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

 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://www.alicatgallery.com/dockstader.html

http://www.tedzworks.com

Rob Elphinstone specializes in capturing the nature of the Canadian west coast through his textured wild flowing landscapes. His "actualism" paintings reflect the belief that our senses reveal only a shadow of what we truly experience. Rather than painting to convey an emotional state like expressionist art, actualism art instead attempts to paint the portion of nature a photograph cannot capture. His award winning art can be found in galleries and collections across Canada and around the world including Belgium, Italy, Australia and the US.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/robelphinstone/

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

http://www.bonniehamlin.com

I am a self-taught artist who has been painting for seventeen years. I have developed my own style that tends to favour impressionism in oils and stylized themes in experimental mixed media. I am intrigued by colour and shape and try to convey this in my art. I am captivated by the creative process and often find the painting dictating what it wants to become.

I find that teaching painting galvanizes me to explore new techniques and subject matter. This fuels my desire for experimentation. My inspiration comes from my love of nature and from years of travel throughout Canada, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, India, Bali and other Southeast Asian countries.

My paintings are in private collections across Canada and in Japan, the USA and England. They are also in corporate collections in the Okanagan Valley, BC. I am represented by Eclectica Gallery, Sylvan Lake, Alta. and Athena Gallery, Kelowna, B.C.

http://www.marilynharrisart.com

A. S. Helwig, a Canadian artist, utilizes techniques such as collage, texturing, glazing and underpainting to explore the prairie landscape.

“I am painting the landscape that is familiar to me,” says Helwig.  “The imagery that I have been working with has become spiritual and dreamlike.  The images are quick glances we have of the landscape as we move through it.”

 Themes of alienation, awe, personal epiphanies and prayerfulness emerge.  The fleeting moment transcends itself to reveal that feeling, that truth, which we intuitively understand but find difficult to articulate.  These are visual poems which insinuate the eternal into our understanding of the immediate.”

http://ashelwig.tripod.com

A search for symbol and meaning, and beauty, within the workings of nature underlies my desire to be in and to paint the landscape around me. My home in the Yukon Territory provides dramatic subject matter with expansive wilderness, intense shifts of season, and abundant wildlife.

http://www.janeisakson.com

Michael Chesley Johnson, PSA, is an award-winning painter whose oil and pastel landscapes can be seen in galleries in New Mexico, Colorado, Maine and Canada. Working primarily en plein air, Michael excels in bringing color, light and the feeling of being in the Great Outdoors to his paintings. A Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and Plein Air New Mexico and a juried member of Oil Painters of America, he also is a popular workshop teacher. He has taught painting workshops in scenic locations such as coastal Maine and the Canadian Maritimes, the American Southwest, the Gulf Coast and elsewhere.

Also a writer, Michael is Contributing Editor for The Pastel Journal and author of The Art of Ann Templeton, a retrospective of the internationally-known artist's career. He has also written for American Artist, The Artist's Magazine, Southwest Art and other publications.

http://www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com

I am a self-taught artist though I have derived much inspiration by attending workshops with the late landscape painter, Antonio Karaflakis. In addition, the impressionist painters, Monet, Van Gogh and Corot have greatly influenced me.

In 2000, after a successful accounting career I decided to turn my attention to my first love – painting and drawing. The following year, 2001, we had the first showing of my work. To date I have taken part in many juried shows and held four one-man shows across Southern Ontario.

While my initial medium was water currently I work almost exclusively in oil. Private and corporate collectors in Canada, USA and the Bahamas hold my work. Current work can be viewed at my Pickering studio. I am a member of The Durham Art Counsel, Visual Art Ontario and Landscape Artist International.

http://www.alpheusjones.com

Brent R. Laycock's watercolour and acrylic paintings focus the western Canadian landscape and floral still life.  Laycock received his MFA in painting from Brigham Young University, and now resides in Calgary, Alberta.  For over three decades, he has exhibited across Canada, the USA, Europe, Japan and Mexico; and is included in numerous private, public and corporate collections.  His commissioned work varies greatly in size from the images for two Canadian postage stamps to large outdoor murals.  His award-winning work is represented in the CSPWC collection presented to Queen Elizabeth II, and has been featured in many art publications.  A recent art book, Waterton: Brush & Pen, presents over 100 Laycock paintings of Waterton Lakes National Park.  Laycock is a member of various art societies including the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.

Visit is website, where you are invited to register to receive his free "Painting of the Week" by email.

http://www.brentlaycock.com

http://www.leckett.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

http://www.bortmarola.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 a small town in Tuscany, Rita Monaco came to Canada in 1967. After majoring in painting and photography from the University of Alberta, she began a 20 year career as a graphic artist and illustrator. In 1993 Monaco became a full time painter.

Her annual trips to Italy provide a great deal of inspiration for her works. The vineyards, olive groves and fields of her native Tuscany are among her main subjects but she also paints landscapes of Sicily, the region where she grew up. Pathways and roads are frequently seen in her colourful pieces. "I love these geometric elements because they provide a backbone for the piece and convey a feeling of entering into the painting. A feeling of being there". Rita works and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Her work can be seen at Buckland Southerst Gallery, West Vancouver, BC.
http://www.bucklandsoutherst.com/

http://ritamonacostudio.com/

Born in Yonkers, New York, Bruce spent most of his life in professional golf, construction management and real estate development before discovering drawing in 1999 and painting in 2000. He won The Fredericton Society of Artist's People's Choice award at the Society's 2000 Spring Exhibition for his pencil drawing entitled Muenchner Siegestor. He quickly became interested in "direct painting" and nearly all works are painted en plein air, usually in one session. An area of recent interest combines his other passion, golf, and Bruce has had success producing limited edition prints of his paintings of Atlantic Canada golf courses.

Bruce works in graphite, acrylics and, recently, oils with his work held in private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. In addition to Landscape Artists International, Bruce is a member of The Fredericton Society of Artists, Plein Air Painters of the Bay of Fundy, and International Plein Air Painters.

http://brucenewman.com

Nancy O'Toole is well known for her dynamic use of color intensity and luminosity in her impressionistic paintings. Travels through Europe have been the inspiration for many of her Landscape paintings. Sought after by collectors of fine art , she has paintings in Corporate and Private collections worldwide. A popular instructor in Acrylics, Nancy conducts workshops in Canada, the U.S.A. and worldwide.

Galleries:
Adele Campbell Gallery, Whistler B.C., Can.   (www.adele-campbell.com)
Peninsula Gallery, Sidney B.C., Can.
  (www.pengal.com)
Stephen Lowe Art Gallery...Calgary Alberta, Can.   (www.stephenloweartgallery.ca)
Lando Gallery, Edmonton Alberta. Can.
   (www.landogallery.com)

http://www.nancyotoole.com

http://www.myartclub.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

After graduating from the University of Calgary in 1985 with a BFA, David expanded the scope of his work beyond the traditional.  He began by experimenting with a number of authentic painting mediums, including acrylic paint.  Using acrylic mediums David created original and modern abstract paintings, defining his style throughout the 90s.  Recently, David’s combined his love of camping, hiking, and canoeing, with painting and is focused on capturing the beauty and splendour offered by Mother Nature.  Combining his earlier and current abstract art experience with his present “en plein air” genre, David draws inspiration from the beauty of the landscape, resulting in his own unique interpretations.  David’s distinctive style has been well received and featured in galleries throughout Western Canada.

“As artists, it is our instinct to reflect on nature, and to interpret, capture, and create all that influences us.” – David J. Veres

http://www.davidjveres.com

NIAGARA ESCARPMENT: SEASONS OF THE LAND: I am not only inspired by the obvious esthetic beauty of vineyards, orchards in bloom etc., but more so by the work and dedication involved in cultivating and harvesting them, and at how global warming, economy and political agenda determine their survival and the farmer's livelihood. I have immense respect for generations of farmers and their families, the connection to their land and the obstacles that must be overcome to sustain it. My paintings also examine the correlation between the seasons of our lives and the cultivation of our land. I want my work to impart the significance of man's reliance on and respect for both the simplicity and complexity of the escarpment's invaluable -yet vanishing- agricultural environment. By documenting the seasons of the land on Niagara's world biosphere reserve I also hope to communicate my desire to preserve it's fragility, strength and nourishment for generations to come.

http://www.janyates.com