Main Street Virtual Experience

Avē Richardson, once Newmarket and area figure skating coach, raised four children in the town before retiring to the countryside to enjoy her six grandchildren. Avē now takes creative inspiration from the wild world around her. By focusing on her subject's perspectives, Avē's work draws the viewer into the intense, whimsical and precious lives of animals.

Placing first in the Newmarket Heritage Art Competition as well The Georgina Arts Centre and Gallery art show, Ave's work continues to astonish audiences both in galleries and popular print media.

"Fire consumes, warms, illuminates and if it can be controlled it can be used in creation to bring things to life; that's exactly what I do. The word pyrography literally translates to "writing with fire" and has become my expertise."

Beth Wallace has worked with traditional stained glass for over 20 years, but it has only been since 2019 that she has really started letting the glass speak for itself. She finds glass to be an amazing medium and loves the vision she gets from looking at a piece of glass; like the glass is trying to tell a story. Much of Beth's inspiration comes from the natural world; particularly canoe tripping and just being outside.

Since retiring from her job as a 911 dispatcher, Beth has been enjoying newfound freedom, and the flexibility to create in this next chapter of her life.

"Life is short. It is important for me to seize this opportunity to follow my dreams and allow my passion to shine."

wallaceartistryinglass.com

Cheryl E. Uhrig is a painter, illustrator and cartoonist. Her art is intuitive, spontaneous and full of colour. Cheryl's works appear in newspapers, magazines, children's books and at local art galleries.

"I love to capture slices of life. Each piece tell a story."

Hoda Nicholas is a Canadian artist born in Cairo, Egypt and living in Newmarket. Her journey with art started a long time ago with a passion for all expressions of art and everything beautiful. She is self-taught and primarily paints in Oil. Her formal degree is in architecture; but her heart was always drawn to the fine arts. She learned from an early age to appreciate the creative process and art's impact on life.

After a long career in the corporate world, in 2016 Hoda decided to pursue a career as a professional artist, leaving her day job to focus on making art and sharing it through social media, art shows and exhibitions.  Her art has been collected by many in Canada, the US, UK, Holland and Egypt. Hoda loves painting the Canadian landscape as well as florals. Both subjects allow her to share the joy of nature with the viewers through the use of bold colors and expressive brushstrokes.

 "I see life in colour and painting is the only language I know that truly allows me to say what I want to say. Every day, I come across moments that intrigue me and I feel the need to capture them on canvas and share them with everyone else. When I paint, I am able to express my thoughts and feelings in a unique and universal way!"

Ilja Hup-Warmels was born in the Netherlands, but grew up in Kathmandu, Nepal. For the past three years she has resided in Newmarket.

Having lived in different cultures and continents, multicultural experiences, other beliefs, traditions, and symbolism are a great influence in her paintings. In the past 4 years she has focused on returning to her love for painting. Ilja is mostly self-taught, but continues to learn through online courses.

She mostly works in acrylics and watercolours.The vibrant colours of Asia form her palette, and each painting consists of many layers of paint adding to its depth. This is symbolic for life, where every experience adds to the depth of one's existence.

"My paintings reflect the many lessons I have learned in life. Each work is a reminder to have fun without being attached to the outcome; letting go of perfectionism; and growing as an individual and an artist."

instagram: @iljas_art

Jason Wighton is an award-winning Newmarket based photographer who frequently utilizes local landmarks and scenery for his fine art photography.

His solo exhibit "Hindsight: 20/20" explored themes of time and change, and had the honour of being the inaugural show held at the Executive Art Gallery at the Town of Newmarket Municipal Offices from January 2020 to February 2022.

Jason's commercial work can often be seen throughout town on billboards and in publications, the result of working with organizations such as the Town of Newmarket, Community Living and the Newmarket Chamber of Commerce.

"I enjoy living in the heart of downtown Newmarket with my wife Theresa and our three children."

Jwighton.com

Josée Savaria is a formally trained graphic designer from Montréal, where she subsequently discovered the tremendous liberation found in expressing her imagination and projecting her unique whimsical imagery on surfaces using the power of texture and colours.

Josée's current series of paintings concentrates on an exploration of the boundary between sea and land: the place where the terrestrial and marine realms meet.

She projects imagery in a bold colourful style using a variety of media and techniques which include acrylic paint, pencil crayon, block prints and ink and whatever medium strikes her fancy.

"I hope that my work instils in you a small measure of the joy and wonder that I feel when marvelling at the natural world!"

joseesavaria.com

Laura Higgins found that painting scenes of hope, grace and light was one of the ways she helped herself to move through the grief of her sister's death in 1999 and through many losses since.

With a vibrant use of acrylics in a realistic style, she captures the little miracles and glimpses of beauty she notices, even amidst very painful times. Creating images of a benevolent world full of blessings, support and connection reminds Laura that there is goodness and deep, deep love at work in her life and allows her to share that joy with others.

"This piece is a living tribute to a family friend who brought roses each week to my sister during her time with cancer, a reminder of how each of us can be emissaries of selfless love." 

laurahigginsart.com

Lucy Quin is a Canadian-from-heart / Colombian-born painter. She grew up enjoying the mountains and the tropical beaches where she found a great appreciation for nature. Now, living in Canada, she finds inspiration  in the endless wonder of the seasons and the beautiful scenery that Canada offers.

While always inclined to art, after receiving a degree in Architecture, her passion for art focused on oil painting. She has attended private classes and also participated in numerous workshops to improve her technique.

From Ontario farm fields and Provincial Parks to the East and West coast, Lucy is enchanted by Canadian landscape. Canadian seasons were for her a new road and have had a dramatic impact on the direction she has taken as an artist.

She prefers to paint in the classic style used by Tonalist/Luminist artists from the past century, with a contemporary approach that combined with the spirituality she finds in nature, allows her to create works that are mood evoking and timeless.

"My passion for painting is rooted in nature and the fascination I have for light and shade. This has inspired me to paint through my senses to share what I'm feeling".  

lucyquin.com

What catches your eye?

For Melinda Schnalzer, it's light, texture and pattern.  She is curious about reflections, glints and shadows, and wonders what is happening in the moments on the water, jumping off the dock, or simply looking into  a park.  

Melinda's professional training as a pharmacist helps her see both detail and the broad view and has found that this applies to both her work and art.

Melinda's work is shown through the Newmarket Group of Artists (NGA) and the Society of York Region Artists (SOYRA). Her painting, Spring Morning Walk won the Newmarket Heritage Contest in 2016, and is part of the Town of Newmarket's permanent collection.

"Noticing what may otherwise be overlooked brings gratitude to what surrounds us every day."  

melindaschnalzer.com

Paulette Fleary is an artist who has worked and lived in Newmarket for over 17 years.

Paulette's art is influenced by her heritage, culture and passion, having been born in England, raised in Jamaica and attending high school and post-secondary studies in Ontario. She values the love, protection and strength of her Caribbean family whose traditions and values still permeate her family lifestyle now. Paulette is also a proud Canadian, who feels blessed by the freedoms and options that Canada offers.

"It is these identities that influence my art and add confidence to my self-expression."

Robin Burnett was born Robin Ballard in Newmarket. She studied visual arts at the University of Guelph, where she developed her conceptual and technical skills, focusing on painting and photography. 

After university Robin travelled, experiencing beautiful natural areas, and exploring art galleries. She lived briefly in Scotland, where she married, adopting the surname Burnett, before returning to settle in Newmarket.  Return visits to Scotland's rural countryside offer a continued source of inspiration. 

Recent works also include inspiration from Canada's east coast, mixed with isolated Georgian Bay landscapes. Each landscape holds subtle reminders of time's impact on the land whether through nature's elements, or the seasonal cycles; and many works explore man's influence on the natural landscape. 

Robin is an active member of the Newmarket Group of Artists and helps to organize the Newmarket Art Walk and Studio Tour each fall.

"I work in oil glaze, building up thin layers of paint, and allowing the primer to shine through the paint, which gives my paintings a luminous quality." 

robinburnett.ca

Teresa Dunlop is a Newmarket based ceramic artist. For thirty-two years, Teresa was an elementary school teacher. Watching her students' creative exploration of material made her want to be a maker as well as a facilitator.

Seizing this dream, Teresa went back to school and completed the Craft and Design Ceramics program at Sheridan College. With her new diploma, Teresa began a second career as a potter/ceramic artist. From 2014 to 2017 she was an artist in residence in the Ceramic Studio at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.

"In 2017 I opened my own studio in Newmarket where I create finely crafted objects intended to enhance daily living."

Instagram: @teresadunlopceramics | Facebook: TeresaDunlopCeramics