Artist Demonstrations

Jen Noakes

Jen has spent her life exploring various facets of the arts and embraces them as part of who she is. As a youth she spent much of her time playing musical instruments and learning traditional crafts from her grandparents (and anyone else who would teach her). From the time she was a young adult she has travelled to dance throughout the United States and Canada with Forest City Morris and Sword, and also sings in the Wassail! choir, focusing on traditional Christmas songs from over a century ago. She dabbled in photography before learning how to make stained glass, which led her to attend Sheridan College for their Craft and Design program. There, she fell in love with glass and ceramics, in their many forms, and specialized her studies in flameworked and kiln cast glass. 

She has since worked with and learned from various glass and ceramic artists, suppliers and teachers. Her own studio was recently established at her home, where she can often be found for long hours at a time.  

Jen is passionate and enthusiastic about spreading the joy of the arts, and as such she is a past volunteer for Glass Art Association of Canada, past representative of Fusion: the Ontario Clay and Glass association, as well as the London Stained Glass Guild. After Jen moved to the South Huron region, she was invited to be a part of Art aRound Town, of which she is a current member. 

She is excited to be a part of the South Huron Arts Centre as she truly believes in bringing community together through the arts.

Jen V Glass Design

Marion Anderson

Originally from Kent County, Marion Anderson now makes her home and studio in New Dundee. She studied Visual Arts at Windsor University later completing a Masters of Education at University Western Ontario, London.

Her diverse portfolio shows expertise in a wide range of mediums including clay sculpture, watercolour, acrylic and oil painting as well as the ease with which she moves from florals to landscapes in subject matter. This fluidity is due to the artist’s thirty plus years as a Visual Arts teacher/department head.

Anderson’s unique mixed media technique is constantly evolving over time. She works in series, completing a suite of paintings to express a concept or idea. Heavily textured, each piece is rendered in a limited palette, suggesting a unique visual experience for the viewer’s interpretation. One exploration simply leads to another!

Please join Marion Anderson on Saturday afternoon, May 3rd, for a large canvas acrylic landscape painting demonstration. Marion will start with texturing a canvas, then move on to the underpainting. The progress on this intuitive style of landscape painting is fun to watch. Using a limited palette, she works up her composition, being guided by what happens when the painting and the textures talk to one another. Grab a seat and join the us for this highly educational and entertaining few hours.

https://aldercreekstudio.ca/

Layne Van Loo & Elaine Guitar Van Loo

Portrait Demo With Model Laura Ludlow

Show Floor, entry is with a regular ticket for Paint Ontario
May 4th, 12:00 to 4:00 p.m.

There will be easels available if you want to join in.

Elaine and Layne discovered Paint Ontario in 2018 as exhibitors and were so impressed with the entire experience that they have returned every year since as both exhibitors and demonstrators. Among other accolades won at Paint Ontario, Layne’s acrylic won 2019’s Wildlife Choice Award and Elaine won First Place in our portrait category another year. We are so honoured to have these two artists as an integral part of our show year after year. They both impress gallery audiences with their demonstrations.

Elaine and Layne will be demonstrating the art of drawing a portrait from life, demystifying the complexity of the human form with methods of sight, size and proportional measurement. For the curious and adventurous observers, a few supplies will be available so participants can also try their hand in life drawing.

Learn more about the work of these two talented artists:

View Elaine’s portfolio here. View Layne’s portfolio here.

Robert Pointer

Robert Pointer, originally from Cambridge, Ontario, is currently living and painting in Grey Highlands. His art career was launched 50 years ago with a purchase award at an exhibition. He followed that by pursuing a B.A. in Fine Art and later a 25-year teaching career. In the last twenty years he has explored each of the traditional genres of figurative art: landscape, still life, portrait, figure, animal. He did this to explore and extend his visual vocabulary. His primary medium is acrylic paint on canvas, preferring it to oil paint primarily for its quick drying properties.

Robert Pointer often uses visual references that he has photographed. He will jump in, sketching in paint directly on the surface and building in layers. He believes that artwork requires clear content and meaning with a symbolic underpinning, and that the materials speak as an equal partner in the artwork.

He is active in the local art scene, teaching from his studio and various workshops, exhibiting as a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists (Toronto Chapter), and with the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts in Collingwood. He was recently awarded additional accolades for his painting.

R. Jean Taylor

Jean, originally from PEI, moved back to Ontario from North Vancouver, BC, in 2015. Her work has been exhibited at Paint Ontario since 2017.  Jean was awarded Grand Prize 2018 and Sponsor Choice awards in 2020 ,2021 and Mayors Choice in 2022.

Painting was not a priority while she attended classes at Beal and Western. Her main interests were sculpture and printmaking. Through these practices she learned the principles of design which can be applied to all art forms.

Later her interest in painting began to develop into a more intuitive and expressionist style. “I believe my art needs to go farther than trying to produce a photo-likeness of a subject. I try to capture the essence of my subjects. This involves experimenting, taking risks, changing styles and evolving to find my own way of expressing and challenging myself.”

Grand Bend artist Jean Taylor describes herself as a “tree painter.” Trees are the subject of most of her work but she continues to experiment in other areas and mediums.

She begins her paintings in an abstract way to establish composition, line, shape and colour. then brings her work to completion by working in layers through a loose expressionist style. She is constantly adding and editing as she creates the painting.

Jim Dawe

As a child growing up and living along the shores of the Great Lakes, I spent many hours beach-combing driftwood and rocks looking at the beauty in each piece. Later in life becoming a metal worker allowed me to bring these all together to create one of a kind pieces of art. There is beauty in nature and sometimes it just needs to be put together.

As a child growing up and living along the shores of the Great Lakes, I spent many hours beach-combing driftwood and rocks looking at the beauty in each piece. Later in life becoming a metal worker allowed me to bring these all together to create one of a kind pieces of art. There is beauty in nature and sometimes it just needs to be put together.

I like to create mixed media art that doesn’t place restrictions on you. There is something about wood and steel that seems to lend them a kind of soul.

Jeff Vola

When Jeff Vola moved to Grand Bend in November, 2021, he had no idea his life would change as dramatically as it has.

Jeff began working with art at age three, with the encouragement of his mother, Beverly – a talented artist in her own right. Having put away the crayons and pencil crayons of youth, his current art medium is graphite pencil. Because it’s always dry, he’s able to stop and start drawing whenever the mood, or life, allows.

Jeff became quite well known for his drawings in Ontario about 40 years ago and displayed his art in over 20 art galleries throughout the GTA. His father, John Vola, was his business manager and best friend. However, when John passed away suddenly in 1985, so did Jeff’s love for artwork. During those long years, everything he created was put away in a drawer. He focused on raising his family and running his sign-writing and manufacturing business in Burlington ON. Formally trained as a sign painter, he remained in the business for over 45 years. For 35 of those years, he successfully designed and manufactured interior and exterior signage for Loblaws.

Then the Covid-19 pandemic ground everything and everyone. Like so many, Jeff was laid off for three weeks to “flatten the curve”. With nothing to do, he got some art supplies to keep himself busy. A portrait he drew of the 1960’s Batman television character, Adam West, received over 15,000 likes on Facebook! This launched his art interest again, starting him back on a road he was always meant to travel. Since January, 2020 he has created over 1500 drawings and commissioned portraits.

Art is now a full-time occupation, and he’s loving every minute of it! Jeff’s inspiration comes from people’s smiles and their tears. It’s his attention to the nuances and small details in his subject’s face which has become the hallmark of his work.

Every artist, no matter where they are on their artist journey, struggles with some aspect of their passion. Jeff says that for him, it’s getting his subject’s eyes just right. After all, the eyes are the windows to the soul, and his drawings bring to light that spark of life so often missing in other artists’ work. In the summer of 2025, he’ll be offering classes at the Community Centre in Grand Bend with Teresa Marie Phillips, also a well-known local artist. In addition, he’s continue to have a strong internet presence with his art commissions of portraits and pets, along with his wonderful depictions of retro television stars.

Article by Lambton Shores Magazine

Martina Bruggeman

Martina will be demonstrating how to create a serene beachscape painting using acrylics on a 36” x 48” canvas. She will guide you through her process, from choosing the right colors to layering techniques that bring depth and tranquility to the scene. Explore how to blend soft sky tones, capture the movement of water, and create a balanced composition that evokes a sense of calm. 

Whether you’re an experienced artist or just starting out, We hope this demonstration inspires you to experiment with your own coastal landscapes. Let’s dive in and bring this beachscape to life! 

Bio: Martina Bruggeman, was born, raised and still resides in Strathroy, Ontario, Canada. The daughter of Belgian immigrants, she grew up in a peaceful and culturally diverse environment, which laid the groundwork for her future artistic endeavors. Although her fascination with art had a constant presence, it became a reality later in her life at the age of 45. Martina’s path into the art world was marked more by dedication than sporadic interest, transforming from brief painting sessions into devoted hours of discipline and learning.

Despite a lack of artistic influences in her family, Martina did not waver. She exemplifies the power of self-teaching, depending more on discipline and commitment than on formal education. Her early career saw her work as a hairstylist for twenty-five years before her intrinsic love for art drew her back.

Martina is inspired by a desire to share tranquility and peace through her creations. Her serene visuals, radiating calmness, have become her signature style. Her artistic process relies heavily on instinct and intuition. She begins with the vast expanses of the sky and works her way down the canvas, relying on memory and emotion rather than photographs for reference. This approach leads to her unique blend of realism and abstraction, creating calming motifs.

Martina has honed her technique through countless hours of practice. Initially, she started by replicating photographs but soon realized this method didn’t produce the tranquility she sought. She then began drawing inspiration from her personal experiences, developing her distinctly peaceful and nostalgic aesthetic.

As Martina continues to make her mark in the art world, she deeply appreciates those who value her work. She believes her paintings reflect her life values and aims to convey peace and tranquility to the world. Her journey, marked by self-discipline, relentless practice, and an innate love for creating soothing art, showcases her commitment to art as a crucial element of society—a vessel for peace, comfort, and open interpretation.  www.martinagallery.ca

Janice Cuckovic

Janice is a retired educator who spent her career in Windsor, Ontario, where she and her husband Petar, also an educator, raised their two daughters. Upon retirement they moved to Port Franks, where Janice has immersed herself in the creative community.

Janice learned the art of creating pysanky – traditional Ukrainian eggs – in her teens and has taken it up again in earnest over the last two years leading workshops and donating dozens of her creations to help raise funds for Ukraine. She honours her Ukrainian grandparents who emigrated to Canada from the small village of Sosnitza and is very grateful for the opportunity to share this tradition.

“Writing eggs using the traditional method requires patience and skill, but the results are stunning!”

Astra Nams

Astra Nams has exhibited and demoed at Paint Ontario for years and has been fortunate enough to win an award every year.  As a Plein Air artist, she will be demonstrating outdoors, capturing a fleeting moment working in acrylics. Her work is lively and colourful. Astra has travelled throughout Ontario painting and competing in Plein Air competitions throughout and has been honoured to have won at each one.

Astra is happy to be back at Paint Ontario, as this is a unique and special event for any artist to attend.