Three artists: Acrylics, oils and pastels
Michel St-Jean, Rita Bonneville and Sarah Burt launch new show
The paintings of three local artists, Michel St-Jean, Rita Bonneville and Sarah Burt, are currently on display at Nancy’s Art and Frame, 588 Monaghan Rd.
Michel St-Jean is an Associate of the Ontario College of Art and Design whose training began when he was a student there with a major in visual art and design as well as in advertising/marketing.
He furthered his training with a post-graduate study at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
“I have been painting for over 50 years in oil and watercolour media and have carried out many field painting excursions in the Alberta Rockies, the high Arctic, Northwest Territories, upper Ottawa Valley, Algonquin Park, Niagara escarpment, and other locations across Canada, as well as in India, the Himalayas, Thailand, and more.”
St-Jean’s work features a range of subject matter, from Classical Realism including portraiture, to figurative art, landscape and still life. He accepts commissions upon request.
Rita Bonneville's life-long interest in art and art history started at the age of thirteen when she picked up her first brush in the studio of a private girls' school.
She later pursued courses at the Ottawa School of Art and the University of Ottawa. Much her training was in an atelier setting under the tutelage of celebrated master pastelist Romanie Manuel.
“My preferred medium is pastel in a style which is a contemporary aesthetic rendered in high realism,” she says. “My life-size portraits strive to depict what it is that makes people and animals so unique, and trying to capture that essence captivates me.”
Bonneville and her husband Michel St-Jean have opened their studio for classes and workshops.
Sarah Burt works mainly in acrylic paints and ink, with dynamic strokes in bright, contrasting colours. Many of her pieces depict rural buildings or flowers, subjects with which she has a deep connection due to her time spent in the country.
Burt developed a passion for art at an early age, and her education included tutoring from her artist grandmother Jean Burt and art classes at school in Oakville. A number of artists have inspired her, including Monet, Van Gogh, Ted Harrison, Lenn Gibbs, Julia Veenstra, Emily Carr and the Group of Seven.
“My focus recently has been on colour and colour theory. I play with contrasting colours in my paints to develop rich dark undertones and shadows,” says Burt.
For more information about the show, please call 705-741-0562 or visit nancysartandframe.ca.
ARTISANity
The ARTISANity Show and Sale takes place at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 317 Hunter St. W., on Friday, November 2, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
“ARTISANity showcases the best work from the Artisans Centre Peterborough and this year features a special display of work on ‘The River’ theme,” says Anne Carling, organizer.
Available for sale are crafts from members of the Centre: the Kawartha Woodturners’ Guild, Kawartha Potters’ Guild, the Peterborough Handweavers and Spinners and the Kawartha Gourd Artists, all presented “boutique style,” mixed together.