Paint Ontario

Skateboard Demo at the Skate Park
2026-05-10 12:00 - 16:00, 2026-05-09 12:00 - 16:00 (America/Toronto)
Skateboard demonstrations and you can try it out too!
May 9 & 10 from at the Grand Bend Skatepark
Youth 4 to 25

Paint Ontario is a great event for artists and collectors to gather, but also an amazing community space for youth to connect! We’ll be hosting a skateboard demo day during Paint Ontario.

A helmet is recommended but no experience is required! We’ll provide all youth with boards and padding for their first time. Come out to meet our local coaches and check out some NEW skate obstacles that have been donated by Home Hardware for our summer camps!

Try out a board and check out the Skool o’ Skate youth skateboarding lessons being held in Grand Bend this summer
Supported by the Grand Bend Art Centre

The Baker Magic Show
2026-05-10 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Sunday May 10th – Made in GallerySponsored by: Suzanne de Jong

Steve has been performing magic professionally full time since 1997.

He is a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and CAEA and Equity, the two professional actor’s unions of Canada.

His combined magic and acting talents create shows that are polished, professional and always entertaining. Steve’s easy going style and relaxed sense of humour makes him an audience favourite who is called back to entertain year after year, for both his Adult Corporate Magician and Children’s Magician shows.

All of this coupled with excellent magic shows and sleight of hand illusions as well as his special talent for the art of mentalism makes Steve Baker’s shows sure fire hits for any audience, wherever they happen to be in Ontario: from Toronto to Tobermory or from Oakville to Orillia and anywhere in between!

Francis Martin
2026-05-10 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Tattoo Demo on Mother’s Day
At Paint Ontario, I will demonstrate the tattooing process using practice skin. The process is exactly the same as tattooing on a real person, the same machines, techniques and attention to detail, but instead of human skin, I will work on a latex practice skin. As I work, the tattoo needle leaves marks in the material, allowing the design to gradually take shape. Visitors will be able to watch the process step by step and see how a tattoo is built from the first lines to the finished image. This demonstration offers a close look at the craftsmanship, precision and artistry behind tattooing. I will answer questions and talk about the process as I work. I have been tattooing professionally for seven years and enjoy sharing the art and techique with others

Gord Sadlier -Visual Acrostic
2026-05-10 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Gord Sadlier is a multi medium creator from Norwood Ontario who has worked in the visual/design arts for over 45 years. He has created projects using watercolour paint, wood, graphic design and pen. He has been a leader with Backroad Collective and Camexicanus, teaching classes in visual art to over 100 Canadian and Mexican students since 2016. His latest project is a Visual Acrostic book, using detailed pen drawings to identify letters that form words and a phrase – creating a puzzle challenge through art that engages the participant.
Visual Acrostic Demonstration:
Using his Visual Acrostic book puzzle as a guide, participants throughout the session will contribute to a jumbo size visual acrostic image that will create the phrase “We Paint Ontario”. Using various mediums, participants will choose a letter and create image(s) that correspond with the letter to create a collective image representing the creativity of this festival and the province!

Kristyn Watterworth & Ed Platero
2026-05-10 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Digital Painting with VR

I am a painter who works to bring a little more brightness into each passing day. I’ve been painting diligently from the age of 12 and obtained my BFA from York University. I love traveling as it allows me to gather inspiration for my paintings. I have taught hundreds of students in my former studio in Bayfield which gave me thousands of ideas about how to do things differently. With all of the different challenges students brought to paint, there was constant new learning and discoveries that were made. That is why I love mixing up styles, genres and subject matter. There are so many ways to make things come alive and i love to explore so many of them. Currently I am trying to focus on my animals, abstract series, and a bit of Virtual Reality thrown in.

My largest collection was developed for the educational tech firm Desire 2 Learn and includes over 100 large scale artworks. I’m always interested in new art adventures. I have painted a Volkswagen Beetle on the NYC rooftop of the Arlo hotel, done giant murals in Brooklyn, London and Waterloo, and I painted a 3D World for a music video for Avant-Folk Group Mappe Of.

See my newest works and see what I’m up to on my Instagram

Virtual Reality
Show Floor – Admission with a regular show pass Experience the Future with Our VR Demonstration. Step into the extraordinary with our immersive VR demonstration! This hands-on experience transports you into a virtual world where you can see, hear, and interact as if you were really there. Whether you’re using an art program or exploring breathtaking landscapes, this cutting-edge demonstration brings the virtual to life.
Not only a demonstration, it’s interactive – Put on one of the headsets, and let your senses take over as you experience the power of VR firsthand. Watch on screen what the people wearing the headsets are seeing. This is more than just a demo—it’s a glimpse into the future of art, entertainment, training, and innovation.

Zoo of Instruments
2026-05-09 12:00 - 2026-05-10 16:00
May 9th & 10th – On the grounds

Skool of Rock! – Ever been to a zoo of musical instruments? Come drop by out outdoor jam studio to try dozens of different instruments! This is a hands on, make sounds, be a rockstar experience for all ages. Complete with costumes, face painting, temporary tattoos and make your own band merch (buttons & posters!). Take all of that artistic inspiration from the Paint Ontario Gallery and make it into some creative noise!

Backroad Collective SW Ontario has been working in the Grand Bend area for 5 years. In partnership with the Grand Bend Art Centre, we offer summer camp and school year programs for kids and youth throughout the region.

We are made up of collective communities and throughout the year we have various exchange opportunities for students to form relationships, learn together and create unique experiences in our communities.

Check our www.camexicanus.ca or visit us at Paint Ontario for more information about our summer camps.

Kristyn Watterworth & Ed Platero
2026-05-09 00:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Digital Painting
I am a painter who works to bring a little more brightness into each passing day. I’ve been painting diligently from the age of 12 and obtained my BFA from York University. I love traveling as it allows me to gather inspiration for my paintings. I have taught hundreds of students in my former studio in Bayfield which gave me thousands of ideas about how to do things differently. With all of the different challenges students brought to paint, there was constant new learning and discoveries that were made. That is why I love mixing up styles, genres and subject matter. There are so many ways to make things come alive and i love to explore so many of them. Currently I am trying to focus on my animals, abstract series, and a bit of Virtual Reality thrown in.
My largest collection was developed for the educational tech firm Desire 2 Learn and includes over 100 large scale artworks. I’m always interested in new art adventures. I have painted a Volkswagen Beetle on the NYC rooftop of the Arlo hotel, done giant murals in Brooklyn, London and Waterloo, and I painted a 3D World for a music video for Avant-Folk Group Mappe Of.
See my newest works and see what I’m up to on my Instagram

Koen Martin
2026-05-08 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Clay Mask Demo
Makeup Artist • SFX • Sculpture • Fine Art
Koen Martin is a multidisciplinary artist working in painting and sculpture. He began honing his craft in early adolescence by completing over 65 commissioned pet portraits before the age of fifteen. Koen spent five years at BealArt, studying theory, art history, and diverse studio practices. In his final year, he presented a body of work exploring robot iconography and the reclamation of nature through decay—contrasting childhood fascination with technology against darker, reflective themes. Several works were recognized by Beal faculty and community members. Koen later attended Vancouver Film School, expanding his practice through creature design, sculpture, and painting, graduating with the highest achieving grade. He now integrates these disciplines in pursuit of a career in the visual arts.
In this demo, I’ll be sculpting an original character mask/bust using Monster Clay. I’ll walk through my process from blocking in primary forms to refining details and surface texture, while explaining my choice of tools, such as loop tools, rakes, and how I use them to shape and define the piece. Throughout, I’ll share insight into my techniques and creative decision-making.

Friday Hours - Open Late
2026-05-08 10:00 - 19:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Regular Show Hours Starting May 2nd:
Regular Show Tickets – $10 This is a multi-day pass, come to all the events.
Saturday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Denise Antaya
2026-05-07 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Oil Painting Demonstration –
The everyday themes in Denise Antaya’s oil paintings combine her love of nature and her fascination with light and how it transforms an often overlooked scene. Her subjects range from season to season but almost always represent the natural environment untouched by man.
Her process starts with an underpainting, called a brunaille. Once she determines that everything is where it needs to be, she adds colour. Her plein air paintings work hand in hand with her studio work, showing the nuance of colour that photos can’t capture.
The landscape is a never ending source of inspiration for Antaya, one that will never end with its ever changing moods and complications. It’s a lifetime endeavour she hopes to never master!
Paint Ontario Grand Prize – 2016, 2022, 2024.
Best Landscape IGOR – 2017
Almenara Art Prize – Honourable Mention – Spain
Salmagundi Club – D. Wu & Elsie Ject-Ket Memorial Award – 2022

Demonstration Sponsors
2026-05-07 08:00 - 17:00

R. Jean Taylor
2026-05-06 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Painting Demonstration – Jean 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.
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 the Paint Ontario Grand Prize in 2018 and Sponsor Choice awards in 2020, 2021 and the Mayor’s Choice Award 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.

Regular Show Hours All Week
2026-05-05 10:00 - 17:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Regular Show Hours Starting May 2nd until May 17
Regular Show Tickets – $10 This is a multi-day pass, come to all the events.
Saturday to Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Senior Event - Pre-register, 2 Sessions
2026-05-04 13:00 - 2026-05-05 15:00, 2026-05-04 09:30 - 2026-05-05 11:30
Special Seniors Art Days.
Come out to Paint Ontario May 4th or 5th, enjoy the show and get creative with 2 fun activities.
Create a small pottery piece we’ll get to you later and decorate a Terra Cotta Pot with acrylic markers. Take it home with soil and seeds.
The activities are in the main gallery and entry is FREE.
We welcome elderly seniors and a guest to accompany them, to register their preferred time. Limited seats available.
Session 1 – Monday May 4, 9:30 am to 11:30 pm
Session 2 – Monday May 4, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Session 3 – Tuesday May 5, 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Session 4 – Tuesday May 5, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Email Christine to register: christineartcentre@gmail.com
(We may be able to assist with transportation)

Jim Dawe
2026-05-03 12:00 - 16:00 | Venue Grounds, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Canada
Wood & Metal Sculptor

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.

Elaine Guitar Van Loo
2026-05-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Art Centre Shoppe, 16 Municipal Dr., Grand Bend
Landscape Painting Demonstration
Bio: 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.
Learn more about the work of these two talented artists:
View Elaine’s portfolio here.

Marion Anderson
2026-05-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Mixed Media Demonstration
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/

Jen Van Herten- Jen V Glass Design
2026-05-02 12:00 - 16:00 | Venue Grounds, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Canada
Glass Artist –
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

Show Opens
2026-05-02 10:00 - 17:00 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada

Doug Swinton
2026-05-02 10:00 - 15:00 | Colonial Hotel, 1 Main St., Grand Bend
Lecture and Demonstration
Register for Doug Swinton Here – $45

Doug has work displayed in private and public galleries around the world. This invitation to Paint Ontario reflects Doug’s respected career as a painter and educator, and his ability to clearly articulate the thinking, discipline, and structure behind strong, intentional painting.
The presentation focuses on the ideas and principles that define his approach to painting and teaching, including:

The importance of workshops, mentorship, and continued learning
Doug Swinton’s journey as a painter and educator
A structured approach to painting, emphasizing composition, value relationships, and intentional design
The discipline and benefits of painting every day
The importance of figure painting as a foundation for understanding form, light, and movement

The session is designed to inspire practicing artists, emerging painters, and members of the public who are interested in understanding how artists learn, think, and grow through education and daily practice. He will also do a demonstration with a live model.
Session Overview
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Colonial Hotel, Community Hall

10:00–12:00: Presentation and discussion
12:00–12:30: Lunch break (Lunch Provided)
12:30–3:00: Continued presentation, Q&A, and discussion

This sessions is great for painters, art students, emerging artists, and art-interested members of the public. DougSwinton.com

Gala Event Sponsors
2026-05-01 17:00 - 20:00

Opening Night Gala
2026-05-01 16:00 - 23:30 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
Door Open at 4 p.m. Awards at 7 p.m.
Be the first to see and purchase artwork. Meet the many artists and sponsors who attend the Gala. This is a chance to chat about art and our creative community.
Ticket Sales are open – $25

2026 Online Entry
2026-03-01 - 2026-03-22 | Main Gallery Show Floor, 20 Municipal Dr, Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada
CALL TO ARTISTS – Online Entry Open March 1 to 22, 2026
