Pierre Bellemare has been painting for many years, and intensively since 1998. In his artistic work, he aims to balance the spontaneous and the technical using acrylic on canvas. His subjects of predilection are flower gardens and unspoiled nature.

Pierre Bellemare earned a bachelor’s in graphic communication from Université Laval in 1984 following a college diploma in fine arts from Cégep de Trois-Rivières in 1981. In 1991, after working in graphic communication for advertising agencies as well as the Government of Canada, Radio-Canada, and the Quebec National Assembly, he founded Bellemare Design graphique. He has completed many national and international projects. Over the years, painting regained its importance in the life of Pierre Bellemare. It became compelling, pervasive.

His travels are another source of inspiration and stimulation. Many countries including Italy, Greece, Spain, France also China inspire the vibrant colors and warm harmonies he loves to use in his work. His paintings are in private collections across Canada, USA and France.

http://pierrebellemare.net

Being a member of a very diverse and creative family, Guy has been influenced by art and artisans all his life. Guy’s mother Stuart was a talented artist mentored by Kathleen Morris, a contemporary and associate of Canada’s Group of Seven. Guy’s elder brother Toller, is a well known Canadian artist who first wowed the world as an Olympic athlete.

Growing up in Montreal, the family home was a virtual art gallery. Guy didn’t actually put pastel to paper until many years later but the artistic seed had long been sewn.

Guy now spends his time painting in the Pakenham studio and outdoors en plein air. He has traveled and painted throughout the west coast of Canada and the United States, France, Italy, the UK and Wales. Guy has attended several Pastel workshops including a weeklong workshop with Albert Handell, arguably the preeminent pastel landscape artist in North America.

http://www.guycranston.ca

 I was born in Edmonton, Alberta and have resided in Calgary since 1972. After attending the University of Alberta I later enrolled in several workshops with The Federation of Canadian Artists. Following this I studied with Canadian artist Brian Atyeo who taught me how to design strong and unified compositions.

Plein air painting is something I find most rewarding.  Working in a variety of media including oils, pastels, watercolors and acrylics helps to maintain my interest.

I’ve participated in  fifty group exhibitions in the past fifteen years and have had four solo shows in the past four years. Fortunate to be juried into both regional and national exhibitions, I’ve had the opportunity to receive several awards, including The Conte a Paris award and The Pastel Society of Canada’s award of Distinction.  I became a senior signature member of the Federation of Canadian Artists in 2002 and was designated Premiere Pastellist of Canada in 2006.

http://lornadockstader.com

http://www.tedzworks.com

David J. Edwards was born in Essex, England in 1944 and emigrated to Canada in 1957, residing first in Toronto and moving to Calgary in 1960. Now residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Early influences on his style and career included John Constable. This influence may still be seen in his large landscapes of rounded trees and powerful cloudscapes.

Later, the work of the late French minimalist Nicolas De Stael played the most significant role in Edwards' development as a painter. He was profoundly moved by the manner in which De Stael was able to use subtle changes in colour values and textures to shape his paintings rather than relying on detail. Edwards' landscape paintings are abstracted to simple forms relying on texture and tonal variations to create drama.Edwards' paintings hang in corporate and private collections across the world including Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria Whistler as well as collections in Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Wyoming, California and Washington State.

http://www.djedwards.com

http://margaret-farrar.fineartamerica.com/

Art is an undeniable necessity, an intrinsic element that defines my life. From my first Crayola – I was hooked.

My early work was illustrative in nature which enabled me to develop a solid understanding of drawing and composition. Today my focus is on   the more organic, natural designs of nature.

Preferring to paint with professional soft pastel, I enjoy the immediacy of the medium and its saturation of colour. My work is painted on both canvas panels and sanded paper, with or without a watercolour or oil underpainting.

Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to study pastel painting under such great pastel artists as Albert Handell, Richard   McKinley, Andrew McDermott, Teresa Saia and Colleen Howe.

I particularly enjoy taking my art outdoors and have painted many of   my works "en plein air" in Canada, Europe and the USA. Member of the Society of Canadian Artists.

http://www.sharonfox.ca

Although I grew up in the city, I was a country boy at heart. Now I live where my heart and imagination have always resided and go to the city only to visit museums and galleries and to pick up art supplies. I fish, hunt, canoe and beach-comb. I note the moods of the changing weather and seasons and marvel how a well-beloved landscape can change its appearance from one day to the next, one hour to the next. This is my world and this is what I paint.

As Picasso said, “I don’t search for things, I find them.” I’ve come to realize that I’m not only trying to portray the visual world in my painting, I’m saying something about my spiritual response to the land and its dynamic harmonies, as well.

I believe that every work of art should in some way be a revelation. It should change us in some degree–both viewer and artist.

http://www.petergough.ca

D. F. Gray.... Pastels from life

"Painting...a gathering of the senses.
                             I paint from life....of life "

Born in Vancouver B.C., D. F. is a member of the Pastel Society of Canada. He always works from life, whether in the landscape or from the model, in the medium of soft pastel. D.F. holds the Pastel Silver Plate (top award for pastel in Canada). He has been designated a Premier Pastellist of Canada by the Pastel Society of Canada. He won a First Place award, Nanaimo Heritage Building paint out, 2005.

D. F. has been published in:
•Unforgettable places to paint‚,  The Artists Sketchbook,(US), April 2006
•Plein Air (US) December, 2004
•The Pastel Journal (US), November 2005
•Harvest of Art, Wine, Food 1999 & 2000
•Magazin‚ Art (Montreal) 1996 & 2000,   
•Pastel Artist International (Australia) 1999 & 2000
•The Best of Canadian Pastels  The Pastel Society of Canada 

http://members.shaw.ca/dfgray/home.htm

Perry Haddock is a Canadian artist from the south coast of British Columbia, near Vancouver.  His paintings reveal his West Coast roots and his love of the coastal images near his home. Painting primarily in acrylic and watercolour, Perry's impressionistic style is the result of his keen observation of the colours and textures of nature, and his efforts to record his impressions in broad strokes. Many of his paintings are developed from sketches or studies done on site, and his fondest painting experiences are those "en plein air". 

Now retired from a teaching career, Perry has taken the opportunity to add travelling to his agenda, and has discovered new subjects and experiences to add to his palette, ranging from Italian coastal bays to Paris rooftops and Newfoundland meadows.

Perry is a signature  member (AFCA) of the Federation of Canadian Artists and  an active member of the British Columbia Art Teachers' Association. His paintings hang in collections in both Europe and North America.

http://www.perryhaddock.com

http://www.bonniehamlin.com

http://onlinefineartstudio.com

Michelle Basic Hendry SCA is an award winning artist, working primarily in acrylic. For Michelle, it is the mysteries in the light and shadow of the countryside that nourish her spirit and drive her creative process.

As a child, she loved boat rides past decaying "Muskoka” cottages that, in the 1970’s, still peppered the lakes. Full of animal nests and old bed springs, she could not resist the romance of these derelict ruins and beautiful landscapes that hosted them. The aesthetic of these simple places and the rich details they contained had clicked with her creativity and drove her to paint a series on decaying rural architecture.

Michelle is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists and has sat as a founding member on the Board of the Arts Council of Muskoka. Her work is in private collections in Canada, the U.S. and the UK.

http://www.artscapes.ca
Blog: http://www.artscapes.ca/blog/

Michael Chesley Johnson, MPAC, PSA is an award-winning oil and pastel plein air painter working in the American Southwest and the Canadian Maritimes. Elected a Master Pastellist by Pastel Artists Canada in 2008, he's also a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and a juried member of Oil Painters of America.  Michael is the author of Through a Painter's Brush: A Year on Campobello Island and writes regularly for The Pastel Journal and The Artist's Magazine. His new book, Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Pastel & Oil, was published in November, 2008. His studio is on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, and he teaches workshops throughout North America.

http://www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com

I was born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine, where I studied art and then worked as a fine artist, illustrator, and graphic designer for several magazines and advertising agencies. After coming to Canada in 1998 I graduated from the Advanced Illustration program, Sheridan College.

I build a frame, stretch and prime the canvas, forget my years of formal training and just sing and fly into elusive word of light, color rainbow and feelings. I work quickly and emotionally; usually finding right place, light, and state takes much longer than painting itself.

It?s impossible to say many things; they seem banal and meaningless put in words. I feel that the ancient way ? through nature: shapes of trees and rocks, shadows and lights - gives an excellent opportunity to express your soul. One day and place it?s cheerful, another - miserable and angry, but is always glorious. Painting is an exquisite joy for me, and I hope to share these feelings with my audience. I?ve participated in many group exhibitions (and won several awards) and had three solo shows in the last two years. I'm elected member of Society of Canadian Artists.

http://www.mahnart.com

http://www.leckett.com

http://www.emilielemay.com

Craig Shanti Mackinnon, a contemporary landscape painter has been involved with the passion of painting for over twenty years. Shanti’s focus on the landscape arises from his deep reverence and respect for nature. He is particularly attracted to wild uncivilized places- deep forests, mountains and rivers. In his painting he intends to create a strong sense of depth and atmosphere, creating sacred spaces that reflect his own inner quest, places that you want to be, to enter into, explore and disappear.

Although his realistic impressions depict recognizable forms of the landscape, there is a always hint at what is behind the forms, the life and great soul of this beautiful earth. After many travels and adventures, shanti now lives in the Laurentian mountains north of Quebec city .

http://www.shantiartist.com

Jerry Markham is a professional artist and plein air painter, from British Columbia, Canada, who paints a variety of subject matter including landscape, wildlife, still life and figure paintings. Jerry is a member of the International Plein Air Painters (IPAP), Oil Painters of America (OPA) and Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA).

Original oil paintings, galleries, upcoming shows, and workshops can be found on his website.

http://www.jerrymarkham.com

The Canadian landscape is all at once beautiful, harsh and ever changing. For Margery, painting is much like hiking in the mountains, uphill and down, with twists and turns, rocks in the path and changing weather. However, once you arrive at your destination, you catch you breath and see something amazing before you. You have arrived at a place where the beauty of the light, leaves, water and rock speaks to you.

Painting the places she has visited is important to Margery, enabling her to capture a moment in time and experience some of the spectacular Canadian landscape. 

Margery attended the University of Calgary and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art in 1995, majoring in painting and photography. Currently she is a founding member of The New 7 Painters Society of Canada.

http://www.mmestudio.ca

Born in Yonkers, New York in 1948, Bruce spent most of his life in professional golf, construction management and real estate development before discovering art. Bruce taught drawing at the University of New Brunswick for three years and currently gives private drawing lessons in his studio and conducts occasional workshops. Most of his time, however, goes to painting, usually en plein air.

"I regard plein air painting as the most demanding and rewarding painting experience because quick decisions and solid drawing skills are necessary to capture the fleeting moments of light and color" Bruce's primary influence has been Richard Schmid and has studied his work thoroughly. Bruce eagerly looks forward to working with Marc Hanson in August, 2010.

Bruce is a juried member of Oil Painters of America, Landscape Artists International, Gallery Connexion, Plein Air Painters of the Bay of Fundy and The Fredericton Arts Alliance.

http://brucenewman.com

“Painting for me is mostly an opportunity for reflection on how all things on this earth are connected. My painting style helps me understand this deeply: dots blend with dots to describe and define shapes with no hard lines as I watch a stone become the air and the air become the stone. This seems how the earth is. My pointillist technique feels so comfortable as I meditate about and work the image. The colours simply amplify my energy as I’m led to explore and discover.”

http:/jimpescott.com

David Reeves paints in watercolours, pastels, and acrylics, and sometimes a mix of all these medias. The quality of his paintings has been achieved by hard work, determination, and a passion for art and creativity.

In 2004 he was awarded the H.K. Holbein Award for Innovative Use of Watercolour for his painting "Surfacing" at the CSPWC's Annual Open Water Exhibit. In 2006 David was further honoured to be elected as a member of the CSPWC. To round out a very successful year, in November 2006 he was elected to the Society of Canadian Artists (SCA). David is also a member of the Plein Air Painters of the Bay of Fundy.

After a career in engineering, he has taken up painting full time and is developing a following both locally and internationally. David prefers to extensively study art techniques and history privately in pursuit of developing his own style. David's greatest reward is the enjoyment and inspiration others receive from viewing his work.

http://www.davidreeves.ca

Janice Robertson was born and raised on British Columbia’s west coast. Much of her work pays homage to the forests, rivers and beaches that she has known all her life.

Ms Robertson’s painting career began in 1986. She has won numerous awards over the years, been published in International Artist magazine several times and is listed in “Who’s Who” in Canada. She holds signature membership in the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Northwest Watercolor Society. She is also a past president of the FCA.

http://www.janicerobertson.ca

Signature Status – Pastel Society of Canada

I am a pastel artist. I strive to express the essence of a region and interpret my love for nature, especially places I have been like the Okanagan Valley in B.C. and Etretat, France. Since 2000 I have enhanced the awareness of my pastels by entering juried exhibits in USA, France and Poland.

My greatest accomplishment is being accepted by five jurors into the oldest and most International Pastel contest in the world, the 4th International Biennial Pastel Exhibition in Nowy Sacz, Poland, in 2008. All of the Exhibition’s 175 artists were presented in Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and Italy. Only 75 chosen works were exhibited in Krakow and Rotterdam 2009. The plein air pastel painting is of Mayne Island, B.C.

I’ve been seriously thinking about oils and will be painting plein air on linen in  2010.

http://www.pagesamishillart.com

“Canadian Artist, Sharon E. Steinhaus, works in most media including oil, acrylic, watercolour, pen & ink and pencil. Her current body of work focuses on the local landscape surrounding her home in Durham Region where close proximity to Lake Ontario is an ever present lure. Sharon originally hails from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia where she was an active member of the Cape Breton Artists Assoc.

The thrill of the creative process is always more rewarding than the end result. When the work has come to an end it is always with mixed emotion of triumph and loss. Triumph in the sense that I finished what I set out to do but I consider it a sense of loss that the adventure of this particular painting is now behind me.”

http://www.steinhausstudio.com