A Room Of My Own

His work has been described as a ‘balance between two worlds’.   AJ Vandrie grew up in Northumberland Hills with his adoptive family. His background is composed of Ojiway/Chippewa and Irish heritage. He pursued his art studies at the White Mountain Academy of the Arts in Elliot Lake, a school, located in an isolated area in Northern Ontario, sought to combine First Nations and European approaches to art, which was a great fit for AJ. After his first year of studies, he suffered a personal loss, with the death of his birth father and mother who died within a sort period of time from one another. It was at this time that AJ began exploring the art style that he is known for today.   Widely considered Woodland School of Art, this style is synonymous with the artist Norval Morriseau , whose influence is evident in the works seen here. One can find definite similarities between these two artists; style aside, they are both deeply spiritual, sharing, through their ...

Dorothy Winter  “These quilts, these time honoured traditions, certainly hold their place in history.” The Seasons (Hildegard von Bingen) The art of quilting holds more history, in particular that of women, than one might initially imagine. We traditionally view quilts as functional bedding, which are decorative and commemorative, even historical, however, the value in the artistic expression of the quilter is often overlooked. We know quilts to be a source of warm comfort, an heirloom perhaps, but most do not think of them as holding historic messages. In times and cultures where women held a quieter place within the family unit, quilts provided a clever medium for females to articulate ideas and to tell a story. To Dorothy Winter, who, for over 20 years, has dedicated herself to producing meaningful works of art, quilts matter. She began making her quilts for practical purposes for her family when they lived in a farmhouse. These family treasures made ...

Madawaska Church Claire Connolly, Assistant Manager Arts on King and Queen, describes Keith's work as 'Ontario, rugged landscape at it’s best'. Keith Cornell was raised in the small town of Uxbridge, Ontario. His father died during the war when Keith was very young, leaving his mother to raise him alongside his two brothers. Growing up in this quaint little town tucked beside farmland and beautiful forests, Keith would begin his life work painting everything around him. He recounts time and again a solid memory he has a very young boy. The Canadian artist David Milne had set up his easel to paint a scene in Keith’s neighbourhood, and the boy watched with fascination as the artist worked plein air. The affect of this experience is timeless. Keith did not pick up the brush and start painting right away, but that time was coming. Late Afternoon Go Home Bay During his high school years, Keith met his future wife, Karen.   For his sixteenth birthda...

It is not official, but the Conservative government has been mumbling about cutting funding to all magazines under 5000 circulation. I personally think that is worth kicking up a fuss about. Current editor of The Malahat Review, an Arts and Literary magazine put out by the University of Victoria is making noise and has started a Facebook group which I strongly encourage you to join and support. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53103444468&ref=mf Further reading on this issue can be found at a fellow blog Biblioasis which is “a publishing house committed to the best fiction, poetry, criticism and non-fiction in beautiful editions”. http://biblioasis.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-peril.html Keep reading, writing, painting or whatever art genre you love! Places for Writers is a great online list of places to start submitting! http://www.placesforwriters.com/