Exhibit opens next week at Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design

SYDNEY — Staying in motels while on a trip is the inspiration behind artist Onni Nordman’s latest exhibit, opening Monday at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design.

“Paintings for Motels” features 30 works in total and will be on display in the centre’s loft with the opening reception taking place Tuesday at 6 p.m. The exhibit will run until May 18.

“Returning home? Or running away?” says Nordman. “While travelling around the country I was entertained by the names of the independent motels we visited. The names invited imagination. However, the art, which is always screwed to the walls, could use an update. This exhibition of new paintings is what you’d really might like to see in your temporary homes.”

The work featured in “Paintings for Motels” modestly proposes a line of chic décor aimed at the diverse world of downmarket roadhouses and motor courts.

“The Centre is delighted to showcase ‘Paintings for Motels,’ the latest creations by Onni Nordman,” says Holley Grant, gallery manager at Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. “These are among his most imaginative work and will have great appeal whether you stay in motels or not!”

Nordman, a Sydney native, has exhibited widely across the province in group and solo shows. Recently he had solo shows in Germany, Finland and the USA. He is wellknown in Cape Breton as an active member of the creative community, acting as instructor at Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design, participating in local arts initiatives, mentoring and supporting colleagues and aspiring artists.