BMFA Artist Directory

Karin Modotto is an amateur photographer who loves to travel. Karin has recently retired after a 40-year career in technology. In 2015 Karin took up photography as a hobby and since retirement is focused on her photography more full time and working on establishing herself as an artist in the community. Karin lives in Wasaga beach, a perfect setting for her photography.

Karin is on the board of directors of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts as well as a member of the Wasaga Beach Artist community.

My two creative passions are photography and painting. I always keep my camera close to take advantage of the moment. Living in south Georgian Bay is an inspiring atmosphere for both interests.
"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep." Scott Adams

After a career as a professional engineer, his retirement to the Blue Mountains afforded him ample time to explore additional facets of his woodworking hobby. Kevin's passion is to transform logs & offcuts (normally destined for the burn pile) into useful and aesthetic accents for the home.

Contrasting grain, colour and shapes along with various geometric patterns highlights the beauty of the individual wood segments which is transformed into functional art.

His work consists of 2D & 3D end grain cutting boards, charcuterie boards, book holders, wooden vases and 3 D wall hangings.

David spent 35 years in the advertising business as Senior Art/Creative Director at 3 of Toronto's top agencies. In 1995 he and his wife, Ida left their respective careers and opened a Sailing Charter business in The Caribbean. After 12 very successful years, they returned to Canada, where David returned to his love of painting. He has since held classes in watercolour painting, completed a number of commissions and won several awards, the latest being Juror's Choice at The BMFA's 2022 Juried Art Show.

Walter Vanderhof was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He moved to the beajutiful shores of South Georgian Bay in the 1970s and has been a resident of Collingwood, Ontario ever since. After several decades Walter rekindled his love for photography and painting, in which he had dabbled as a youngster. His favourite medium is acrylic paint.

Bio:
Jenny Nemes is a visual artist working in acrylic, mixed media, and collage. After obtaining a BA from the University of Guelph with a major in Fine Art, she went on to study Illustration at Sheridan College. She has experience painting murals and worked as an art educator for a number of years.

Her paintings are optimistic and full of colour. They convey a tangible sense of energy and spontaneity, embodying her fascination with the materials, experimentation, and play. There are many layers to each piece, as they go through many changes while she strives to maintain a balance between intentionality and intuition.

In 2021 she moved to Collingwood with her family, and she now creates from her home studio where she lives with her husband, 2 sons, and her dog.

From an early age, Pauline had a desire to create. This desire led her to begin a career in Interior Design and as time progressed, to express her creativity in designing jewellery, pottery and the formulation of organic natural soaps and body scrubs. After relocating to Collingwood Pauline’s desire to create, inspired her artistic talent on canvas and she began to work successfully with both Acrylics and Oils. Several of her pieces are displayed and sold in various venues around Collingwood and the GTA. Pauline is currently a member of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, Tiny Arts Collective, and Wasaga Society for the Arts.

Her Artwork has been featured on the Blue Mountain Bruce Trail Club site, and she has participated in numerous shows Simcoe Stree Market, Collingwood Art Crawl , Art on the Street, The Loft Gallery Square Ft show, Press Room Gallery, and L E Shore Gallery .

Her philosophy “always try something new and enjoy every step of the way “ is reflected in who Pauline is and in all of her creative endeavours.

I have been drawing and painting for approximate 45 years, and while I Have not taken any formal art classes I have learned how to draw , use watercolour and acrylic paint through observing other Artist and their work.My working years were spent in the engineering field and spent many years on a drafting table.
Today I enjoy sitting down and producing a piece of Art it is relaxing as well as rewarding.

Located in beautiful Eugenia, Ontario, my creative space (the Carrot House Art Studio) is primarily a working studio, with select exhibit times throughout the year. The studio is always open to scheduled visits. I love having a dedicated space to develop new concepts and play with colour. My primary focus is botantical subjects, with a definite slant toward an impressionist representation.

Follow me on social media to see what’s on the easel, and find out about upcoming projects and events.

I am a full time artist living in the South Georgian Bay Area, where I find inspiration for many of my paintings. I also travel to Northern Ontario on sketching trips in the fall to capture the more rugged landscape.
Art and creating for me is about searching for the beautiful and the sublime in nature. My hope is to provide a type of serenity and healing through my art.

Robert Pointer is a Canadian artist, educator, and musician working in Grey County. His artwork has been in exhibition since the 1970's. A figurative artist, he primarily creates intimate paintings from observation or relating to direct personal experience in acrylic, or oil on canvas. A post-modern artist, his paintings can be in the realist, impressionist, or abstract tradition depending on his subject and intention. As a teacher with the Peel District School Board, he taught grades 4 to 7 for over 25 years with a specialty in the arts. After retiring in 2014, Robert Pointer continues to exhibit his art at galleries and shows. His exploration of the themes of wildlife, cottage country tranquility and exuberance, aging and a life lived, and the contrasts of rural and urban life keep him inspired. Robert Pointer is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists and the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts.

I was originally from Port Credit ON, I use to spend many hour in my younger years watching an artist named Adrian Dingly paint using oils. It was at this time I took and interest in drawing and painting and over the years have developed my own style while studying several other artist and their styles and learned a a great deal of painting styles and techniques as well. I prefer to paint structures and also people in different environments while I have done several landscapes etc. that is not really my main interest.
I do paint with Acrylics often my real passion is watercolour painting.

Inspired by the sea….
Jewels by Jill

My jewelry consists of simple, unique statement pieces that are inspired by the sea. The shells and coral come from isolated beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. My driftwood is gathered from the beaches of Wasaga, Collingwood and Thornbury. I combine these with pearls and put them together with comfortable, natural and sustainable materials such as leather cord, leather lace, braided leather, cotton rope and jute or hemp.

My background is in conventional jewelry. For many years, I worked in our family-owned jewelry store doing repairs. I developed my art form independently from mainstream jewelry. This evolution is something I’m passionate about and is my interpretation of various shapes and forms from the sea.

Inspired by the serenity of the contemplative landscape, Petra is a watermedia artist who works in watercolour, India ink, and acrylic. She is equally comfortable with color, and with bold black and white statements. Preferred subjects are landscapes, florals, and architecture, inspired by the Georgian Bay area, and by her global travels.
She is also a beaded jewellery designer, allowing her to share her love of color and design in another form, sharing beads collected from places as diverse as Tibet, Bali, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, and throughout the USA. Holding those beads in her hands, and being inspired by the various colors and textures, her pieces are created organically. Entirely self-taught, and not working with a preconceived idea or plan, she allows the beads to dictate the form. Her jewellery is unique in that no two pieces are alike, and her peyote-stitched pieces and soutache pieces are formed free-hand, adding structure and color like a three-dimensional painting. Any one who wears her pieces wears a work of art, and makes a statement about their own willingness to be bold and unique in their expression of their personal style.
Currently residing in Wasaga Beach in the Georgian Bay area, she has been represented by Blue Mountain Foundation of the Arts in Collingwood, MacDonald Art Gallery of Guelph gift shop, Loft Gallery in Thornbury, Georgian Bay Marketplace, and ArtfestOntario. Her art has found homes in private collections throughout Canada, United States, and Europe

Upon retiring as a teacher, I took up painting as a hobby and was instantly hooked. I try to capture the beauty of Blue Mountain, Georgian Bay, old homes and farm buildings and seascapes of Greece and Florida Keys.
Have done drawing and painting demos and workshops for art groups in Ontario and Florida Keys.

MJ is a passionate skier and golfer. She has been painting her interests for 15 years in the Blue Mountain area. Her acrylic paintings hang in several public and private collections across Ontario. She has been chosen to present banners for both Thornbury and Collingwood. In September she shares a show at the LE shore library in Thornbury.

Martha was educated through to University in Calgary AB and has spent the last 30 years in Alberta and Ontario. After a fulfilling career in Television broadcast journalism with ITV and Global Communications and McLuhan and Davies Communications (Toronto) she credits her move to the beautiful Okanagan Valley, BC and Georgian Bay, ON as the motivation behind the shift from interpreting her world through writing to drawing and painting.
“When I paint, I’m totally immersed in the moment and lose many hours focused only on my canvas the marks I make and the feelings they evoke. Beneath layers of texture and colour a story on canvas begins to emerge; apart from any intention on my behalf, often a mystery, and quite arresting in its intensity. I’m very grateful for the ‘stories’ I’m able to create and the connections and pleasure they bring to others.”
Martha’s paintings are recognized for their strong expressive strokes, emotional energy and unique blends of colour and her paintings can be found in ARTSY, New York NY, Arte funktional, Vernon BC, and the Station Gallery, Kamloops BC.
Martha is a Past President of the North Okanagan FCA and Director of the Arts Council North Okanagan, active member of the TNSC, CO-FCA, FCA Toronto and the BMFA and her art designations include Elected member status of the national Society of Canadian Artists (Toronto) and NAP Contemporary Fine Arts (USA).

My name is Chantal, I am an artist, a poet and a soon to be published author. Art has been an essential part of who I am since I was a child. Crayons in hand, colouring, drawing and dreaming of unleashing a masterpiece on my very own blank wall. From classroom to college, marriage and children—from clerical work to commissions to a career in special education, I have made art.
In 2016 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease—not the most pleasant diagnosis, but not the worst either. At that point I made a choice—to see it as a permission slip, an opportunity to seize the moment and whatever that moment brings—and make art, lots of art.
Since then I have been on a personal creative journey of discovery through paint and now poetry. It challenges me and connects me to that brave voice inside. It lights me up, feeds my soul and helps make sense of it all.

Be Fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire…
Canadian/American visual artist P.Annie Churchill has had a lifelong passion for art & beauty. Inspired in childhood by her mother & great grandfather , both fine artists as well as decorative painters . Influenced & intrigued by the Impressionists, Post Impressionists , Abstract & Surreal artists . Studying and imitating their paint styles from an early age . Educated in the arts in both the USA & Canada .
Having lived and traveled extensively throughout the diverse North American landscape has given her a deep appreciation of the incredible terrain from coast to coast.
Annie’s experience working as a scenic artist on movie sets, as a graphic designer, colour consultant and decorative painter to clients , contractors and designers has helped to cultivate her current style .
Her medium of choice is presently acrylic. She appreciates it’s quick drying time , layering & textural abilities as well as it’s vibrancy in colours and it’s non toxic properties.
Living and painting in Collingwood surrounded by the stunning beauty of the Georgian Bay Area and Niagara Escarpment. Finding beauty on her daily biking , hiking & skiing excursions.

"I am fascinated with everything life has to offer, passionate about the creative process and when the light is ideal

I take photographs of beautiful landscapes, people & objects. When there is no light I spend time in the studio creating something out of nothing"

I perceive movement in things that are in fact static, and am compelled to either see or feel texture. Similarly, colour also evokes strong emotions, and can pull me in creative directions and expression.
As a child, I was challenged with vision issues. As a result, I was very tactile when something interested me – I had to touch to understand. This resulted in many talks with Mom about “looking with our eyes, not our hands”, and more than one broken item in my wake. However, it was also a catalyst to a deep appreciation of texture, movement, light and dark – albeit often out of focus, but fascinating none the less. The fascination continues as my artistic practice grows and develops, exploring new techniques and materials, and learning from the rich reservoir of practicing artists in the Georgian Bay region.

Over the years my interest in photography has grown from capturing travel memories to becoming dedicated to expanding my images of nature, land and cityscapes, people and abstracts.

I am fascinated with the use of color, light and space in my images and continue to explore the development of my own style.

As a self-taught photographer I enjoy the pursuit of memorable images and believe a well-captured photo is something to display with pride and enjoy.

Home is Collingwood, Ontario, Canada but I am available for assignments worldwide.

Mary's passion for art started in 2013 after retiring from Scotiabank.

She took many classes in drawing, acrylic, watercolor painting at TDSB. She continued her studies in Intermediate Acrylics and Art History at Avenue Road Art School in Toronto.

She moved to Collingwood in 2018, where she continues to be an enthusiastic artist. The past 2 years she has studied oil and palette knife classes in Collingwood and is an avid member of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts. She enjoys studying with other artists in classes and workshops learning about fresh and innovative ideas.

Award-winning photographers, Jan Novak and Tamara Scearce continue to expand their distinct collection of landscapes, architecture, and scenes from nature with images captured locally and from around the globe. As a unique art option, they have chosen stone as a medium for their original photography and print directly on natural marble stone using fade resistant UV cured inks. Art On Stone is pleased to offer their functional artistic production as coasters, trivets, and wall art with their custom photography.

Their JDN Photography Canada division offers full-service printing, mounting, and framing at their studio in Horseshoe Valley, giving them full control in creating one-of-a-kind custom artwork for your interior. Printing on a variety of fine-art papers and using a protective finish allows prints to be displayed without glass.

Alison was born in Montreal in 1969. She grew up in Ontario, living in Niagara Falls, Pembroke and North Bay, before moving to Toronto to attend the Ontario College of Art and Design. After spending 15 years in the city, she moved to Collingwood in 2005.

Artistic expression has always been a significant part of Alison’s life. From earliest memories, she has been compelled to use imagery to recreate that which has fascinated her. From flora and fauna, to man made objects and structures, the diversity of colours, textures, shapes and patterns found in these forms have always been a source of wonder to study and translate through an artistic medium. Every scene she paints speaks to her on a very personal level, evoking an emotional response as a reaction to its character or presence.

In her final year at the Ontario College of Art and Design, Alison began using oils as her primary medium. Since graduating in 1993, she has focused on developing a technique to express the intricacies of light, colour and pattern to recreate a realm which captures the essence of the subject. Her interest in painting landscape was initiated when she started traveling in 1995, and she began exhibiting work shortly after, in 1997. Since then she has been exhibiting regularly, first in Toronto, then in Collingwood, in both group and solo shows. The exploration of the natural world provides endless revelations and inspiration for her work.