A large crowd turned up on Saturday, November 4 at the Arbor Gallery for the joint vernissage of Walking in My Yesterdays, new paintings by Vankleek Hill’s Susie Fairbrother and Attune, a photographic exhibition by Lauren Michelle Levesque of Ottawa. Both celebrate Canadian nature in unique ways.
Fairbrother’s landscapes seem almost to be in motion, with their broad strokes evoking the movement of trees, leaves, clouds and birds. “Painting is my work, creating is my joy,” she says. “In a world full of chaos and turmoil I never take for granted that I get to create most days. I paint in my cherished space, reflecting on the moments I feel a sense of place in the world. And with colour, movement and memory, I paint stories my way with a very full heart.”
The remarkable thing about Levesque’s expert detailed close-up photographs is they were taken with a cell phone over the course of the last year as she walked in her neighbourhood. They celebrate the beauty of everyday items in an extraordinary way. “How do we slow down and attune to the small, intimate beauty in our backyards, gardens, and/or neighbourhood streets?” Levesque asks. The photographs are an extension of Levesque’s arts-based academic work as a professor at Saint Paul University in Ottawa on the subject of constructive social change.
Both exhibits run until November 26th.
Find presents at Pop-up shops
‘Tis the season to start thinking about holiday gift-giving. If you are looking for unique gifts with artistic flair then mark your calendar for the Arbor Gallery’s weekend pop-up shops that take place most weekends from now until December 17th.
Leading off the line-up this coming weekend, November 11th and 12th, are Noëlline Marineau, who works in ceramics and glass artist Manon Sauvé. The pop-ups not only feature one-of-a-kind and affordable gifts but support local artists and artisans.
The Arbor Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Open Saturdays at 10 a.m. for Pop-up weekends. Admission to exhibits is always free. It is located at 36 Home Avenue, in the heart of Vankleek Hill.
