imaginary landscapes, constructs new narratives, or explores the medium’s sculptural and textural possibilities. In recent years she has also been painting in oil and cold wax and acrylic mixed media, creating paintings that explore the passage of time, transience, surface texture, space, and place.
Although she began her artistic explorations more than 20 years ago with a 34 mm Nikon camera and macro, wide angle and telephoto lenses, her more recent photography is digital and explores photographic montage, narrative construction, memory and nostalgia, and the built and natural environments.

She has exhibited her paintings, ink drawings, prints and photographs at galleries, libraries and museums in Kingston, Halifax, Saint John, Fredericton, Hampton, St. Andrews and on Grand Manan Island. Two portfolios of her encaustic mixed media paintings and digital photography have been published in the Still Point Arts Quarterly (Shanti Arts, Brunswick, Maine), and she has been featured in seven of their quarterly publications since the Winter 2016, Issue No. 24, and she received both an Award of Distinction and a Best in Show for digital photography submissions.

Work in various media can be viewed on her website (www.mjedwards.ca), at her Rocky Corner Studio on Grand Manan, and on Facebook at Rocky Corner Studio. She is currently represented by The Gallery on Queen in Fredericton. Her email address is mjedwards454@gmail.com.

MORAG WALSH

Morag arrived in New Brunswick from Scotland in 1970, after marrying a Charlotte County man. Since then she has lived within sight of the Bay of Fundy, an ever changing view which has been the inspiration for many of her works.

In addition to sea and landscapes, Morag enjoys painting flowers, pets and still life subjects. She has taken workshops with many well known Maritime artists, but is primarily self taught. She has worked in various media, but enjoys the challenges of watercolour most of all.

Morag has participated in many local art shows. Some of her work can be found in the “ Serendipin’ Arts” gallery in Saint Andrews. Morag’s email address is moragwalsh16@gmail.com, and her website is www.moragwalsh.com.

ROBIN RIER

Robin lives on the coast in Jonesport, Maine. The scenery provides endless opportunities for interpretation. “Working on location is an invigorating and engaging experience. The challenge to paint quickly before the light changes or the tide comes in presents a situation where I must look hard, see, figure out my approach and apply paint to the canvas. The process requires concentration and attention.

Decisions are constantly being made – composition, color, brushwork, do I need to change something? I
remind myself to breathe and have fun. Nature is complex yet joyful and ever changing, therein lies the
difficulty to be at ease all of the time. I allow myself to laugh. When my paintings transport a viewer to a
new or forgotten place, or evoke a feeling, a thought, this is my bonus.” Robin’s oil paintings carry a
unique quality of color and peacefulness, and often result in a record of places gone by.

Robin moved to Eastport, Maine in 1979 where she completed a two-year wooden boat building and design course. Her eye for detail developed along with an appreciation for the majestic beauty of eastern Maine. She married, had a family and owned and operated a bed and breakfast in Machias.

Robin returned to university and graduated in 2002 from the University of Maine at Machias earning a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Fine Arts with a concentration on Visual Arts. It was here that she rekindled her love of drawing, painting, sculpting and art history.

Robin has studied plein air painting with artist Sharon Yates, in New Brunswick, Canada. She has taken various plein air painting workshops with Robert Beck, Colin Page, and Barry Coombs.

Her work has shown at galleries, juried outdoor settings, and scheduled open studio hours. An exhibitor with the Woodwind Gallery in Machias, and she has also shown with the Maine Farmland Trust Gallery in Belfast, and Schooner Art Gallery in Milbridge, Maine.

Robin’s email address is robin@robinrier.com, and her website is www.robinrier.com/j/.

RUBY VAN NICE

Ruby lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is 14 and has been coming to Grand Manan every summer since she was born, and she loves it. Ruby says, “I enjoy normal island things like fishing and going to the beach but my other hobbies include making art (as you can see), dancing, archery and any type of athletic sports. Although I haven’t had my yearly intake of market pulled pork sandwiches due to Covid 19, I’m happy that the art gallery has still kept their shows going and inspired me again this year.”

RUTH KALDOR

Ruth Kaldor lives in Cabot, Vermont. She has a B.S. in Studio Art and Art Education from Towson University, in Towson, Maryland, an M.Ed. in Art Education Curriculum from Union Institute in Montpelier, Vermont, and a
Certificate in Online Teaching, from Marlboro Graduate School in Marlboro, Vermont.

Ruth paints in watercolor and oil. She is a signature member of the Vermont Watercolor Society, and she was an art teacher for thirty-one years. She taught visual art to grades K-12 at Cabot School, Vermont, and then at Peacham Elementary School, Peacham, Vermont. Today, Ruth devotes her full time to painting. She participates in a weekly figure drawing / painting group.

She says, “I’m always working toward mastering my drawing skills, interpreting values, and keeping my colors clean. Outside my studio, plein air painting is a passion where I internalize the sights, sounds, and smells. I rise to the challenge of capturing that light and that sense of place.” One plein air admirer said of Ruth’s art, “Anyone can paint a picture but not everyone can paint a painting.”

I’m a late bloomer artist, retired from teaching art in public schools four years ago and have been painting nearly everyday since. Living in rural Vermont gallery opportunities are limited so I began thinking about showing my work online. I work in watercolor and oil and almost all my work is painted from life. Vermont offers beautiful scenery for plein air painting and I love sharing my world through my art.

You can follow Ruth on Facebook, Etsy and Instagram. Her email address is kaldor150@gmail.com.
She has a blog at https://ruthkaldor.com/. For her Etsy shop, go to RuthKaldorArt (https://www.etsy.com/shop/RuthKaldorArt).

STEWART STEIN

I am a multimedia artist living in Toronto. I feel more at home on Grand Manan than any other place I have ever visited. I love the weathered heritage structures, the unspoiled nature of the island and its incredible sea life. I am grateful to Barry Coombs for introducing me to GM through his watercolour workshops!

The workshops provide extensive opportunities to explore Grand Manan Island through watercolour painting and photography.

I find it amazing to be able to paint a watercolour of the dense cluster of herring smoke sheds…some that date back to 1870…while watching the fleet of fishing boats head out to continue the tradition of making one’s living from the sea.

I feel like my paintings are love letters to Grand Manan. If you take one home, I hope you not only enjoy the authenticity of Grand Manan but can also feel the warmth of the summer sunshine and the smell of the ocean. (Self Portrait, right).