MEET THE CURATORS ~ CURATED COLLECTIONS MAY 2023

Get inspired to take home some artwork!

With the gracious help of art educators, gallery owners and art curators, a number of exceptional artwork collections have been assembled by art category or subject for your viewing and consideration. These works were selected for their creativity, originality, technical skill, story and/or visual impact in recognition of the artists that created them.

Whether you're looking for that special piece to purchase for your home, or for something to give as a gift, these collections are a great place to start your search. 

 

   

 

SHOP PAINTING CURATED BY DEBRA ATTENBOROUGH AND DAVID GILBERT

• Debra Attenborough (pictured left) received a Bachelor of Arts in art history from the University of Toronto, a Masters in Arts Education and a Ph.D. in Arts Education from Brock University, She also attended Medaille University for Teacher Education. Debra has worked in art gallery settings for almost 50 years, most recently as the Executive Director of the Niagara Falls Art Gallery, but also at Rodman Hall Arts Centre in St. Catharines, and at the Oakville Galleries in Oakville, Ontario. As a member of the and numerous arts organizations province-wide, she has spent her life working and playing in the arts.

Debra has served on a number of regional Boards of Directors including Carousel Players for Young Audiences, Nova House, Arts Advisory Committee of St. Catharines and the Museums, and Arts and Culture Committee of the City of Niagara Falls. She also consulted with the Ontario Ministry of Education in the 1990s toward the development of the Common Curriculum and consulted on the development of an extensive education program at Lawrence House in Sarnia. She has presented at conferences throughout North America and has written various chapters for books, articles for academic journals and popular culture magazines, in addition to numerous education manuals.


• David Gilbert (pictured right)  received his Bachelor of Arts in studio and art history from Brock University, St. Catharines and also holds a Bachelor of Education and accreditation with the Ontario College of Teachers. For over 20 years David has worked in art gallery and museum settings including his most recent tenure as Director of the Niagara Children's Museum in Niagara Falls.

David's artwork has been exhibited throughout Ontario, and he continues to produce artwork, website design, graphic novels and cartoons.

SHOP 3D/FINE CRAFT AND DESIGN CURATED BY KATERI FOREMAN

Kateri Foreman is an art educator, producer, and artist. Originally from Niagara, she has lived and worked across Canada and in London, UK, and holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Arts in Cultural and Creative Industries from King's College London. With nearly 10 years working in the arts sectors, she has held roles in programming, education, and audience development. During the lockdowns in 2020/2021, Kateri co-founded CREATE Niagara and produced the CREATE the Summer arts series. She currently works in Programs & Education at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. She is passionate about breaking down traditional barriers to the arts with the ambition to engage people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities in the arts.

 

SHOP STILL LIFE CURATED BY ROBERT AMIRAULT

SHOP LANDSCAPE CURATED BY ROBERT AMIRAULT

Robert Amirault, O.S.A., C.S.P.W.C.

A self-guided artist, Robert paints in a representational style. He has been painting or involved with art-related activities since his teen years.
Many of his oil or watercolours are created on locations...'En Plein Air'...in various parts of Ontario, in the Maritimes and other places on his travels outside Canada.
His larger paintings are created in his home studio using the 'Plein Air' studies and reference materials gathered on his journeys.
Landscapes, seascapes, faces and figures are his favourite subjects. Painting and drawing from life gives him the 'truth' that he requires to depict the effects of light on all of the subjects that interest him. Robert lives in the Niagara Region with his wife Mona.

 

SHOP ARCHITECTURE CURATED BY TAMMY L. VAN DEN BRINK

Tammy L. van den Brink's love of art, architecture and design started at a young age when her dad would teach her drawing techniques at the kitchen table. Learning more and appreciating art as she grew, after high school she perused a diploma in Fine Art and Graphic Design. Tammy went on to work in the industry and then started her family. Raising 4 children now takes up most of her time, but she continues to create when she is able and never stops learning. Tammy, her husband James and their four children, Owen, Lillian, Silas and Elliott have lived in Fonthill since 2008. Raising their children in Pelham, Tammy and James strive to give their children an appreciation for all the arts by giving them experiences like visiting famous artworks or listening to world-class orchestras on stage. When they are able to travel, they share their knowledge of art history and music with their children, just recently returning from a March break vacation touring Italy and enjoying it immensely! It is a privilege for Tammy to be a part of the Pelham Art Festival in the capacity of curator for Architecture since she has been a keen supporter of the local arts for a number of years. She currently sits on the committee of Art and Culture for the town of Pelham and is uplifted with enthusiasm toward the arts in our small community! Art is not what you see, but what you make others see. - Edgar Degas

 

SHOP CITYSCAPES CURATED BY THELMA MATTOCKS

Thelma Mattocks is the owner of Natasha Bradley Home fine art and furniture gallery in Fonthill.
With a 27-year background in contemporary fine art and design, Thelma opened Natasha Bradley Home in Niagara-on-the-Lake in 2013 and recently relocated to the new Fonthill location in November 2022.
With a passion for interior design and decoration, Thelma loves to help customers find the perfect piece of art for their taste and space and sources both original and limited edition artworks from emerging artists as well as established names in the international art world.

 

SHOP 'CELEBRATE IMAGINATION' CURATED BY JO-ANNE TARABA

Jo-Anne Taraba is a painter based in the Niagara region whose work is passionately inspired by colour, light and healing energy. Her work seeks to fuse these three elements together into subject matter reflection travels, memories or meditations. Her art has been published and exhibited locally and throughout Ontario. A believer in the healing power of creativity, she has led creativity workshops for adults and has served as a Visual Arts Educator working with adolescents at the secondary level for over 30 years.

 

SHOP PHOTOGRAPHY CURATED BY AMANDA LACHAPELLE 

For over 15 years Amanda Lachapelle captured life’s most important moments for families at all stages – from engagements to weddings to newborn photos to family photos and beyond. With a true passion for capturing vivid and raw storytelling moments, utilizing light (or the absence of it) to frame the subject, Amanda has been commissioned by clients around the world for her unique sense of joy and emotion that comes through in every photograph.
Having her work published several times in industry blogs and international magazines and many happy clients, Amanda retired in 2019 to spend more time with her family, run a not-for-profit dedicated to teaching young girls about science, technology, and math and help manage B4 Networks with her husband Bryan. Never far from the arts though, Amanda still captures photographs for her personal collection and for a few remaining long-time clients.

 

SHOP WILD ANIMALS AND PETS CURATED BY LINDA KEMP

Linda Kemp is internationally recognized for her unique contemporary watercolors and acrylics. Her innovative use of negative painting is the focus of her two best-selling books, Watercolor Painting Outside the Lines and Simplifying Design and Color For Artists. Linda is featured in art publications, videos and internet forums, with over 1.5 million YouTube views. 

In 2008, Linda was awarded the A.J. Casson Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Water Colour, the top award for the CSPWC National Exhibition, Open Waters. In 2005, she was awarded Woman of the Year for Arts and Culture.

Linda instructs at symposiums and workshops throughout Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France and now online. She has served as juror for numerous national and international exhibitions, including the 2020 Women in Watercolor International Juried Competition and the 2022 Transparent Watercolor Society of America.

 

SHOP FIGURATIVE AND PORTRAITURE CURATED BY AMANDA BURKE

Amanda Burk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Visual Arts in the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts at Brock University. Amanda has recently relocated to the Niagara region, after twelve years living and working in North Bay, Ontario. She has familial roots in the Niagara region, so this move is very much a homecoming for her. Amanda is an artist, educator, and researcher. Her own studio practice is centred in drawing and her research interests focus on contemporary Canadian drawing and studio-based pedagogy. Her artwork has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and can be found in such collections as: the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Cobra to Contemporary (Netherlands), and the City of Toronto. Amanda is an Associate Researcher with the NSCAD University Drawing Lab, and from 2011-2016, Amanda ran Line Gallery in North Bay, as a curatorial research project, producing 25 solo exhibitions featuring the work of drawing artists from across the country. Amanda received her MFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and her undergraduate degree from the University of Waterloo.