February-March feature show

“While the use of light and shadow leans toward American realist legend Edward Hopper, Mr. Leverton's unconventional "macro view" forces foreground and background to become indistinguishable, which creates abstraction… that celebrate the forgotten and mundane pieces of domestic life.”                                                    

 Dave LeBlanc, The Globe and Mail

Gordon Leverton

February 1 ~ March 30

launch reception with the Artist:
Saturday, February 4
2~4

'I see beauty in our aging urban strata. In Hamilton Ontario, where I reside, the effects of nature over time have eroded the buildings and infrastructures, transforming them greatly. I look too at the banal and mundane - tract-housing, parking lots, apartment blocks - and final challenge in exploring the traditional and narrow view of what is beautiful.' GL

Geometry features prominently in Leverton's  work; 'I endeavour to keep the composition orderly, relying on layered areas of complex colour to complement the simple lines. Although people rarely appear in my paintings, I'm always conscious of the impact that these places have over the individual. The buildings, hence, are personified and in effect the paintings become "building portraits".

 

  Gordon Leverton is a member of several guilds and artist groups including, The Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton Artists Inc., and The Artists Network, and is an elected member of The Society of Canadian Artists.  His artwork has shown in the The National Gallery, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Todmorden Mills Museum, Ogilvy Hall in Montreal and the Tom Thomson Memorial Gallery. 

  Gordon’s work has frequently shown at the juried Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, and has received first place awards in the Junction Juried Art Exhibition and the Riverdale Art Walk in Toronto.  His work is in many corporate and private collections, including the City of Toronto, actress CCH Pounder, and founding chairman of the National Museum of American History, Dr. Ivan Selin.  Press coverage includes spots on CH-TV, CBC Nightly News, Global News at Six, Hamilton Spectator and the Globe and Mail.

Preview Gordon Leverton's show here

November Feature Show

EMBARK .....

    Tom Hurst  

   Eugen Schlaak

   Erwin Parent

   Doug O'Hara

Working with Wood 

**Launch reception with the Artisans: 

   Sunday, November 6
   2-4PM

*everyone is welcome and there is no admission

preview show here 

October Feature Artist

mmmmm

STILL LIFE AT LARGE

SUSAN WILDE

 

Launch reception with the Artist:
Sunday, October 2nd -2-4pm 


Preview Susan's show here

The elegant simplicity of Sue’s work is at the core of its wide appeal. She transforms the seemingly mundane- a simple bowl of cherries or pears or ripe tomatoes- into wonderful works of art. She combines the immediacy of  drawing with the brilliance of painting, to breathe life into even the most static stills.  Fine art training from the Renaissance period left Susan Wilde fascinated with the use of chiaroscuro (strong light contrasted with deep shadow) which is evident in her work   today. "Strong light on a simple subject creates the most interesting contrasts – be it a strong spotlight out of the darkness, or when the sun is low in the early morning or late afternoon and the shadows are longer."

The vitality and freshness of Wilde's paintings are rooted in her formal training and background as a graphic designer. During the past twenty years Susan has  concentrated on fine art, initially working in oil pastels and now painting in oil.

Sue has successfully applied the ‘less is more’ to her own art with stunning effect. She now lives and paints on the lake in Stoney Creek, Ontario after   returning several years ago from many years in the Middle East.

September Feature Show

Fishy Business @ the Jordan Art Gallery

Paintings by

GEORGE HOWARD

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A LAUNCH OPENING

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

*meet & chat with George

in person

between 2&4PM!

PREVIEW GEORGE'S SHOW HERE

GEORGE HOWARD: BIO

George Howard was born in Fulton, Upper New York State in 1951.  In 1976 he moved to Ontario, initially Toronto, and now Beamsville.  He started painting in 1996 and works primarily in watercolours.  Guided by painter and friend Harry Coughey, and encouraged by George Sanders, he quickly developed a distinctive style.  His initial work typically portrayed women; “They have more flair, more sense of style” he says.  He is fascinated by people’s individual quirks and personality, and his work conveys a strong sense of their character, mood and circumstance.  This is achieved by a liberal interpretation of reality (described in the press as a “skewed” and “playful” view of life) and the exaggeration of features - like a cartoon, but with more warmth and sensitivity.

The scope of his work has expanded since his move to the Niagara Peninsula, inspired by the landscape, farmland and domestic scenes.  Perhaps the most characteristic features of his work today are his strong and harmonious use of colour, and his sense of humour.  While still painting primarily in watercolour, touches of acrylic have recently crept into some of his work, adding richness to his already vibrant colours.

George was first invited to exhibit his work at Gallery 2, The Latin School of Chicago.  The first exhibition exclusively devoted to his work was at the Roselawn Centre in Port Colborne, Ontario in September 2002.  It received a warm and enthusiastic critical review, as well as considerable commercial success, and he has since been invited back twice – in 2004 and in 2005.  In October 2003 and November 2005 George successfully exhibited his work as “Guest Artist of the Month” at the Jordan Art Gallery and in July 2004 an exhibition of his work appeared at Rodman Hall in St. Catharines.  In October 2005 George exhibited his work at the Pumphouse Visual Arts Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  In April 2011 his work was exhibited at Arts Place Gallery in Port Colborne.  George is one of a group of talented artists in Lincoln, Ontario that have opened their studios to the public during the “Lincoln Benchmarks” Studio Tour.  His work is held by art lovers and collectors in Canada, the U.S., Bermuda, the Netherlands and England.

Mori McCrae Ireland Residency

Southwest Ireland County Kerry

Cill Rialaig Cottages

Yes, I’m back from Cill Rialaig, pronounced “Kill Reeleeg” in case any one is wondering, after three invigorating weeks at the famous artist’s residency in County Kerry in Southwest Ireland.  The original village pre-dates the potato famine of the late 1840’s in Ireland.  Noelle Campbell Sharpe, a Dublin publisher is responsible for building the thriving artist’s retreat that exists today, on the foundations of this settlement.  Eight cottages have been restored to date and each house has been faithfully resurrected according to the original method of dry building with stone, without mortar. The only exterior change is the addition of a sky lit studio in the main room of each dwelling. It was a priceless experience for me to live and work at Cill Rialaig.

Cottage interior

I fell in love with the place, and within the confines of this monastic setting and slower pace, I had a chance to get reacquainted with my work. I relished the opportunity to explore some new ideas, at ease in my simple surroundings that were uncomplicated by the stress and responsibility of every day life.

For me Cill Rialaig was about the people.  I met some amazing, artists and poets who enriched my experience with their presence, and with their generosity of knowledge and experience.  Thanks to Angie Grimes, painter (Dublin) and Daphne poet/painter (Israel) for sharing evening meals with me where Daphne’s cooking skills clearly outshone everyone elses and Angie introduced us to the slow and lovely burn of Bushmills Irish Whiskey.  Ok so we didn’t just work!

The images I’ve posted show Cill Rialaig from a distance, where the village can be seen perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.  Another image shows two of the artists that took me in when I arrived; Angie Grimes and Daphne.  We became close friends and learned a lot from each other either directly or indirectly through a subtler form spiritual osmosis. 

Angie (left) and Daphne ( right) my two new friends ( Mori in centre)

The fellow gazing longingly at the water is Barrie Cooke who came to Cill Rialaig to do some work, and then to get down to the main event …..GO FISHING GOD DAMMIT!   Unfortunately, the weather didn’t co operate with the great artist, so he got up early one soggy morning, and left in a huff.  I’m ashamed to say it took me longer than it should have to absorb the fact that Barrie is one of Ireland’s most famous artists and his retrospective is currently showing at the IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) in Dublin.

Artist Barrie Cooke

The images below are two of the works I completed at Cill Rialaig. They represent a theme I will continue to explore here in my “home and native land”. The theme is currency and the image is an artist interpretation of a 5 and 10 Euro note, a new direction?, we'll see. I enjoy telling people that I’m making money.

Glad to be back in Canada and at the gallery and with my partners.

Mori McCrae's 10 Euro note

5 Euro note

August Feature Show

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WAXING:

encaustic collage

by

andrea bird

Artist Statement

I approach art-making intuitively, following my inclination into new territory with each piece  telling me where it needs to go.  The route can be effortless or  challenging - either way I am pulled along, fascinated by the process.  Encaustic   allows for a dialogue to take place between myself and the wax.  This ‘back and forth’ nature opens me to the mystery of what cannot be known – but only glimpsed at.  I let go of attachment which for me is an on-going loosening of expectation.  ‘Holding loosely’ is a theme that inspires much of my work. It allows for a  spontaneous response to what happens during the process – drips can be fused into the piece, or gouged off, ‘mistakes’ lead to new ways of    pushing the medium.  I have created different series that incorporate found objects, clothing/fabric, birds’ nests, prayer flags, roots (and other organic   materials), original photo transfers of trees – and each is connected to the source inspiration of ‘holding loosely’.  My most recent series involves dancing on the beeswax with charcoal on my feet, which is a way of physically being  involved with the painting.  This allows for a more spontaneous response to ‘what is’.  It is an on-going learning for me to let go, to fall without fear.

 

PLEASE JOIN US FOR A CLOSING RECEPTION SUNDAY, AUGUST 28

Andrea will be present to speak about her encaustic works between 3&5PM

admission is free   

view more of Andrea's work here

Bio:

Andrea Bird graduated from OCAD in Toronto and studied at R&F Encaustics in New York.  She is a long-time member of the Ontario Society of Artists, and has been teaching & exhibiting her work extensively for over 25 years. Inspired by the natural world, she often uses organic collage elements in her work (nests/leaves/roots).  This award-winning artist fell in love with encaustic a decade ago (beeswax mixed with oil pigment & damar resin fused with heat). 

The versatility of this luscious medium never ceases to amaze her.  Andrea works with many themes that are held together with the common thread of finding beauty, depth and mystery in every day. With her husband and fellow artist, Daniel Beirne, she has just opened an encaustic school/gallery called ‘the hive’ at the Alton Mill near Orangeville.

July 1~30

INTERNATIONAL AWARD WINNING ARTIST MAGDOLENE DYKSTRA Spirit Incarnate 'The world is jammed with pain, need, and callousness. Even though there are faint glimmers of light, my hope is very fragile. The more I learn, see, and experience, the more precarious it becomes ' 'Karen Louise Fletcher referred to “the dilemma of the spirit incarnate”.1 Ann Lamott says that we are not humans in a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings in a human experience.2 My work shows snap shots of this conflicted existence. My characters show our hurt, our depravity, and our brokenness. This baggage weighs us down, and ages us beyond our years, shown in the figures’ tired features. My figures are enveloped so that only their expressive faces can be seen. This references the Ancient Egyptian tradition of preparing canopic jars as part of a lengthy preparation for the after-life. These trapped figures also refer to the concept of our spirits being ensnared in corrupted physical forms. Even though our race seems pathetically broken, there are occasional glimpses of hope. God has not left us. I believe that He suffers with us, but we are deaf and blind to His presence. I manifest this hope through the care and detail I invest in each individual character. Even though each character has dangerous secrets, each one has an element of beauty. ' 1 Karen Louise Fletcher as quoted in 500 Figures in Clay. Lark Books: 2004. 2 Lamott, Anne. Plan B. New York, Riverhead Books: 2005.   Magdolene Dykstra is a Canadian ceramist living in York, UK. She was seduced by clay while studying fine arts at Houghton College in New York State, USA. She began her career as a sculptor working in stone; however, she quickly shifted her attention to clay. She was captured by the immediate responsiveness of the medium and its fleshiness as it pushed back against her hands. After graduating with a Bachelors in Art, she continued to work with clay and study its roots and applications. She benefited from involvement with the local ceramic communities. As part of her study of ceramics, Magdolene spent three years exploring functional work. Although she continued to enjoy the medium, she did not find functional work emotionally or spiritually satisfying. In 2007, Magdolene returned to sculptural ceramics as an outlet for her thoughts. As an avid reader, Magdolene has learned a great deal from researching the work of other artists, like Tom Bartel, Adrian Arleo, and Tip Toland. She continues to find inspiration from her experiences and a variety of literature. Magdolene has shown her work throughout Ontario, the USA, and the UK.

JUNE feature Artist

It is a great honour to present the outstanding work of acclaimed aerial photographer

 Louis Helbig

  

Aerial Abstractions

‘Although aerial perspectives afford great sweeping views, they also afford the opposite. Removing context provokes wonder, thought and reflection.’

'Communication is more about what one takes out than what one leaves in. Removing the horizon, tipping the camera down, accelerates parsing and simplifying. The moving, fluid environment keeps the aircraft aloft and the senses alive; one’s imagination open and intuition unfettered.'

 

'I usually fly and photograph by myself in a 1946 Luscombe, a machine that is itself a study of design, function and simplicity.'

Raised in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Louis Helbig is an Ottawa-based aerial art photographer.

His best known projects are “Beautiful Destruction – Alberta Tar Sands Aerial Photographs,” and “Sunken Villages” which depicts - from the air and through the water – the cultural remains that lie flooded by the St Lawrence Seaway.

( http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/26/photographer-explores-the-st-lawrences-sunken-villages/)

His style teeters between documentary and abstract; his approach – whatever the subject – is not to editorialize but to provide viewers the space, in their own imaginations, to reflect, imagine and think for themselves.

Helbig's  work has been exhibited in Canada, the United States and Europe and is held in collections worldwide. As well it has appeared in a range of periodicals and publications in North America and Europe.

His background includes membership on Canada's national cross country ski team, a degree from the London School of Economics, being a bush pilot, and employment with various public agencies and government departments, NGOs and educational institutions in the areas of social policy, economic analysis and civil society. He left the civil service six years ago to establish a photography business and pursue art. He was elected to the Ontario Society of Artists in 2010.

For more information on Louis Helbig and his work: www.louishelbig.com www.sunkenvillages.ca or www.beautifuldestruction.ca

MEDIA STATEMENTS

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2011/05/26/photographer-explores-the-st-lawrences-sunken-villages/

http://www.louishelbig.com/mediacoverage.html

Exhibition of Louis Helbigs' work at the JORDAN ART GALLERY runs from June 1-30

JAG is open every day, 10~5.

jordanartgallery.com

May News

Partner Janny Fraser has been accepted into a juried exhibition at the John B. Aird Gallery in Toronto for a show called "Photo-Op" the show runs May 3rd to 27th. See side bar for details. 


Don't forget Toronto painter Caroline Versteeg will be at her opening on Sunday May 22nd, please come by 2-4pm to welcome her.

Shelters By Janny Fraser

May feature artist

Caroline Versteeg

Spaces

 

Reception with the Artist:

 

May 22

 2-4

Caroline's work uses typography as landmarks to express her vision of urban landscapes. Her mixed media work has been described as a trace of memory and a plan of something intangible. The subtly captivating and delicately striking pieces layer elements such as found paper, poetry, handwriting and collage into contemporary landscape compositions. These ephemeral elements are changed from discarded pieces to essential focal points in the work.

 

view work here

Caroline Versteeg is a Toronto based artist and designer. In addition to being commissioned by private citizens and local businesses, her works have been sold in a number of Toronto art shows and galleries.

Statement

Spaces (from the series Spacing) captures Caroline's vision of urban landscapes. In her work, she uses typography as landmarks to express her vision. Her mixed media work has been described as a trace of memory and a plan of something intangible. The subtly captivating and delicately striking pieces layer elements such as found paper, poetry, handwriting and collage into contemporary landscape compositions. These ephemeral elements are changed from discarded pieces to essential focal points in the work.

April Feature Artist

Mag Wilk

Glimpses from our Neighbourhood 

Closing reception:

Saturday, April 3o

2~4

Everyone is welcome

Artist Bio

 

Mag was born in the ancient Polish city of Krakow.

Historical environment and specific atmosphere at home full of architectural drawings and free hand sketches had significant impact on her future choices. Drawing was as natural as any other activity.

After high school (with a profile in the arts) she was accepted to the        Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. Five years of art education gave her a foundation to express creativity in many ways. She spent equal time       painting and sculpting as well as designing furniture and interiors.

Mag visited Canada in1999 for the first time and then traveled to New York and Denmark, where she worked in glass for a period of time.

Artist Statement

My work is a balance between functional design and artistic aesthetics.   Aesthetics are derived from well balanced compositions, forms and colors.

 During my creative escapades into the picturesque surrounding areas I     admire, learn, and observe imprints in memory of those trips, sometimes sketching, sometimes taking snapshots. Usually it happens in series which helps to develop a continuity of the creative process. At this moment the most important quality in my work is the mood of place: simple things like calmness of water, light shimmering and atmosphere of relaxed   simplicity and honesty.

As a new Canadian observing the surroundings and feeling the vast natural outdoors it helps me to bond here and feel at home.

      

March Feature Show

Priscilla Cranley

Beyond Density

 

'This work is inspired by land use planning maps from around the world. These planning maps document the density of residential buildings in order to trace the amount of hardscape in relation to natural landscape. Seen from above the maps are beautiful in shape and composition, the roads snaking through and the geometric buildings with unknown interiors.'  Priscilla Cranley

Launch Reception with the Artist:

Sunday   March 6

2~ 4  

Everyone is Welcome

show runs March 1~30

            

February Feature Show

 JAG'S  2ND ANNUAL exhibition and fundraiser, with all proceeds of our exciting new art raffle going to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario

Michelle Teitsma

It's easy to bid online or in~gallery for original work, made with love in Niagara by the Jordan Art Gallery partners.

Robyn Kennedy

OPENING

RECEPTION & BIDDING

Saturday

FEBRUARY 5

2~4

everyone is welcome

CLICK HERE FOR AN AUCTION PREVIEW!

 
ONLINE BIDDING STARTS: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1. BIDDING CLOSES: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27

Joyce Honsberger

  WINTER HOURS 

Wednesday - Sunday
  10AM - 5PM   

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