Featured Artist: Susan Chater

Susan Chater

web site: http://www.susanchater.com/

 

Contact:  905 881 2497 or susanloves2paint@rogers.com

Painting has been a passion for much of her life but she made a serious commitment to watercolour in 1982. 

While she has had formal training in the field of art, much of her technique can be attributed to years of experience and a few talented mentors.  Her paintings can best be described as detailed impressions, with strong use of colour and design.

Over the last eighteen years she has held nearly 30  exhibitions and her paintings have been displayed and sold in numerous galleries and exhibits across Ontario and the UK.  In 1997 she was proud to be elected to the Canadian Society of Painters In Watercolour (CSPWC), and she is  a silver signature member of the Toronto Watercolour Society (TWS).  She derives great pleasure from sharing the joy of this wonderful medium through teaching regular classes , jurying shows and teaching workshops.  

               

 

Where were you born? 

I was born in UK

 

If you could have an art related vacation anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

I love Europe - for its sense of continuity

 

What’s your favourite thing to create and why?

Anything that shows beauty - both natural or manmade

 

How did you get your start in the world of art?

Started as a child winning several national competitions in elementary school.

 

 

Do you have go-to paints/colors that you love to use in your art work?

No specific colours - just colour

 

Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist? 

The impressionists

 

What have been some of your crowning achievements?

Election to the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour

 

If you could have three wishes as an artist, what would they be?

More time to paint, more time to paint, more time to paint

 

What is the best advice that you have received as an artist?

Be yourself

 

What colour best describes your personality?

Purple

Thank you Susan

Featured Artist: Valerie Kent

Name of Artist

  

Valerie Kent

Website:  www.valeriekent.com

 Facebook Page  
valeriekentworkshops

Blog: www.valeriekent.com  


Contact (phone and e mail)

artistvalerie@yahoo.ca

647 223 5531

 
Valerie Kent is an experienced artist and teacher who paints en plein air and in the studio. She studied in Montreal at Ecole des Beaux Arts and Concordia University, in Toronto at York University, University of Toronto, Ryerson University and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, in Nova Scotia at St. Francis Xavier University and at the University of Iowa.
Valerie paints in watercolours, acrylics, oils and mixed media. She enjoys diverse subject matter, experimenting with mixed and multi-media and incorporating found environmentally friendly materials.

Where were you born? 

 

 I was born in Tokai, Hungary which is wine growing country and is famous for the Tokai wines.

 

If you could have an art related vacation anywhere in the world where would you go and why? 

 I have been to the south of France several times leading artist workshops, and it is definitely my favourite place so far.  It is famed for its beautiful light and its extraordinary land forms, such as the Verdun Gorge and the beautiful rivers, the quaint stone villages in the Luberon Mountains such as

Le Baux, and the many little markets with their colourful and fresh produce. It is an artist’s paradise:  there is something for everyone,  stunning landscapes, people watching and painting, and still life galore.

 

What’s your favourite thing to create and why?

 I very much enjoy painting while under a shady tree, outdoors by a rushing river or a waterfall.  I love the sounds of it and like painting the moving waters.

 

How did you get your start in the world of art?

 I started selling paintings at age 5 because my cousin had a beauty salon where I would hang out and paint little ballerinas.  The clients were nice and to humour me they would buy my artwork for a penny.  It was quite an incentive because 5 pennies got me an ice cream cone. 

 

Do you have go-to paints/colors that you love to use in your art work?

 There are a few newer colours that I have added to my palette which I did not use, or mixed my own versions.  I love perylene green which is a dark green, almost black and red oxide which I have used as an underpainting for my acrylics and oils. 

 

Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist? 

My father painted dream scenes of his childhood and my mother loved to design clothing.  They were always encouraging me to do drawings and to paint. My father used to tell me stories about his father who painted the scenes in churches.  He was known for that.

 

 

What have been some of your crowning achievements?

 Some of the really fun things that I loved to paint have been painting during the moose era in Toronto when I did two of the moose, Wolfgang Amadeus Moosart and The King (the Elvis moose).  I have been in huge art shows in Korea and Japan and I liked that.  Now I am painting a piano in art deco style for the Five Senses Festival at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts in Richmond Hill for August 16 and 17. I also truly love to teach art courses and workshops and love travelling

to teach them here, around Ontario and around the world.

 

If you could have three wishes as an artist, what would they be?

 I am very satisfied with my life as a practicing artist.  No matter how busy I get, what sadness comes and what joys follow, having my art to go to is what I wish for everyone.  It is not really all about selling the work, but having the power to create which is a wonderful feeling. I wish that I would always continue to appreciate the process and have friends and students to paint with.

 

What is the best advice that you have received as an artist?

 

I think the best advice is never to judge your painting until it is finished.  Give each work a chance and if it does not come out right start a new one.  John G. Roberts, once a head of the Famous

Artists School in New York and Amsterdam, told me, if you get one out of ten that works, that is really great.  This way you can experiment, be free to make mistakes, or use materials or see things in new ways and not worry about having to create a masterpiece every time you do a new

work.

 

What colour best describes your personality?

 

I think red is my accent colour.  When I get excited about an artwork and love doing it I feel red or I am teaching a class and everyone is working on their art so well,  I feel red.  At my best when I am very outgoing and happy I am very red.

 

Thank you Valerie

Featured Artist of the Week

 Lezlie Winemaker

Website:  www.dreamglass.ca

 Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/dreamglassbylezlie

e mail:  lezlie@dreamglass.ca 

 The story of Lezlie Winemaker begins 21 years ago when she dreamed about combining her expertise in fashion with her formal training at art school - OCAD, York University, Parsons School of Design in New York City. She soon created such wonders in metal, glass, leather and mix-media sculpture that before long, Lezlie's beautiful jewelry, sculpture and accessories gained her a reputation as being one of Canada's most inspired and renowned creators of "wearable art". Today, Lezlie displays and sells her art at selected craft shows, galleries and boutiques in Canada, the USA and the UK. An internationally renowned expert in the field, she travels the globe, speaking about her art and presenting workshops, her artistry featured in many popular magazines, art publications and national newspapers such as the Toronto Sun and National Post.

Where were you born? 

 Toronto

If you could have an art related vacation anywhere in the world where would you go and why? 

Murano and Venice, Italy.  I love Italy!  I have been to Italy twice and never been to the city where the technique of lampworking (and my greatest creative passion) was born.  I would love to study with one of the Masters like, Luccio Babacco, Vittorio Constantini, Gianni Toso….

 What’s your favourite thing to create and why?

  I mostly create beads and sculpture depicting images and stories of fantasy, love, good wishes and humour.  Life can be challenging at times and I like to add light and hope with stories of love, peace and strength all inside a small glass bead!

How did you get your start in the world of art? 

I have been creating art since I was born.  As a child I was happiest drawing, beading, making things out of wood and macramé.  We even had our own dark room for photography growing up!  I studied visual arts at college and university and then apprenticed for a talented leather craftsman, David Trotter who was a great mentor and taught me about the business of art as well as the craft.  I then went on to have my own business creating wearable art and sculpture which I feel so blessed to have been able to do all these years.  The inspiration and ideas are unending!!! 

 Do you have go-to paints/colors that you love to use in your art work?

I love colour!  The technique I use is called lampworking or flameworking.  I melt coloured glass rods with a torch  blending and layering these colours, opaque and transparent to create images and then my miniature worlds in glass.  My use of colour is as diverse and colourful as I see the world.  Sometimes it’s bright and sparkly and other times very earthy.  This really appeals to my wide variety of customers because I have something to suit every colour preference!

Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist?

 I do not have one single inspiration but I must say my family always supported and encouraged my creativity, my children continue to inspire me throughout every phase of life they enter.  The people that I consider mentors like David Trotter and Peter Norton from Nortel Manufacturing because he has helped me so much to develop every hair brained idea I come up with, because of his vast knowledge in building torches, tools. and equipment. 

Then of course there is Loren Stump and Patti Walton who’s beads I saw in magazines and inspired me to figure out the technique of lampwork and not be afraid to push the boundaries of glass.

Lastly masters like Gustav Klimpt 

 What have been some of your crowning achievements? 

To me, my greatest achievement is that I have raised 4 wonderful children as a single mother as a working artist!

Being the first lampworker in Canada and having to teach myself a technique that no one here knew anything about.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame at the One of a kind Show.

Receiving an Ontario Arts council grant for creative development.

Teaching and sharing all the knowledge I have acquired over the years to very appreciative students.

What colour best describes your personality?   

RED!!!  Passionate about Life!

Thank you Lezlie

Artist of the Week Mari Nicolson

                            Featured Artist of the Week
                                      Mari Nicolson

Website: marinicolson.com

E mail: mari99@me.com

Mari works in a variety of mixed media, including painting with hot bees wax (encaustic), using super high gloss epoxy resin, and a variety of acrylic mediums and photo transfer processes.  All of Mari’s artwork is made from the highest quality materials.   All of the encaustic (beeswax) media is made by hand, and the paper ephemera and other objects are original antiques, or pieces found in nature or on Mari’s travels.  Since Mari is also a professional photographer, many of the images used in the work are from personal collections. 

Where were you born? 

Toronto

 If you could have an art related vacation anywhere in the world where would you go and why? 

I have always wanted to go to Japan.  I love so much about the culture and the historical woodblock prints, ink paintings, and more recently some incredible contemporary artists who work in many types of media.  The architecture and landscape is beautiful as well, and it is always inspiring to be in a culture, both physically and philosophically, that is different than your own. 

What’s your favourite thing to create and why?

I love working with photographs, antique and collected ephemera, and a variety of mixed media, which I incorporate into encaustic or resin paintings.  Both the encaustic (wax) and resin have similar properties, as both have a base in tree resin, which adds a lustre and depth to any materials combined with them.  I love to travel, and I am constantly collecting evertything from birch bark to postage stamps to use in my work.  They are some kind of narrative, many about places I’ve been or people I’ve met.

How did you get your start in the world of art?

I am lucky to have come from a very artistic family.  My great uncle and my grandmother were very accomplished painters, and my mother is still painting and showing her work.  I completed an Honours B.F.A. at York University, and then completed a B.Ed to share my passion for art with others, which I have been doing for 23 years now. 

Do you have go-to paints/colors that you love to use in your art work?

It seems I am always attracted to either turquoise and greens, or gold and burgundy.  I am not sure how this happened, but when I look back at my body of work of the years, it seems to be true.

Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist? 

Robert Rauschenberg has constantly amazed me with his ability to combine very disparate materials into a cohesive and beautiful artwork.  As I travel to galleries around the world and see more of his unpublished work, I am never disappointed.  He is also a very accomplished photographer which I admire.

What have been some of your crowning achievements?

As an artist, I guess it has been some of the very well known and influential people who have purchased my work for collections in other countries.  That is really exciting to think about where the works are, and who is enjoying them.  As a parent, it is seeing the exceptional photographic and film work of my daughter Caitlin. 

If you could have three wishes as an artist, what would they be?

That I could have a very large, well ventilated studio.

That I could only deal with making the art, not promoting, selling or cataloguing, etc.

That I could be a full time artist without having to pursue other forms of income.

  

 

What is the best advice that you have received as an artist?

That you should make the art that you want to make, and that speaks to you.  Never try to make what you think will sell well, or what other people want.

What colour best describes your personality?

I guess Indigo.  It is a deep intuitive colour, with a rich and fascinating history.  

Thank you Mari

Featured Artist Sandra MacPherson

Our Featured Artist of the Week is

 Sandra MacPherson

Website:  www.watercoloursbysandra

Online Gallery:  www.watercoloursbysandra

Also on Fine Art America

           

e mail:   watercoloursbysandra@gmail.com 

 

Sandra MacPherson has been working with watercolours since 1992. Largely self-taught, she has studied at the Ontario College of Art & Design and with various professional artists. Her portfolio of watercolour paintings includes landscapes, buildings, floral, still life, and figurative works. 

Where were you born? 

Toronto, Ontario

If you could have an art related vacation anywhere in the world where would you go and why? 

I would go somewhere where the light is radiant and there is lots of blue and white like Greece.

What’s your favourite thing to create and why?

I love painting pictures of century homes, children, landscapes, and flowers – because all of those images fill my imagination with stories of days gone by, the innocence and wonder of children, and the beauty of the world around us – when we stop long enough to look.

 How did you get your start in the world of art?

I have always loved to draw – since I was a child.  Making pictures is like telling stories.  I learned to paint in watercolour as an adult – simply from following pursuits that interest me.

Do you have go-to paints/colors that you love to use in your art work?

I love all the shades of blue and pink and yellow.  I like Windsor Newton paints best – but there are some Lucas paints I can’t do without.

Who has been your biggest inspiration as an artist? 

There are many – AJ Casson and all the Group of Seven; Andrew Wyeth, Christopher and Mary Pratt, and Helen McNicoll to name a few.

  

What have been some of your crowning achievements?

Getting a painting accepted into the juried permanent collection at the Heintzman House in Thornhill.

Serving as President with the Willowdale Group of Artists

Having my own shows

Participating in Studio Tours in Coldwater, and in Richmond Hill & Newmarket, Fall 2013

If you could have three wishes as an artist, what would they be?

To become a better artist

To be able to paint every day

To make a living doing art

What is the best advice that you have received as an artist?

In a documentary about AJ Casson, he said that he always thought “the next canvas will be better”.  This inspires me – because even the best artists always strive to create better work.

What colour best describes your personality?

I am a rainbow.

Thank you Sandra