I found out on Friday that this weekend was the Ottawa Art Expo here in (wait for it…) Ottawa! I love original art and supporting local artists, so of course I had to check it out :-) There were so many talented artists and beautiful paintings and photographs and even pottery. It was truly a feast for the eyes. And there was something for everyone – from abstract to realism to landscapes and everything in between.
These were some of my favourite artists at the show (click the artist’s name to go to his or her web site).
Judith’s booth was like an orgy for the eyes! Her abstract paintings are colourful and full of texture and I wanted to bring them all home with me! I very seriously considered buying this painting called Parallel Evolution.
I’ve seen Anne’s work before, and I admire it every time. Her watercolours are so soft and serene, and I just love her ocean scapes.
Sandy Sharkey – Cabin Road Art
Sandy Sharkey is a girl after my own heart – she’s a big supporter of animals and animal welfare. She recently began a new career as a photographer, and earlier this year she traveled to Return to Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary in California to photograph herds of wild horses. You can read about Sandy’s experience and the wild horses on Sandy’s blog (scroll down to her July 29th blog post). Sandy donates a portion of the sale of each of her horse photographs to Return to Freedom. Sandy, you rock!
Yisa’s booth was one of the happiest at the show. I love the colours and the interesting designs he incorporates into his abstract paintings.
I tend to be drawn to abstract paintings, but John’s paintings of beautiful old stone houses really captured my attention. It’s interesting that he can make something hard like stone look so soft and delicate.
The way Ann incorporates light into her paintings it truly mesmerizing. Looking at her paintings makes me think of what it must be like to see the Northern Lights in real life.
What is scratchboard? Lori explains on her web site:
Scratchboard art is a form of direct engraving on a specially prepared board. The boards consists of three layers of material. The base is hardboard that has a layer of white kaolin clay applied to it. The clay is then sanded smooth and a layer of black ink is applied over top. The image is etched one “scratch” at a time using an extremely fine tool such as a scalpel or exacto blade. The black is removed to reveal the white clay beneath.
You have to look at Lori’s art up close and even better, with a magnifying glass, to see just how intricate and detailed her work is.
Eric paints both beautiful abstracts and fun portraits. I think his abstract paintings look like out-of-focus landscape photos.
Louis’s work is really unique. The beautiful blues and greens in his artwork aren’t paint as I originally thought. His canvases are actually aerial photographs of the St. Lawrence Seaway. The collection is called Sunken Villages.
On July 1, 1958 the St Lawrence Seaway flooded out 6,500 people & inundated 10 communities, some over 200 years old. For 50 years the murky water hid their roads, foundations, bridges & much more.
With water clarified by the zebra mussel the communities have reappeared.
This image of Louis’s work is actually a collage of various photos.
If only I had a huge house with empty walls and a bottomless bank account!
![andrada painting wall_thumb[1]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XwNjJ3W56NM/UmnF0_xGS7I/AAAAAAAAQaI/U_9wO6pTv30/s1600-h/andrada%252520painting%252520wall_thumb%25255B1%25255D%25255B9%25255D.jpg "andrada painting wall_thumb[1]")
