New Ottawa Art Gallery to spotlight 6,500 years of regional art

 “Finally we will have a home for the arts that is worthy of the artistic talent in the city,” beams Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) Director and CEO, Alexandra Badzak as brightly as the new John Ruddy Cube ready to light up the Ottawa skyline next week. With it, the Capital’s

Dems & Doll, Ottawa’s Everything Art Duo

 Photos courtesy of Dems and Doll and Erika Struck Making your way through town recently you may have noticed some of Ottawa’s new and vibrant murals: butterflies, painted cars, whales, and some wacky graffiti. Doll and her husband Dems are an Ottawa couple who have painted 100 Murals in the

Elly Smallwood, Exploring Human Emotion on a Grand Scale

 Elly Smallwood’s artistry is hard to look away from. The vivid, blurry-edged constructs of her work possess both a surreal and commonplace quality. Her visual aesthetic alone is the mark of a natural, yet studied artist, one who is confident in every stroke of her brush. And that is to

About Art – Bank Street Blue

 Photos by Stuart Adam Shein A group immersed in conversation sits next to a wall at Bridgehead Coffee on Bank and Gilmour. This seems like an ordinary image of no special importance but the exposed bricks of that particular wall and the industrial design of the interior invites imagination. The

Glen Bloom on the Art of Collecting

 Glen Bloom and wife Deborah Duffy with Leslie Reid’s 'Cape Pine: The Barrens,' 2012, Oil on canvas, 127 x 182.9 cm. When Glen Bloom thinks about the Ottawa Art Gallery’s annual Le pARTy fundraising art auction, the first thing that comes to mind is the list of talented Ottawa artists

Originals Spring Craft Sale Celebrates 30 Years

 All photos by Alexandra Gunn.  After 30 years of spring success, the annual Originals Spring Craft Sale came to our Nation’s Capital for another season of live demonstrations and unique offerings. The artisan marketplace held at the EY Centre featured the works of over 180 artists, artisans and designers from

The Captivating Art of Elisabeth Arbuckle

 A graphic designer by training, an art teacher by experience and an artist inspired by the world around her, meet Elisabeth Arbuckle. She has called Ottawa home for nearly 30 years but Elisabeth Arbuckle is someone who brings a long cv of international experience to her art. All of it

Book Review: Missing Children by Gerald Lynch

 As tethered to the rest of the world as it is, Ottawa often feels like a small, even private, city. That’s why it can be so jarring to open a local book and find a character stepping into a park or market where you've spent countless hours or even just

High Art and Hot Tea

 Springs Dream, by Ramona Organ. The Tea Party Café is making its walls even more colourful next month with a brilliant exhibit from local artist Ramona Organ. Beginning on March 31st and lasting until the final day of April, the “Colour in Motion” showcase will feature Organ’s vibrant and flowing works.

Kat Jetté’s Local Abstraction

 Northern Whisper, 2015, acrylic on wood, 36" x 36" Image courtesy of Kat Jetté. Ottawa Life had the chance to catch up with Kat Jetté, an abstract painter who has been a working artist for over 15 years in Ottawa. We talked about abstract painting, local artists and Jetté’s thoughts

Take a Look Inside Jordan Clayton

 "Toxoplasmic Encephalitis," Oil on Linen, 127 x 132, 2015. If you stepped into Jordan Clayton’s studio, it might take you a minute to find anything out of place. The room in his Toronto apartment has just about everything you’d expect. There’s a wall with giant canvases leaning against it, brushes,

OAG on the Verge of Expansion

 The view of the future gallery's south side. Rendering by Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. Architects / KPMB Architects. After spending a quarter century in the historic Arts Court on Daly Avenue, the Ottawa Art Gallery is set to expand into a brand new building with four times the gallery space

Hair Republic Salon Celebrates Art

 Owners John and Michelle Nguyen (Hair Republic Salon), Laura Herrera (I.A.M.) and Ottawa artist Patti Kelly. On Saturday, May 2, Hair Republic Salon (HR) in Old Ottawa South hosted its spring vernissage featuring the work of up-and-coming local artist, Patti Kelly. Kelly’s debut was a real success. Her black and

M.C. Escher: The Mathemagician Draws an Audience

 A first-hand experience of the M.C. Escher exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada An abrupt transition occurs when entering the bustling M.C. Escher exhibit from the quiet surroundings of gallery halls. Almost every work has multiple people transfixed in front of it. The exhibition’s popularity is not surprising given

Pedro Isztin “The River”

 On display now at Wallack Galleries is photographer Pedro Isztin’s “The River”. The exhibition showcases large-scale photographs of the Ottawa River and runs until October 5th. The black and white portrayal of the Ottawa River depicts a serenity and peacefulness connecting us with nature. Isztin lives in Ottawa and his award-winning work

Calling All Artists: Belleville Plein Air Festival … Where the Light Is Best

 Downtown Belleville, its Riverfront Trail and Old East Hill will come alive with artists painting "en plein air" from Friday, May 31 to Sunday, June 2. Up to $4,500 in prizes will be available to the winning artists. The Belleville Plein Air Festival is a three-day event where artists complete their works

Local painter, Zach Flaman, talks about inspiration, style and art in Ottawa

 Ottawa, despite some rumours about its less-than-vibrant cultural scene, has a healthy art & entertainment community, offering world-class music, theatre, dance and visual art. More specifically in terms of visual art, Ottawa is home to the National Gallery of Canada, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Ottawa Art Association, Art in