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Explore the opportunity to become part of a dynamic arts endeavor within your community.
By becoming a member of the Durham West Arts Centre you are helping grow the support for a permanent performing and visual arts centre in west Durham.
Visit our membership page for details.
Or download your membership form here.
Ajax Creative Arts
Curry's
DeSerres Art Supplies
Durham Tourism
Durham Sustainability
Oshawa Art Assoc. and Gallery 67
PineRidge Arts Council
Scugog Council for the Arts
~ October and November
DWAC was proud to once again partner on this project. FREE on-line lessons for Women's History Month, Veteran's Week and Remembrance Day.
Be sure to visit: ReadingAndRemembrance.ca
Looking for DWAC's 2004~2007 history? Check out this link.
Thanks to our 2018 Tour
Corporate Sponsors
ARTIST |
BIO |
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Jeanette Bartosik |
Jeanette’s jewellery strives for simple elegance that aims to stand the test of time. Using solid sterling silver, semi-precious gems and/or fresh water pearls, these treasures are harmoniously aligned with her art glass handmade beads to create extraordinary jewelery designs. Lampworking glass beads is her primary focus and my secondary focus is designing with colour, symmetry, and pattern born out of her previous profession as a graphic designer. Most beads are carefully crafted without molds, and all are annealed for strength and durability. |
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Jean Beettam Painting #6 (Guest at Gordon Reidt’s) 1744 Finch Ave., Pickering  |
After retiring from Bell Canada in the year 2000, Jean and her husband Ken moved to Lindsay area and it was then that she decided to pursue her keen interest in art. She took many courses with local artists, working in watercolour and then beginning a four year course with Pauline Bradshaw, a graduate of the Toronto Academy of Realistic Art. This is how she learned and was trained in the classical tradition. Jean also enjoys painting in watercolour. She paints landscapes, florals, seascapes, and local barns. Jean has entered and sold paintings in various shows and her work can be found in private collections locally, across Canada and in the United States. |
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Daniella Boerhof Sculpture #14 (Guest at Hanneke Koonstra’s) 512 Albright Road, RR#4, Uxbridge www.metallytwisted.com  |
Twisting, hammering, welding and creating, Daniella’s fantastical sculptural works bringing life to metal in powerful works that are created for outdoor commissions as well as indoor displays. |
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Margaret Brackley
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Margaret is originally from Montreal where as a young girl she was inspired by her 7th grade art teacher to paint. Currently living in Ajax Margaret enjoys working in watercolour, acrylic, mixed media and also makes one of kind jewellery. She is an active member of several Art groups in the Durham region as well as Markham and participates in numerous shows both indoor and outdoor throughout the year. |
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Amanda Brittin Jewellery #11 (Guest at Gayle Temple’s) 5097 Old Brock Road, Claremont www.amandabrittin.com  |
Amanda Brittin is a visual artist from Mount Albert, Ontario, working predominantly in silver and stone jewellery. Her work is both whimsical and funky. |
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Wendy Bermingham |
Wendy has had a passion for art and for the natural world for a long as she can remember. What drives her passion is her attraction for the dramatic effects of light on the land and in sharing with the viewer that single moment in time when the light will never be the same again. She says of her work: “I love to paint the rural Ontario landscape with its quiet winding rivers, bright gold wheat fields and hidden forest paths. My other passion is painting outdoors or “en plein air” to capture the light and colours directly, using impressionistic brush strokes and then bringing that energy back into my studio paintings.” |
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Cynthia Cupples Pottery #11 (Guest at Gayle Temple’s) 5097 Old Brock Road, Claremont www.cynthiacupples.com  |
Cynthia graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1984 with a Ceramics Design degree. Three years in general studies gave her an incredibly varied artistic base in both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional art. Cynthia is an accomplished illustrator and painter who has chosen clay as her career medium. She produces quite a varied product line with everything from hand painted slip-cast milk jugs to large hand built vessels. Her thrown work (created on a potters wheel) is generally made of porcelain which is usually hand painted in her original design or an “Ode to Group of Seven” or “Ode to Matisse” design. Cynthia’s work has been commissioned by a number of art galleries including; The Art Gallery of Ontario for their “Oh Canada” exhibit, The Varley Gallery in Unionville for their opening, The Charlottetown Confederation of the Arts in Prince Edward Island. |
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Debbie Dell Glass # 3 (Guest at Sue Slocum's) 705 Sandcastle Ct. Pickering  |
Debbie is a glass artist whose experiments lead to beautiful creations that must be seen. She has participated in such shows as The One of a Kind, Coburg Art Festival and several other events. Her work is also shown in a number of galleries throughout Ontario and Quebec. |
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Petra Dettman |
"Coming from a family of visual artists, I have searched for a long time to find my Medium. With stained glass I can let the colours and textures of the galss do the painting. I choose specific pieces of glass to convey movement and flow. I get inspired by Nature, whimsical designs and other visual art." |
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Iwona Dufaj |
Iwona’s exploration of human psychology and philosophy is reflected in her oil paintings, portraying romantic ideals of emotion and human nature translated through symbolism. Come experience Iwona’s personal, contemporary take on surrealism. |
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Annemarie Greenwood |
After retiring several years ago from teaching visual arts in elementary school, Annemarie re-established her art studio. Her art-making is a spontaneous, intuitive play blended with careful deliberation and intention that characterizes for her the creative process. Her colourful work contains collaged and manipulated images from numerous sources including hand-painted papers and is multi-layered using diverse materials and techniques from stamping to drawing and stitching. She has received numerous awards in various juried shows throughout the Durham region and her artworks are represented in private collections. Annemarie lives with her artist husband, Gary Greenwood, and their cat, Mutzi, in Oshawa. |
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Rob Hudyma Sculpture #5 (DWAC Pottery Studio) 1867 Valley Farm Road, Pickering  |
Born in Toronto, Rob studied geology at the University of Toronto and then culinary arts at George Brown College. A self-taught artist, mineral collector and chef, he tries to devote even time for all his pursuits. In Rob’s sculptural works, he prefers working with rocks and minerals, his favourite stones include the deep intense blue of sodalite, the royal purple of gem lapis and the seafoam blue of amazonite. His works are fluid and sometimes whimsical. Rob invites you to touch his works, pet his bears, spin his pearls or just run a hand along the smooth contours of his abstracts. |
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Clay James |
Clay James was born in London, England. After completing his education in England, he served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy, Fleet Air Arm, followed by several years of Diving. Since then, a career in the theatre world focused mainly in costume design and propmaster. When he was a member of the Upper Canada Rifle Club, his interest in scrimshaw developed. He started out carving powder horns and accessories for the shows and has moved on to decorative scrimshaw pieces since he retired. Clay is a dedicated artist whose varied personal artistic and professional experiences have shaped his approach to Scrimshaw. Accomplished and self-taught, Clay produces wonderful pieces that reflect his interest in animals and traditional tall ships. In addition to participating in the local Uxbridge Art in the Park and the Pickering Artfest , Clay is a member of the Miniature Art Society of Florida and participates in their prestigious International Art Show annually. |
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Deborah Johnston |
From sculpture to hand built utilitarian objects of beauty, Deborah’s background in design and ceramics combine with her technical expertise to help her produce enchanting one-of-a-kind pieces. She currently teaches at the Durham West Arts Centre Pottery Studio. |
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Hanneke Koonstra |
Since coming to Canada from the Netherlands as young girl, art has played an important part of Hanneke’s life. Come marvel at her florals and landscapes at her lovely studio on the Oak Ridges Morane. |
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Ryan Larvin Painting #7 (Cultural Expressions Gallery) 62 Old Kingston Road, Ajax www.ryanlarvin.com  |
Ryan Larvin was born in England, Yorkshire, Bradford, in 1978. At the age of 24 he moved to Leeds, Headingley where he stayed for 7 years before finally settling in Pickering Ontario. Today my work is exhibited throughout galleries in Yorkshire, Scotland and southern England. "Passion, Progression and Love, are my ingredients to strive to achieve goals in every way I can. With this I can do anything!! My objective is to change lives! Make people smile! And create a happy feeling which I achieve throughout my art work. I’ve been inspired by many artists such as past masters like Mc Esher, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and present artists such as Doug Hyde, Derrick Fielding, David Renshaw. My biggest inspiration would be my imagination." |
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Kim Lowes Photography #13 www.kimlowes.ca 560 Uxbridge, Pickering Townline Road, Uxbridge  |
Kim Lowes is an award-winning professional photographer whose first love is wildlife and nature scenes. On childhood excursions with his father, Kim developed a love of nature and wildlife which he has explored through the lens of his camera for over 40 years. He believes that his images capture their unique beauty and will encourage us to protect them for the future. Kim presents these life forces on his property in Uxbridge, hiking throughout Ontario and travelling to destinations such as Australia, Botswana, China, England, Mexico, Nepal and the United States. |
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Judith Matthews |
"It has been 30 years since I moved to Pickering from Trinidad. Painting in oil, and using a brush or a palette knife, I try to bring the senses alive with the use of colour and texture to give the feeling of being present in the landscapes of the Caribbean and Canada." |
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Yvonne Meissner |
Yvonne, an OCAD graduate works on canvas and wood and is particularly interested in the tactile qualities resulting from painting and layering with mixed media. This process results in exquisite low relief abstract forms. |
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Annabelle Murray Painting #13 (Guest at Kim Lowes) 560 Uxbridge, Pickering Townline Road, Uxbridge www.annabellejanemurray.com  |
Annabelle Jane Murray paints in acrylic, ink and pastel. My graphic design background informs her style. As well as her love of colour and nature which combines unique and vibrant mixed-media paintings. An artist and poet, her paintings sometime include her writing as an additional layer in her work. Her paintings are unique portals into the natural world and have been displayed in a variety of exhibits, juried at shows and studio tours. |
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Gordon Reidt |
Gordon began doing stone sculpture in 2004. Using traditional methods and specialized tools, he incorporates a variety of techniques on many different stones. Gordon’s “nature theme art” is enjoyed across Canada, Jerusalem and Australia. |
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Susan Robinson |
A visual arts graduate and established graphic designer, Susan has worked in clay for over 25 years, creating both functional and non-functional ceramic art pieces in stoneware, & porcelain. Susan shares her knowledge, techniques & love of the medium as an instructor for the City of Toronto and at the Durham West Arts Centre Pottery Studio. |
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Caitlin Sabean |
A graduate of Ryerson University in Toronto, Caitlin grew up in Pickering raised by parents with a great appreciation and passion for art, food, culture, history, animals and the environment. In her photographic work, she specializes in nature, travel and architectural images. |
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Heather Salzman Glass #6 (Guest at Gordon Reidt’s) 1744 Finch Ave., Pickering  |
Heather is an urban and glass artist. Almost nice years ago she took a workshop in fused glass and felt it fir her “out-of box” thinking. Since then she has explored all types of glass, tempered, float or window glass and specially tested glass to create art pieces, functional bowls, plates, platters and jewellery. Primarily, self-taught, working with glass has allowed her to experiment with heat, colour and structure. Her work is in collection on over eight countries. Her signature works are in black and white and each piece is unique and has a story to tell. |
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Lis Simpson Jewellery #12 (Guest at Colin Whitebread’s)  |
Lis’ kiln-fired glass are small, exquisite art pieces, which include paperweights, tea lights, small dishes, and art glass objects. These abstract sculptures, jewellery or objets d’art shimmer with mystical textures and shapes. The art glass beads that I am drawn to create on the torch are those that shimmer and gleam with subtle “treasures” inside. The bead becomes a tiny abstract sculpture with its interplay of colour, texture, and iridescence. She has also used beads to make pens and hostess utensils. This year she has begun to create my own molds to make more unique objects. As one gazes into these dazzling artworks, one can be inspired and transformed in imagination! |
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Sue Slocum |
Art is about passion for Canadian artist Sue Slocum. She sees the natural world around her in patterns of colour and texture and juxtaposes elements to highlight contrast. She has lived in diverse locations, from New Zealand to South Africa, from Hawaii to Lake Huron and now has settled down on the shores of Lake Ontario. Now she is bringing her world experience to bear on her work as well as celebrating the beauty of the commonplace. She works in oil, acrylic, ink, clay and mixed media. Sue studied at Southampton School of the Arts, Station Gallery, Haliburton School of the Arts and at the McLaughlin Gallery. Sue has shown in Centurion, South Africa, Kincardine and Durham. Her art is currently hung internationally in both private and corporate collections. |
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Lianne Snow Jewellery #8 (Guest at Judith Matthews’) 2010 Trailwood Court, Pickering www.creativerecyclingworks.com  |
Lianne’s boundless creativity makes tangible her philosophy: “My upcycled work is about waste management as a beautiful expression of the balance for our psyches, our humanity and for our planet” Come experience her work and meet the “recycling queen.” |
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Gayle’s glass work includes both the sculptural and functional form. With an emphasis on pattern, texture and colour, she combines tumbled glass and stained glass with other unexpected mediums to create pieces which are truly unique and always one of a kind. |
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Colleen Walker |
Sourcing unique quality precious, semi-precious stones, beads and metal elements, Colleen’s passion is to design one of a kind jewellery pieces which are influenced by her world travels. |
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Colin Whitebread |
Colin has been painting all his life but retired early in 2004 to dedicate serious time to daily painting. He taught visual arts, religion, and philosophy in high school for thirty plus years. After attending OCAD for several years he studied modern and contemporary artists who greatly influenced his expression. As well as paint daily, Colin has been teaching all ages and has given many workshops on creativity and expressive acrylic techniques. |
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Thanks to our generous sponsors and supporters.
Memberships with:
PineRidge Arts Council
City of Pickering
Durham Tourism | Town of Ajax
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 667 | Pickering, ON L1V 3T3 | Canada
Our Mission is to support, promote and present world-class, contemporary arts and culture. Through education, presentation and
partnership we will continue to develop awareness and engagement in the arts, increase our audience and membership, be
sustainable and champion the intrinsic need of arts and culture to our community.
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