Title: drawing on memory
Medium: powdered and vine charcoal
Size: 20 x 16″
Artist: Catherine X Blank
Year: September, 2010

About the painting: The other night, I dipped my fingers in powdered charcoal and ran it over the paper. At first, it was just a lovely smear but memory began to surface in those fingers and I remembered using the same gesture on horses, running fingers and palms over their faces, feeling the line and curve, the underlying bones and muscle. With that memory, the horse began to emerge — muzzle, cheek and brow from remembered gesture, remembered communication of touch.  The mind’s eye is not as sure or detailed as the artist’s vision, but the hand remembers.

Website (of sorts): www.catherineblank.ca

Title: Mackerel
Medium: Oil on Birch Panel
Size: 6″x6″
Artist: Derek M. Lowes
Year: 2010

About the painting: This is one painting in a series of six. The series is a high-realism small scale project I chose to try and test the limits of my ability. All paintings in the series were done from photographs.

About the Artist: Derek Lowes is a resident of Toronto, Ontario. He works as a Creative Director/Marketing Consultant and was trained as an illustrator at Sherian College in Oakville. Derek has been painting for over 20 years and uses different mediums to effect the outcome of his work. He likes to experiment with landscapes, but his subject matter varies. Most works are part of a themed series of paintings or mini collections.

Artist’s website: www.explainit.ca

Title: Visit to the Sugar Shack
Medium: Watercolour
Size: 10″ x 14″
Artist: Ian G. Nicholl
Year: 2010
About the painting: This painting was done after a March break visit with our granchildren to a sugar shack near Huntsville. It was a glorious spring day. Following a cool night the sun had the sap running and the children enjoyed snow cooled maple sugar twirled on a popsicle stick. In bush that was almost monochromatic, the children’s clothing provided a bright focus.

“Moment of Forever” 24″ x 30″ acrylic

Mark Johnson is a Toronto artist and recently a DVAC member. He enjoys exploring and sharing his sense of Wonder & Whimsy through his drawings and paintings. Please visit his website http://markfineart.ca to hear more about him and see other examples of his work.

This is my niece Sophie and Buddy, the family dog. Buddy’s in doggie heaven now. I love his calm, protective manner while Sophie playfully explores the garden with his help.

I really loved painting this dog portrait for my friend’s wedding gift!

Carol Berry