Doris Ayde-White — For many years, Doris was a Visual Arts Brampton member, who painted at our portrait sessions. During WWII, Doris worked for Birks, designing jewelry. Among the pieces she designed was a V shaped necklace, which was presented by the jewelers to Mrs. Winston Churchill.

Janice Balesic — Janice Balesic is an art teacher for the Peel Board of Education. Her work was published in the Visual Arts Brampton Millennium Project, the ABC Fun Things Book. She was once on the Visual Arts Brampton Board of Directors.

Shabana Bhutta — A school teacher in Brampton, Shabana enjoys doing artwork on her spare time at home and at the studio. She exhibited in The First Annual Snail Mail World Postcard Art Show. She has organized three exhibits of her school's artwork, displayed at Visual Arts Brampton's Fridge Front Gallery.

Carol Biberstein — Brampton artist-illustrator Carol Biberstein was born in Shanghai. Drawing and painting all of her life, Carol studied art fundamentals and illustration at Sheridan College.

She has done educational book illustrations for many large publishers including Scholastic, Oxford, Harcourt Brace, Nelson and Addison Wesley. Also, Carol has illustrated various young adult novel covers. In 2001, she wrote and illustrated her first picture book, entitled Great Grandma’s Rocking Chair, published by Small World Publishing. For this accomplishment, she won a 2001 City of Brampton Arts Acclaim Award. Seimens and Pharma Plus are among her non-publishing corporate clients.

Carol works from life, photos or her imagination, focusing on portraits, pet paintings and paintings of houses, along with her illustrations. Her specialty, which she is known for is the Life Story Portrait, a montage compilation of a person’s portrait with significant people and places around it.

She works in a variety of different mediums including charcoal, pen and ink, pastel, acrylics and scratchboard, though she specializes in watercolour. She uses a realistic but loose style, with tighter areas as focal points in the painting.

From 1988 to 1996, she taught ESL to adult immigrants, and since 1991 has been a well-known, permanent fixture at the Farmer’s Market. She has taught various art courses around Brampton.

She has won a People’s Choice Award at the Art Gallery of Peel’s Juried Art Show in 1996, and honourable mention at The Great Canadian Mail Art Show, Artway. She also has held an annual solo Christmas show at the Four Corners branch of the Brampton Public Library since 1999.

Midge Campbell — Margaret (Midge) Campbell exhibited at Artway Gallery multiple times from 2002 to 2003, and has exhibited at some of the Visual Arts Brampton Studio’s show and sales.

Don Collins — Don Collins lives in Bolton, Ontario and has been taking photographics since his days in public school. Now retired from teaching, he has been focusing on 35mm and digital photography. His artistic skills in composition, fine arts and a keen eye are evident in his sensitive and carefully composed pictures. Collins exhibited in the 2005 Artway Shoppers World show A Place to Live, A Place to Grow.

Judy Daley — Assistant curator at the Art Gallery of Peel.

Matthew Daley — Matthew won second place in the 2001 Visual Arts Brampton Images on Paper Juried Art Show, and in 2002 winner of another award.

The Right Honourable William Davis — The first elected premier of Ontario born in Brampton, lawyer William Grenville Davis helped put Brampton on the map. In the arts scene, Bill Davis opened the group’s first major fundraising event, Goldmine '89. Bill also launched Heritage Brampton - 1978, a booked edited, produced and illustrated by Albert Seaman. Davis was also a guest of honour at the 2004 Brampton Arts Council Arts Person of the Year ceremonies..

Chandra de Silva — She has been quoted a saying that her interest for art started as a child back in Sri Lanka, where I was born and raised. Chandra remembers her father with love and gratitude, because he introduced her to the fundamentals of art.

Later on she entered college for art training, graduating from Art and Sculpture. She then taught Arts and Crafts to young adults for thirty-two years. She took up painting again, after she retired.

Chandra says that she loves the colour and composition of everyday objects and human faces; she translates these memories into her creations. She uses a multitude of mediums in her works: watercolours, acrylics, pastels and oil painting.

Ten years ago, she moved to Canada with her son. She explored the Brampton arts scene, and was lucky to have a member of VAB urge her to join. She has continued on since then as a member, gaining lots of encouragement from her fellow members and from doing art once more.

Chandra is a regular exhibitor in the group’s exhibitions and shows. Her works have been reproduced as VAB art cards, in our ABC Fun Things book and in our Sesquicentennial Floral Calendar.

Chandra de Silva, Daisy Among the Weeds, oils. Winner of the Juror’s Choice Award, Images on Paper Juried Art Show 2001

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2001- Chandra de Silva, solo exhibit at the Brampton City Hall Atrium, Brampton.

2001- Images on Paper- Juried Art Show, Artway Exhibit Space, Bramalea City Centre, Brampton. In the exhibition, she won the Juror’s Choice Award.

1996- Visual Arts Brampton Juried Art Show. In this exhibition, she won an honourable mention for her work.

Chandra de Silva, Irises.

Chandra de Silva, Garden Flowers, watercolour.

eepy post — eepy post is a mail artist from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada. eepy won the Creative Achievement Hermes Award in the first annual Snail Mail World Postcard Art Show.

Muriel Gray — Muriel is one of only seven people to ever win the Visual Arts Brampton President’s Award. In 2001, Muriel was presented with the group’s highest honour, after helping to jury images at the first Images on Paper- Youth Juried Art Show.

Adrienne Houston — Adrienne won first place in the Visual Arts Brampton 2001 Images on Paper Juried Art Show. She participated in the 2002 show, as well.

Ontario MPP Linda Jeffrey — Linda Jeffery is the MPP for Brampton Centre. In 2004, she opened her Queen’s Park office up to artists from Brampton to exhibit in. Many VAB members exhibited in her offices, including Betty Jean Evans, Conrad Mieschke, Keith Moreau, and Mary Noble. VAB thanks Linda Jeffrey and her office for this spectacular program to help promote the arts in the community.

Kim Lee Kho — Graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, Kho is currently on display in the exhibit Wednesday's Work at the Neilson Park Creative Centre.

Anita Kumar
Sculptor, artist, Bachelor of Fine Arts
Born in Nova Scotia, then raised in Mississauga and India, in the foot of the Himalayas, Anita says that through hard work, she became determined and open-minded. Anita completed her Bachelors in Fine Arts from Government College for Arts—Chandigarh, one of India's Top 5 professional fine arts colleges. Internationally recognised, the College attracts students from across Europe and Asia.

In May of 2004 she moved to Wales, United Kingdom, where she resided for half a year. She was accepted in the Masters of Fine Arts at the Canterbury campus of Kent Institute of Art and Design, but did not enroll due to lack of funds. At that point, Anita moved back to Canada to start her arts career.

Her preferred working mediums are oil painting, dry and oil pastels, charcoal, coloured pencil and watercolour. She primarily uses clay, sponge, fiber glass and plaster of paris to create sculptures.

Anita's white marble sculpture "Baby on a Leaf" is in the collection of GCA India, and various others are in private collections.

Anita is also a poet and aspiring novelist. Recently she completed a collection of 180 poems. She is a member of both Visual Arts Brampton and the South Asian Actors Association.

She has exhibited at Fabricland, Artway Gallery (February 2005 on), and the Government College of Art, in India (2000-2003). She has instructed at the Government College of Art, India (September 2003), Bryntirion Comprehensive School, Bridgend, Wales (June 2004), and various private art classes. Anita has a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts Sculpture, additional 1 year Foundation course in advertising, graphics and painting.

Simon Fraser MacDonald — Simon Fraser MacDonald is a self taught artist working in watercolour, oil pastel, soft pastel and acrylic. Raised on the Alberta prairies, this self-styled impressionist currently works from his studio in Brampton, Ontario. Over the years and miles, Simon has carried his sketch books, pencils and cameras to try to capture that unique view or perspective of simple things; the unique view. Many early attempts were fed into the fireplace while some have survived. Over the past few years, with the critical support of his late, much loved wife Valerie, herself a world-class painter, more works have gone into the portfolio and less into the fireplace. Now a full time professional artist, he owns and operates simonfraserart, marketing watercolours and acrylics to corporations and private collectors.

Colin McClean
Colin reflected on his cartooning:

My name is Colin McClean and I'm the creative energy behind Life's Lighter Side... (LLS) and Frankie comic strips. My comic strips strive to make us remove life's protective armour and look at ourselves through the various offbeat and “gee that reminds me of” characters and situations it portrays.

“It all started with a crayon.” Ever since I can remember, a crayon (later a pencil) and a pad of paper have been my best companions and my readily available retreat. Drawing (what my parents once thought of as a nice distraction that would keep me out of their hair) became my passion. Better still, it became a constant source of comic relief for my friends, family, and co-workers. I complemented this natural desire with cartooning classes and a certificate program in graphic design from Centennial College.

LLS looks at common situations in the corporate world and in family life from my quirky perspective — a guy who voluntarily wore a tie at the age of four and dreamed of becoming a businessman. You've got to be careful what you wish for, it might come true! When I got my wish, I became even more inclined to look at the lighter side of life just to keep my sanity!

LLS draws (yes, pun intended) its humour from the situations themselves as well as the special attention I pay to the facial expressions of the numerous characters that are portrayed. I incorporate the multiethnic faces found in my community — Toronto, Canada — one of the most culturally diversity cities in the world where more than 80 languages are spoken. Working and living in this cosmopolitan area, among its more than two million inhabitants, I find that there is absolutely no shortage of events and people to caricature.

Frankie is a spin off of Life's Lighter Side... LLS had many zany personalities but no main character, until my baby girl was born.

To put it simply, Frankie is a reflection of myself. He pretty much came into existence when I took seven months off work to stay home and raise my baby girl. My wife, on the other-hand, went back to work and I was forced to deal with a child who rarely slept (day or night). There were times when I felt aliens had abducted my wife and she was never going to return from work. This is where I came up with the idea of a male as a single parent. Usually when one mentions the idea of a single parent, we automatically think of a woman.

The Frankie comic strip strives to take it from a man's perspective in raising a child in the twenty-first century. As the saying goes "That which doesn't break you will only make you stronger." Overall the whole experience has strengthen the bond between my daughter and me. As any artist will tell you, there has to be an outlet for one's wackiness — one of mine, and hopefully yours, is Frankie.

Read Life's Lighter Side and Frankie at www.llscartoons.com, or pick up a copy of Toronto's Share newspaper and the Ambassador magazine.

Patience Morrisey
Professional printmaker, painter
Born in Patience, Alberta, Patience Morrisey has always had an interest in art, and credits her prairie roots for a great deal of influence in her life. Her work has varied from fashion illustration, to education, to library artist, and to children's creative art and drawing. Patience graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1948. She chooses materials that are close at hand, including found objects, newspaper, wood, and metal. The found objects are transformed with papier mache and paint into startling manifestations, each emerging from the artist's acknowledgment of the characters of her initial materials. Patience is one of Canada's foremost wood block printers. She has transformed the medium, by combining them with paint, drawing, and ink. She manipulates the surface to created mixed-media works in two and three dimensions. She even sees beyond their initial concepts, and incorporates the prints into collages and even sculpture.

She has had numerous solo shows across North America at Gallery at Fairways, Mississauga; the Burlington Art Centre; Sarasota Art Centre; the Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton. She has won numerous awards and prizes in regional exhibitions and has been a frequent participant in Visual Arts Mississauga Juried Show of Fine Arts, hosted by the Art Gallery of Mississauga. Her work has traveled to Japan as part of shows organized by the Art Gallery of Mississauga. She exhibited at our Artway Exhibit Space's Lasting Impressions 2003 printmaking exhibit.

Margaret Sarah Pardy — Margaret Pardy was a long term Visual Arts Brampton board member, and had work in the ABC Fun Things Book. She operated the Open Studio session at the Visual Arts Brampton studio the second and four Wednesdays of the month for a few years in the late-1990s and early-2000s.

Mary Parr — Mary Parr is a watercolourist from Safety Bay, Western Australia, Australia. Her husband attended Croydon Art School in England, the same school as one-time VAB member Albert Seaman. Parr won one of three of the Juror’s Choice Awards in the first annual Snail Mail World Postcard Art Show.

Barry Phillips — When he was a Bramptonian, portrait artist Barry Phillips was a member of Visual Arts Brampton. He won the City of Brampton Arts Acclaim Award in 1988, thanks to a nomination from the group.

John Ramall — John won second place in the Visual Arts Brampton Images on Paper Juried Art Show, 2001.

Leo Salvador — Leo was a VAB member from August 2002 to 2005. He was included in our 2003 floral art calendar.

Christopher Seaman — Christopher has had much acclaim on the web for his manga style characters, The Kaiten Angels. One of these characters first appeared in the ABC Fun Things Book, published by Visual Arts Brampton, back when the characters were named The Rocket Girls. (They were renamed in 2005.)

In 1997, he won a City of Brampton Arts Acclaim Award, recognizing his acceptance into the coveted aviation juried art show at the National Aviation Museum in Ottawa.

David Somers — Curator at the Art Gallery of Peel, previously he was on staff at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

Tony Tarantini — Tony is a Sheridan College instructor, and teaches Animex: Animation Exploration at Visual Arts Brampton. Formerly at Nelvana Animation, Tony worked on many of the studio's programs including Little Bear and George Shrinks. His works were exhibited at Golden Pheasant Gallery from December 27th, 2004 to January 22nd, 2005, as the show "Animex 2005 with Tony Tarantini".

D. Scott Taylor — D. Scott Taylor is a self-taught watercolour artist who got his start while a flight instructor at the Brampton Flying Club in the early 1980’s. Scott was commissioned to paint a painting of an aircraft that a student had just made his first solo flight in.

That painting led to hundreds of commissions ranging from planes to cars, cottages to office buildings and pets to people. Scott has since created many limited editions. His interest in architecture led him to paint a series of historic schoolhouses, and his love of music led to a series involving children and musical instruments (most notably grand pianos).

In addition to this varied repertoire, Scott is probably best known for his paintings of Gage Park, which is located in downtown Brampton. In the newspaper, Scott has been called "the Gage Park artist", referring to his many paintings of this well known and much admired focal point of Brampton.

This year, Scott was commissioned by the City of Brampton to paint the official Sesquicentennial painting. The painting depicts 'Brampton old' and 'Brampton new', with a focus on youth in our city. The painting will be distributed in poster form throughout Brampton during 2003.

Married, and a father of four, Scott has focused on children in many of his paintings, and it is often the children who tell the whimsical story in his paintings.

A former airline pilot, Scott now works as an air traffic controller, when not in his studio, painting.

Web: www.dscotttaylor.com | E-mail: Scott Taylor

Steve Wilson — At one point a member of Visual Arts Brampton, Steve lives in Huttonville. His passion is wildlife, though he likes a variety of subjects. Working in acrylics, his preferred medium for over 20 years, he occasionally experiments with mixed media. Steve was one of the artists in our floral art calendar, issued in 2003.