LOCAL ARTISTS SHOWCASED IN MODEL HOMES
The home is the centre of our lives — and the art we choose is the heart of any home, according to local developer Tartan Homes.
So for homeowners wondering how to begin their collection, the builder is launching a new initiative showcasing the work of well-known local artists in its Findlay Creek model homes.
“Whether art is discreet and thoughtful or bold and expressive, it is a reflection of the individual’s world view,” Tartan Homes marketing and sales co-ordinator April Collins said.
“The initiative is based on the idea that, while we buy art in galleries, we live with it at home ... The best place to envisage art is where you live.”
Findlay Creek’s Art of Home opens to the public Oct. 27 and runs until Nov. 27, with works hung in the Ashton, Topaz and Granite model homes.
They’re on Helen Rapp Way in the Ottawa South community off Bank Street, south of Leitrim Road. They’re open Monday through Thursday from 1 to 8 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
People will be able to view the “home art galleries,” curated with the help of Tartan designers, and buy pieces ranging in every style, size and price directly from the artists.
“Tartan, and the Nicol family, has always given back to the community. They thought this would be a unique opportunity to offer local artists an opportunity to showcase their work and offer our homeowners a little bit of an insight of where they might hang art and what art can add to a home,” Collins said.
Seeing art in a space designed as a family home allows people to imagine how it would fit into their own lives. Seeing a variety of artists with different styles and subject matter and using different media helps them decide what kinds of work moves them.
So instead of feeling “overwhelmed,” Collins said, people who may be newcomers to buying art can “visualize art in the space of your home and what it can do, what it can offer— how it can change your life, really.”
FEATURED ARTISTS
Sandy Sharkey: A radio host turned photographer and lifelong wildlife lover, Sharkey captures nature — like the wild horses of Sable Island and American mustangs — in a way that’s “beautiful” and “breathtaking, ” Collins said. sandysharkey.com Erin Thibault-Morphy: The artists says she’s compelled to create the landscapes, water scenes and abstracts, which Collins calls “lush and colourful” by gratitude for the incredible beauty of the environment in which she lives. Her palette changes by season and place, from nearby Pink Lake to the Gulf of Mexico. erinsgallery.com
Barb Zuchowicz: Works by Zuchowicz, both an artist and professional chamber musician, are most often delicate drawings spanning subjects including wildlife, still life and portraiture with “a distinct luminous quality and intimate warmth.” zuchowicz.com
Ali Fowler: Fowler’s art, which is rich in colour and texture, focuses on florals — including her signature vivid poppies — nature and landscapes Collins describes as “playful, wild, joyful.” alicatart.com
David W. Jones: “One of Canada’s foremost landscape painters” and a former war artist for the Canadian navy, he has even painted live onstage as the National Arts Centre Orchestra played. davidwjones.ca
Crystal Beshara: She’s an award-winning Canadian contemporary realist artist and teacher who’s done commissions for major corporate clients. Her rural background and travels inspire her work. “I find it really expressive,” Collins said. “It evokes emotion; it’s bold.” crystalbeshara.com