As a life-long lover of jewelry, Helene discovered a hidden talent in the medium of crystals and stones. What started as an interest pursuit after her retirement from teaching, soon became a passion.  She took courses at Niagara College that led to personal training with jewelry designers in St Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Now her winters in Florida allow her to train with Floridian designers and to create her yearly new designs and creations.

Helene’s individual approach to teaching and bubbly personality will ensure that your experience is packed with fun and creativity.

 Date: Saturday, June 8.

Time: 10:30 am to 12:30 pm (Coffee and tea will be provided)

Cost: $40.00 ($20 fees and $20 for materials: includes beads and clasp)

Class size: 10 students

Homer Watson, The Lothian Hills, 1892 © RiverBrink Art Museum (detail)

In celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the opening of RiverBrink as a public art museum, RiverBrink offers free admission to the public on Victoria Day Weekend.

Victoria Day Weekend is also the start of summer hours for the museum, which will open daily from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm through October 27.

Associate Curator, Debra Antoncic has organized seven new exhibitions around the theme of collecting:

“Sam Weir, The Consummate Collector” Since the death of Samuel E. Weir in 1981, the collection he left behind has been interpreted and displayed with attention to the founder’s tastes, interests, and passions for fine art and history. The current exhibition extends this focus to include the range of objects collected by Weir throughout his life. His interest was caught by fine and decorative art to be sure, but also rare books, silver, medals, coins, stamps, historic documents, bird decoys, horticultural specimens, furniture and even celebrity autographs. This diversity suggests Weir is best understood as an example of what historians Paula Rubel and Abraham Rosman describe as the “unruly” collector.

“The Battle of Lake Erie” The Battle of Lake Erie, one of the most significant U.S. American victories of the War of 1812-14, took place on Sept. 10 1813, off the coast of Put-In-Bay, Ohio, near Pelee Island Ontario. This exhibition features representations of the naval battle in various media, including a series documenting specific moments in the encounter by U.S. American artist Thomas Birch (1779-1851). The Birch series, from the collection of Samuel E. Weir, is accompanied by other representations of the battle on earthenware pottery, prints, watercolour, and by archival documents and other objects loaned by collector/historian Cameron Ward.

“Nineteenth-Century Views of the War of 1812-14” This exhibition includes a sampling of images from the permanent collection at RiverBrink depicting events in different theatres of the war, with a special emphasis on the Battle of the Thames and the death of Shawnee Warrior Tecumseh in 1813. Collector and RiverBrink founder Sam Weir was particularly interested in this battle due to its proximity to his home town of London, Ontario. The exhibition also features artworks depicting battles in the Niagara region.

“Norval Morrisseau: Journey with a Genius” Richard Baker’s collection of paintings and prints by Norval Morrisseau, on loan to RiverBrink, charts a personal and professional relationship that began when Richard was just starting his career as a lawyer. Over the years he acquired several important art works by Morrisseau and an equal number of stories about the artist’s life and work. In the process, Richard developed an interest in art and an appreciation for Morrisseau’s achievements as an innovator, an experience expressed in the title “Journey with a Genius.”

“A Private Collection of Inuit Sculpture” This collection of Inuit sculpture was assembled by a local collector over many years. From an initial purchase in 1957 the collection has grown in size and scope to more than seventy pieces in soapstone, argillite, serpentine, whalebone and ivory, and a particular emphasis on Cape Dorset artists. Along with realistic depictions of humans and animals and daily life in the Arctic region, the exhibition includes a number of mythological subjects such as the Sedna figure.

“Bloomsbury in Niagara-On-The-Lake” Joan Draper’s interest in the artists of Bloomsbury began with an initial passion for books. During yearly trips to Britain for research, the avid book collector developed contacts in the literary world in London and a significant collection of prints and drawings by the early 20^th century artists associated with Bloomsbury. This private collection includes art works by Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry, and Nina Hammett, among others. (On view from May 18^th to June 30^th, 2013)

“Marine Art: Work, Play and Peril” Collector/historian Cameron Ward’s collection of marine paintings grew out of an interest in the British experience in India during the late Victorian and Edwardian periods. A long-time collector who began to collect British swords and medals as a teenager, Cameron has more recently come to concentrate on the art of the period 1880-1930. His collection of marine paintings developed out of this focus on a specific period and an interest in Scottish painting. In this exhibition, the sea is imaged in its historical role as a source of commerce, at various times powerful and tranquil, thrilling yet deadly. The exhibition includes paintings by noted Scottish artists Alexander Young and David James, and British artists W. S. Tomkin and Fred R. Fitzgerald.

RiverBrink Art Museum is open daily May 18 through October 27, from 10am to 5pm. Regular admission: Adults $5.00, Seniors and Students $4.00, under 12 free. Free admission for museum members.

“Norval Morrisseau: Journey with a Genius”

This collection of paintings and prints by Norval Morrisseau, on loan to RiverBrink, charts a personal and professional relationship that began when collector Richard Baker was just starting his career as a lawyer.  Over the years he acquired several important art works by Morrisseau and an equal number of stories about the artist’s life and work.  In the process, Richard developed an interest in art and an appreciation for Morrisseau’s achievements as an innovator, an experience expressed in the title of this exhibition.

Norval Morrisseau, Great Earth Mother, 1976, Acrylic on artist board

“A Private Collection of Inuit Sculpture”

Also opening is “A Private Collection of Inuit Sculpture,” also on loan to RiverBrink from a local private collector.  From an initial purchase in 1957, this collection has grown in size and scope to more than seventy pieces in soapstone, argillite, serpentine, whale bone and ivory, and a particular emphasis on Cape Dorset artists.  The exhibition also includes representations of Inuit by European Canadian and Inuit artists.

Maudie Okittuq, Quiviuq, n.d., Stone, Photo courtesy Sandra Lawrence

Anne Reimer will conduct a mini-workshop in palette knife application of oil paint. In this “beginner” workshop, students will create their own fall landscape while learning the principles of colour and design. Anne invites you to learn the many ways you can use the palette knife, sometimes working with a full blade or with the tip to create the texture you desire. Although it would be beneficial to have some knowledge of oil paint, beginners to this medium are welcome to join the class.

Anne is known for her intuitive sense of colour, and her love and understanding of nature.  Her inspirations come from the beauty of area scenes and travels, depicting barns, mills, and capturing still life from her garden.  The Niagara Region offers her this wealth of resources.

Anne was born in Paraguay, South America, and immigrated to Canada in 1955 at the age of 16.  Her art training from Art Instruction Schools Home Study Course has helped her gain much understanding of the fundamentals of art.  Feeling a deep love for fine art, she has been inspired to perfect her technique in oil, watercolour, and mixed media.

To register please contact RiverBrink by phone 905-262-4510 or by email to manager@riverbrink.org

Visual representations of the War of 1812-14 began to appear soon after the conflict ended. Among the earliest was an engraved print of the Battle of Queenston Heights, published in Britain in 1816 in Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies from 1799-1815. Other depictions soon followed, many to illustrate histories of the war, and others created to further political ambitions in the United States.  This exhibition presents a sampling of images of events in different theatres of the war, with a special emphasis on the Battle of the Thames and the death of Shawnee Warrior Tecumseh in 1813. Sam Weir was particularly interested in this battle due to its proximity to his home town of London, Ontario. The exhibition also features artworks depicting battles in the Niagara region.

Among the artworks included in the exhibition is Alonzo Chappel’s Battle of Lundy’s Lane. This oil on card depicts one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war, an engagement that took place near Niagara Falls on July 25 1814.  It was reproduced as an engraving in Henry Dawson’s Battles of the United States, By Sea and Land (New York: Johnson Fry & Co., 1858). The painting’s small size, combined with the fact that Chappel provided the illustrations for the two-volume publication, suggests that it was painted specifically for the book.

The scene encapsulates several moments in the battle into one. U.S. Army General Jacob Brown is shown in the centre of the composition, wounded and assisted by aides, and a mounted General Scott on the left recoils from a shoulder wound. Both generals were wounded well before U.S. soldiers captured the British guns, this action shown in the background in the midst of the deepening gloom of night.

RiverBrink Art Museum is proud to announce the first in its series of LEARNMORE Adult Education Courses, The Story of Canadian Art in 7, given by David Aurandt, MA, MFA, Director/Curator. The course will be held at the museum on Wednesday mornings from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, starting on April 10 and ending on May 22.  No previous knowledge or experience is required; the satisfaction of curiosity and increased knowledge of the participants are the main objectives. The unique resources of RiverBrink’s collection will be used during the course to provide exciting opportunities for exploration.

This course will explore 200 years of art in Canada, along with important landmarks en route to cultural maturity and Canadian identity. In 1936 Prime Minister MacKenzie King said:  “If some countries have too much history, we have too much geography.” This imbalance is a substantial dynamic force contributing to Canada’s artistic development and sense of uniqueness. It is also an important response to what Northrop Frye called the challenging question of who we are, that is, “Where is here?” The course is a brief but focused consideration of artists who are motivated by this question. Their contributions to the trajectory of Canadian art history will be considered in context.

1. The Colonial Period: 1790-1840, and the Influence of Europe and America
2. Krieghoff, Kane, and O’Brien.
3. Breaking from Tradition – Central Image and Myth: the Land.
4. The Group of 7 and Invention of Canada’s Visual Identity.
5. The International Style and Canadian Modernism:  Les Automatists, Painters 11, Regina.
6. Artists and Art from Indigenous Peoples.
7. Post-Modernism and Art Now in Canada.

       SUPPORT OF TOWN OF NIAGARA-ON-THE LAKE IS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGED

]]> http://riverbrink.org/2013/03/26/riverbrinks-learnmore-adult-education-course-the-story-of-canadian-art-in-7-starts-april-10/feed/ 0 http://riverbrink.org/2013/03/26/new-exhibition-the-battle-of-lake-erie-opens-on-march-23/ http://riverbrink.org/2013/03/26/new-exhibition-the-battle-of-lake-erie-opens-on-march-23/#comments Tue, 26 Mar 2013 20:27:20 +0000 riverbrink http://riverbrink.org/?p=1514 “The Battle of Lake Erie” a new exhibition curated by Debra Antoncic, Associate Curator, opens on Saturday, March 23. This exhibition is a continuation of RiverBrink’s commemoration of the War of 1812-14.

The Battle of Lake Erie, one of the most significant U.S. American victories in the War of 1812-14, took place on Sept. 10, 1813 off the coast of Put-in-Bay, Ohio, near Pelee Island, Ontario. This exhibition features representations of the naval engagement in various media, including a series documenting specific moments in the battle by U.S. American artist Thomas Birch (1779-1851). The Birch series, from the collection of Samuel E. Weir, is accompanied by views of the battle and participants in different media, along with archival documents and objects related to 19th -century marine warfare.

Among the artworks in the exhibition is Perry’s Victory on Lake Erie. In this late 19^th-century lithograph, the U.S. commander Commodore Perry stands in the prow of a rowboat, impervious to assault and resisting the entreaties of his companions to sit down. The popular depiction was based on William Henry Powell’s painting for the rotunda of the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus Ohio and widely reproduced. It appears in the exhibition not only in the form of a lithograph but also on a transfer-printed earthenware plate.  The plate includes Perry’s famous dispatch to his commander, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours.”

 Lillian Asquith will conduct a mini-workshop in the art of silk dying. In this “beginner” workshop, students will create their own silk scarf while learning the principles of colour and design. Scarves will be created using silk dyes and will be set using the microwave heat-setting technique. Scarves will be ready to wear when the student leaves.

Lillian Asquith comes originally from Sarajevo. As a Canadian her life has been surrounded by creativity. Of the many US and Canadian artists who have influenced her work, she speaks most highly of Tom Lynch. Her studies have led her to oil painting and watercolour on both paper and canvas. Silk painting however, brings out the freedom of expression in Lillian’s work.

Lillian is known for her vibrant and dramatic use of colour, and her work has gained wide recognition. She is a Bronze Signature member of the Toronto Watercolour Society, and her paintings may be found in many public and private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. She is a popular instructor who has conducted workshops and classes throughout Ontario, including Niagara. She has participated in individual and group exhibitions.

Lillian is the current treasurer of the Toronto Watercolour Society, Past Treasurer of SOYRA and The Niagara Pumphouse, and current Programme Chair for the Parkway Art Guild. She is also a member of ECOAA and the Niagara Frontier Watercolour Society. To view Lillian’s paintings you may go to: http://www.torontowatercoloursociety.com/ourartists.html or www.aclartists.com, “art portfolio” button, pages 6 & 7.

To register please contact RiverBrink by phone 905-262-4510 or by email to manager@riverbrink.org

Marie Laurencin
French (1885-1956)
Self-Portrait 1927
Lithograph

Laurencin was an accomplished painter and printmaker. Active in the 20th-century Parisian avant-garde, she was part of the circle that included artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque and poet Guillaume Apollinaire. Her work in abstraction shows the influence of the cubists, adapted to a feminine aesthetic through the use of pastel colours and curvilinear forms.

RiverBrink founder Sam Weir first encountered this lithograph in 1931 at an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Toronto (now the AGO). While it is undated, it may have been completed while Laurencin was studying porcelain painting at Sevres.

]]> http://riverbrink.org/2013/02/15/last-chance-to-visit-the-exhibition-self-portrait-lautoportrait-at-riverbrink/feed/ 0 http://riverbrink.org/2013/02/12/riverbrink-celebrates-local-artist-thomas-hurst-saturday-february-23/ http://riverbrink.org/2013/02/12/riverbrink-celebrates-local-artist-thomas-hurst-saturday-february-23/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 22:23:05 +0000 riverbrink http://riverbrink.org/?p=1457 RiverBrink Art Museum continues to spotlight and celebrate the talents of Niagara artists by hosting wood turner Thomas Hurst as he demonstrates his craft at the museum on Saturday, February 23, between 1:30 and 3:30 pm. Admission to the museum and its exhibitions are free on that day. Refreshments will be available during the demonstration.

Thomas Hurst started wood turning at the age of 57 in Kamloops B.C. He has worked with world renowned turner Richard Raffan and Jean-Francois Escoulen (off center turning) a well-known turner from France. Among the several events that he has participated in, is an invitation to join Spruce Meadows to do demo turning in 2001, and to judge at the Arts Fair and Arts Competition in 2002. In 2003 he resettled in Ontario, in Port Colborne, where he makes Wood Turned Treasures for display in local Galleries for others to enjoy.

Thomas Hurst will be turning his finely crafted treasures on February 23. He has selected to make his small lidded boxes which can be taken from start to finish during the afternoon. Visitors are invited to watch the demonstration, enjoy a refreshment, and speak with Thomas as he works.

Mr. Hurst’s work can be found in RiverBrink Art Museum’s gift shop which features a large selection of gifts made by Niagara artists and artisans. Located at the museum entrance, the Gift Shop acts as a revenue generator for the museum and a creative venue for Niagara painters and artisans. All funds generated by the Gift Shop directly support the development of the museum, its programs and exhibitions. The shop is open to the public through the winter, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm.