Faculty
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Venezuelan-born Canadian artist Sonia Arenas graduated from the Ottawa School of Art and over the last fifteen years, has worked as an art advisor, designed and taught courses for children, and exhibited her work in Canada, Europe and Latin America.
As an art instructor, Sonia feels a great love in teaching. She also has experience in homeschooling and teaching children with diverse intellectual abilities.
Sonia has developed her body of work in painting and sculpture, also showing special interest in photography and mixed media. Her artwork has been focused in the essence of the human being, particularly the indigenous people and women.
Nadine works primarily to produce bronze sculpture, but also works in ceramics, wood and cloth. While she uses a variety of materials in her work, bronzes and the process of mould making and casting remain her passion. After finishing her BFA at York University in Toronto (1997), Nadine has lived, worked, exhibited and taught in Whitehorse YT, Edmonton AB, Mont-Tremblant QC and Ottawa. Nadine has always enjoyed teaching art and has done so for over 10 years with artist in the school program and galleries, as well as teaching for home schooling children and private classes. She has been with the OSA as a teacher, technician and student for over 24 years.
Originally from Pune, India and an Ottawa resident for the past 18 years, Dhanashri Bapat is an active artist on Ottawa’s art scene. She pursued her Applied Arts degree from Abhinav Kala Academy and worked as a freelance designer and illustrator in India before focusing on Fine Arts.
Be it in India or in Canada, nature and its multiple facets have always been a big influence on Dhanashri’s work. The changing seasons offer a great palette of moods and colours. And she likes to capture these nuances in a representational manner. Dhanashri primarily uses watercolours to best depict her work. She finds watercolours to be very lively, fun as well as a challenging medium to paint her own interpretation of the subject. Over the years, her painting style has evolved, as she studies, explores & experiments different mediums such as acrylic, ink, mixed media.
An active member of local art societies, Dhanashri has been showcasing her works through various shows and art galleries across the city and abroad.
As an art instructor at Ottawa School of Art for past 10 years, she has been very committed to sharing her knowledge of watercolour and has thus garnered a good student following. She offers her watercolour painting courses also at Glebe Community Centre. She conducts workshops of all levels in-person and online and accepts commissioned works for individuals.
For more information, you can visit: www.dhanashri.com
David Barbour teaches Introduction to Photography in the Diploma program as well as other photography classes in the adult general interest.
Highlights to his career include a Mid-Career Canada Council to continue his project in Havana (1999) as well as a World’s Press Award (1985) for a photograph he took in Egypt.
His current work primarily balances beauty and environmental issues that are found in both rural and urban environments.
You can see his work at www.davidbarbour.ca or on Facebook or Instagram.
Gérard Bélec has been drawing since he was very young. He started painting and drawing seriously in 1981. He has a BFA (1988) and a teacher’s certificate (1994) from the Université du Québec à Hull (Université du Québec en Outaouais). Between 1986 and 2003, he worked for the City of Gatineau’s Cultural Programs as their oil painting specialist for adult and teen classes. During this time, he also taught courses for seniors at a community centre and was the technical assistant for the municipal art gallery (until 1993).
Gérard began teaching sculpture at the Ottawa School of Art in 1994 in the Children and Teens Program. He was the art teacher for the Académie de la Capitale (an IBO school) from 2003 to 2006. He now teaches Comics, Cartooning and Animation classes to children ages 10-12, teens, and occasional workshops for adults. He has coordinated the OSA Children and Teens Program and the OSA Animation Certificate. Gérard is now the Coordinator of the OSA Outreach Program (since 2005) and continues to draw comics, paint, teach, and draw caricatures for commercial clients.
André Breau is a self-taught sculptor with over 40 years of experience in woodcarving. In the last few years he has explored underglazing and opted to pursue clay sculpting. As an expert in relief sculpting, he strives to create three dimensional illusions in wood and in clay and with his painting. André has been teaching woodcarving for many years in the Ottawa area at the Visual Art Center Orleans as well as at the Ottawa School of Art.
Marg Boyle has been a professional artist, art educator, curator and consultant for over thirty years. She is a graduate of the NSCAD University (BFA Fine Arts, Minor Art History (87) and BFA Art Education (88)) and has also done graduate and inservice courses in Art Education, Indigenous Studies, Indigenous Education, Special Education, Writing Therapy. Illustration and Graphic Design and Teaching of English Language Learners at several universities/colleges. During her thirty years of teaching in the K-12 school system, she taught diverse Visual Arts and Indigenous Studies courses as well as ESL, Special Education and Student Success.
Marg is the founder of FNMIEAO.com, The Eagle and Condor Collective and a member of the Native Immigrant Arts collective in Montreal. Marg is now a full time artist, and craftsperson (beading, quillwork, hidework, drum making, rattle making, basketry and sewing). She is also a community arts activist, a drummer, a dancer and a writer. She encourages all students to learn about the ancestral knowledge and art forms of the land on which they live and has taught at OSA for a total of over ten years. She has taught Art Education and Indigenous Education courses at Queens U, U of Ottawa and OISE/ U of Toronto and currently teaches at QueensU in the Continuing Teacher Education program.
She is also now an Artist in Residence at Concordia University’s Art Education Dept. and is a recipient of several grants including a Canada Council Aboriginal project grant.
Dr. Müberra Bülbül, visual artist, designer and educator, was born in Istanbul. She studied Fine Arts Education and Art and Craft Teaching. She completed her master's and doctorate in Graphic Design in Istanbul. She worked as a Visual Arts teacher at the Ministry of National Education for 15 years. She gave graphic design, technology design and painting training in secondary, high schools and universities. She taught visual art and design classes to adults. Worked as a research doctor at the University of Zagreb (Croatia). Her two books and many articles, papers were published.
Today she is at National University of Arts in Romania. Participated in art symposiums, exhibitions, biennials, fairs and workshops in many countries of the world with her paintings and designs. Her works were exhibited and received awards in many countries and museums such as Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Greece, Canada, Egypt and Korea. Over the last few years, she has organized international arts and culture projects and workshops with countries such as the UK, Spain, Poland and Türkiye. It provided partnerships between academies and art institutions; she brought students together with artists, academics. She participated in graphic design biennials at universities in China, Japan and Macedonia. Since 2020, she has made Erasmus-supported Mail Art projects and curated exhibitions.
Fabio Cattelan has taught art in Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa. He recently retired from the OCDSD where he taught Art, and Design and Technology for 26 years. Fabio was art director for seven amateur stage productions and has taught painting, animation, sculpture, web design, as well as stage and lighting design. Fabio spent several years working as a commercial artist, both as designer and illustrator, in Toronto. Currently, Fabio is working as a sculptor, primarily in stone and wood. Fabio received an Honors B.F.A. From York University, a Diploma in Teaching from McGill University, and is certified to teach Special Education. Fabio has been with the Ottawa School of Art since 1997.
Qualified Teacher (Cape Town Training College), London Certificate in Art and Design (with Merit Distinction) (Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting (now part of University of the Arts, London, England)). Widely traveled in Europe.
Art Critic (Cape Times), Lecturer, European Art History (Ruth Prowse School of Art, Cape Town), Assistant Custodian (South African Association of Arts Gallery, Cape Town. (Widely traveled in Southern Africa)
Current: Instructor, Ottawa School of Art, Studio Practice in the Gatineau Hills – drawing, watercolour and oil painting, mainly works including the figure, Founding member of the Group Studio focusing on Drawing and Painting the Figure, La Fab sur Mill, Chelsea, Quebec.
Represented by Orange Gallery
Work found in private collections in Canada, USA, France and South Africa
Jayne Couch SCA, has been teaching at the OSA since 2013.
A classically trained oil painter, Jayne studied drawing and painting in Paris France, New York city and across Canada.
An elected member of the Society of Canadian Artist Jayne also sat on that board and was the Chair of her municipality’s first Arts & Culture Board.
Jayne’s exhibition, ‘Drawing Deconstructed’ at The Studio Gallery, Queens University dept of Ed., opens September 2023.
Her latest series of ‘Works on Paper’ returns to Preston Square in Ottawa, January 2024.
Learn more about what’s happening at j.CouchMolony.ca
Kim Cristopher is a Canadian portrait artist, whose works in oil represent the artist’s tender gaze at the human condition. Her portraits provide the viewer with an evocative and ambiguous narrative to ponder.
Dawn Dale has been an instructor at the Ottawa School of Art since 1990, in both the General and Diploma Program (1996) and currently in the Children’s Department (2012). She taught primarily sculpture, mixed media, conceptual art practices while her current focus is advanced drawing with teens.
Her studio practice is grounded in landart, large scale ephemeral works and site specific installations. Her work is informed by our dysfunctional relationship with Nature in a world of consumerism, global climate crisis and unstable political theatre. Over the last thirteen years she has created an extended series of bas-relief sculptures based on the Icelandic alfar and the need to listen to Nature.
A BFA graduate from the University of Ottawa, she has exhibited across Canada, The United States, Bolivia, Mexico and in Japan. Her work is in the City of Ottawa Collection as well as the Archives of Canada, and the Alberta Museum and private collections.
She has been an active member of the arts community through OWCU Art Committee, Gallery 101, IWD at U of O (1986-91), SAW, Pyxidium, Art Terre,, and currently RIA (Research in Art). She previously worked in the classrooms with MASC, ArtSmarts and Les Artistes à l’école in Quebec.
Her work can be found at @dawndaleart on Instagram
Archives at www.dawndale.com and
Lucia De Marinis graduated from a five-year Bachelor of Fine Arts program at the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1984, where she majored in painting. She was given advanced standing (to third year) upon admission to the program and was selected for the National Dean’s List in 1984. She was a finalist for the prestigious Gund Award competition at graduation. Lucia also has a Bachelor of Arts in Italian Literature from Carleton University and studied briefly at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Rome with the assistance of a scholarship from the Italian government.
She completed several years of private study with Ugo Chyurlia, a graduate of the Accademia di Belle Arti of Venice (1932). At the Cleveland Institute of Art her painting teacher, thesis advisor, and mentor was Julian Stanczak, a renowned colourist and a student of Josef Albers.
Lucia has been teaching at the Ottawa School of Art since 1988. She taught in the School of Media and Design at Algonquin College from 1994 to 2013 and was a faculty member in the Department of Visual and Creative Arts at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall from 1988 to 1991. In 2006 she was the recipient of the first Instructor of the Year Award at the Ottawa School of Art.
Lucia has exhibited her work in numerous solo, group, and juried shows in Canada and the USA and is represented in corporate, public, and private collections.
Vanessa Dewson is an award-winning professional photographer, graphic and web designer based in Ottawa. She began teaching photography at the Ottawa School of Art in 2013. In 2015, she founded Focus on Photography Tours to combine her passions of photography, teaching and travel.
Vanessa received a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Image Arts: Film Studies from Ryerson University in 1998 and pursued photography as a hobby until she decided to become a full-time professional in 2007. She received both her Craftsman of Photographic Arts (CPA) and Master of Photographic Arts (MPA) from the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). Her work has been exhibited as part of the annual Instructors Show at the Shenkman Arts Centre and a solo exhibit at the Galerie Eugène-Racette in Orleans. Her travel stories and images have been published in BBC Travel, the Toronto Star, and several print magazines and online publications.
She is fully bilingual and loves sharing her passion and knowledge with fellow photography enthusiasts whether in a classroom or as a host on photo tours.
For more information, please visit her website: www.vanessadewson.com or
Murray Dineen teaches techniques of printmaking, including monoprint, linocut, and etching to beginners and experienced print artists alike. In his own practice, he works primarily in lithography, which he studied in Ottawa, Montreal, and Edmonton. He has shown his recent work in Ottawa and in Edmonton. He was for many years a professor at the University of Ottawa.
Kathryn Drysdale’s artistic practice is based in drawing and is inspired by observing the natural and industrial Canadian landscape. Her large scale drawings are a means to notice, interpret and express the visual complexity of her immediate surroundings. She also has a keen interest in the fibre arts which led her to explore the world of colour through hand dyeing yarn.
She founded a small craft business, Riverside Studio. in 2012 where she produces beautiful hand-dyed yarns and sells them around the world. More recently she is experimenting with rug tufting and finding connections between her drawing and fibre art practices.
She has participated in numerous exhibitions in Canada and abroad. Her work can be found in private and public art collections including the City of Ottawa and Loto-Quebec.
She has maintained a studio in Wakefield, Quebec since 1991 and is a founding member of Place des Artistes de Farrellton, a cooperative artist studio north of Wakefield, QC. She holds a degree in Visual Arts from Concordia University and also studied at the Ontario College of Art.
Mahshid Farhoudi is an Iranian born Canadian figurative painter who explores issues of identity, displacement and belonging through her work. Her art practice draws from her cultural heritage and the contemporary. Both figurative and architectural elements are central to her painting. Being aware of new trends in figuration, she has been appropriating symbols, icons and imagery to issues that she explores. The relationship between painted figures and their architectural contexts create a dialogue within the work.
Every work Mahshid creates, is influenced by the sitter’s personal story. She is drawn to people’s life journeys and all its shades of grey as in her charcoal drawings. Every work provides a brand new opportunity to continue her search for that undercurrent, beautiful and graceful gesture that can be found in humanity.
Andrew Fay was raised and educated in Ottawa and received his training at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Knowledgable in both acrylic and oil paints, his paintings centre on the human form. The figures are often nude, examining a gamut of physical and emotional drives. The narrative of his paintings in intentionally ambiguous. He creates a surreal atmosphere which invites the viewer to interact with the work of their own terms.
Andrew has participated in numerous exhibitions, including shows at the Karsh-Masson Gallery, the Ottawa Art Gallery, and the Ottawa School of Art Gallery. His paintings can be found in civic and private collections. Andrew has held the position of Diploma Program Advisor since 2014.
Alex Fichera graduated form Ottawa University with a BFA. Her interests include psychology, feminism and identity, which she explores in her work using a variety of mediums to create images and sculptures. Alex has been working at the Ottawa School of Art for 8 years now and is currently teaching in the children’s department
Originally from Québec, Maryse moved to Edmonton, Alberta in 1980. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology at the University of Alberta and worked in the field of medical research in Edmonton and Calgary. Answering a life-long desire to create art she attended watercolour painting classes and many workshops in the Calgary area, in Edmonton and in Jasper. Since 2001, Maryse has concentrated her efforts on her role as a mother, volunteer and nature advocate all the while pursuing her passion for watercolours. She helped develop a series of workshops in Edmonton through the Société des Artistes Visuels de l’Alberta, inviting artists from around Canada to teach at their studio.
Maryse moved to Ottawa in 2007. After deciding to work exclusively as an artist, she established a home studio as well as pursuing her certificate at the Ottawa School of Art, where she now teaches. Her style keeps evolving with the discovery of new techniques & media, being anywhere between realistic to expressive. Light, and the contrasts it creates, nature, people and big colour are her main inspiration. Her works are in private collections throughout Canada and the United States.
Adrian Gor’s work combines writing, egg-tempera painting, relief printing, and hand crafted organic materials.
His medieval-inspired multi-processed techniques of line making and gilding, drives him to question todays symbols of human desire and containers of truth in our visual culture. For details of his artistic vision see his latest essay, “Reimagining the iconic in New Media Art,” published in Theory, Culture, and Society, SAGE Journals (2019).
Adrian has completed his PhD in the Humanities (Interdisciplinary) Program at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada (2015) combining studies in Theology/Philosophy, Art History, and Studio Arts. He also has an MFA in Drawing/Painting from the School of Visual Arts, University of Windsor (2010).
Personal website: www.adriangor.com
(1975) Mexican-born Canadian Professional Artist, Illustrator, Artist Coaching, Logo and Art Exhibition Curator Designer. As Printmaker, Drawer and Painter with more than 200 exhibitions and 27 years of trajectory, her artwork has been shown in diverse Art Museums and Cultural Centres across Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, France, England, Poland, Russia, Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, USA, Austria, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, China among others.
Selected for more than 20 International Printmaking Biennials, her work has been held in both private and public collections, including Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Egypt), Novosibirk’s State Museum (Russia), and the Museum of Arts of Queretaro (Mexico). Director of Institute of Art and Culture of Tepic City, Mexico (2002-2005, 2011-2012). In 2021 the Iconic Center of Contemporary Art Emilia Ortiz CAC in Tepi paid her homage naming an Exhibition Hall Number one after her.
Graphic Designer by The Ibero-American University Jesuit Leon Mexico (1998) and Self-taught Artist. At the Ottawa School of Art she teachs “The Art and Magic of Mexico” Summer Camp among other workshops. www.irmagutierrezart.com
I am a painter and printmaker working mostly from sketches that I complete outside and in all seasons. Frequently trees and light are my subjects but on a less serious note I sometimes venture into an imaginary world to produce a piece for my grandson.
I studied both in England and in Canada at various art schools and universities and have taught many aspects of art, to adults, for some 40 years. I love to pass on to others the satisfaction and joy I receive myself from working at my art. I am lucky to have a press in my home and therefore either a little or a great deal of each day is happily spent in my studio.
Lea Hamilton (b. 1992) is a Canadian artist living in Ottawa, Ontario. She received her MFA from the University of Ottawa in 2024, and her BFA in 2014. She is a member of Common Ground Collective, and the Ottawa-Gatineau Printmakers Connective.
Her conceptual art practice examines how the common human habit of collecting objects and ascribing them meaning plays a role in the formation of knowledge systems – knowledge of the self, knowledge of others, and knowledge of the external world. She is interested in how collections imbue histories, whether they are of a personal, cultural, or scientific nature, and how humans use objects to prioritize or preserve certain narratives over others.
Lea uses rocks, family archives, found objects, poetry, and sound as recurring characters or visual devices in an ongoing, ever-changing personal archive. These objects are collected and presented with particular attention and care to demonstrate how narrative structures can emerge from the formal structures of display.
Lea currently teaches techniques in printmaking at the Ottawa School of Art.
I was born in Argentina where I lived half of my life. In 1992 I moved to Canada. I also lived for 5 years in the USA. I travelled extensively for a 10-year period acquiring a significant multicultural background.
I have university degrees in Mathematics and Physics and worked mostly in the IT/Computing fields until 2001 when, for health reasons, I decided to retire from the high-stress world and follow my passion: arts and social advocacy.
Arts run in my blood from both: my father’s and mother’s sides. I was born in a house with a dark room! I’m also a 4th generation photographer (as far back as I can trace it) and grew up in environments of painters, photographers and theatre actors.
Past exhibits include galleries and exhibits in Ottawa (Ont), Toronto (Ont), Montreal (Qbc) and Vancouver (BC).
As a photographer and artist, I focus mostly on portraiture, nature, artistic nudes and Advocacy art: Anti-imperialism/colonialism, antipoverty, antiracism, gender rights, Gay & HIV anti-stigmatization, and visualization of marginal social sectors. I always look for an expression of beauty in the art I am working on.
As a teacher, I focus mostly on the communication of the student’s personal exploration in regard to the photography or art being taught.
My web site is https://www.gustavo1960.ca/
Deidre received her B.A. and Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. After graduation, she received a bursary from Graff Centre de Conception Graphique in Montreal where she worked as an artist in residence for one year. She continued her printmaking studies in Japan, learning Japanese wood art from Akiru Kurosake. Recently she spent one month printmaking at Sparkbox. She has exhibited her prints in Japan, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. Deidre has been teaching at the Ottawa School of Art since 1988, in the Diploma, General, and Children’s Program. She is currently the Coordinator of the Children’s/teen Department.
Maya Hum, originally from the Maritimes, moved to Ottawa to pursue her BA Honours degree in Music and Sonic Design. She furthered her studies at the Ottawa School of Art, receiving the Robert Hyndman Painting & Drawing Scholarship. Soon after, Maya secured her first Artist Residency (in Toronto), which resulted in her first solo exhibition.
In 2010, Maya completed her graduate studies in Professional Illustration and was selected for the City of Ottawa’s Artist Studio Program the following year.
Maya’s art is inspired by stories that emphasize the preservation of well-being for ourselves, others, and the environment. She enjoys creating nature-based settings that strike a delicate balance between reality and imagination, inviting viewers into a whimsical and thought-provoking world. Her work has been featured in publications, campaigns, exhibitions, children’s books, and public murals in Ottawa and the Gatineau Hills, Quebec.
With over ten years of teaching experience, Maya takes great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and remains dedicated to providing encouraging learning environments for her students.
Website: www.mayahum.com
FB/IG @MayaLikesArt
Marika Jemma has been a visual artist in professional practice for more than 20 years, beginning with her first solo show: Journey To The Temple (Victoria, B.C.) in 1991. Marika works primarily in the mediums of sculptural installation and video, combining natural and manufactured objects to create culturally astute statements that cut to the heart of what matters.
Born 1963 in West Toronto, enduring a non-descript Catholic childhood and surviving the banality of a whitewashed suburban existence in the pursuit of modest personal debt, Marika left home at 17 to experience the joys of minimum wage, public transportation and a series of rooming houses in various dissociated communities in southern Ontario.
An independent learner, Marika has explored the public libraries of most of the major cities in Canada.
On a rainy day in 1982, Marika moved to Vancouver Island where she spent the next 11 years pursuing a series of odd-jobs (including theatrical production, sound and lighting), training as a carpenter and finally graduating from art school in 1991.
In 1993, Marika drove back across the country in a 1973 Toyota Corolla, dropped the muffler on a raised railway bed in southern Saskatchewan and ran out of gas in Ottawa and has been here ever since.
Marika teaches teen sculpture and mixed media, as well various summer camps at the Ottawa School of Art.
Since 1999 Farouk Kaspaules taught Integrated Processes and Silk Screen & Beyond courses to students enrolled in the Diploma program and General program. Farouk teaches Van Dyke Brown and Cyano processes, as well as Silk Screen and Photo Silk Screen techniques.
From an early age, David was captivated by both art and science. He chose a career in Aerospace Engineering and was awarded the Royal Aeronautical Society Prize for his undergraduate studies. Prior to embracing the world of art, David had a successful career in Aerospace and Information Technology. He continues his association with the engineering profession as a Chartered Engineer.
David’s innate love of art drew him to creating and teaching. For the past 14 years, David has taught at the Ottawa School of Art. He has also developed a successful visual arts workshop practice in partnership his spouse France. Together, they have completed over 150 Break-a-Brush® workshops and courses. Their studio, plein-air and on-line programs are a hit with novices and experienced artists alike and David is in demand with clubs and private groups throughout the region.
David published his first book “Eighteen Pieces” in 2021 and a second “One Summer along the Trans Canada Trail – Plein-air Painting in Ottawa-Gatineau” earlier this year. David and France are currently working on a third publication, scheduled for release in 2024.
Shannon graduated in 1996 from the Ontario College of Art and Design and furthered her jewelry making skills by attending George Brown’s Jewelry Arts Program from 1996 to 1998. She and her partner launched Cynosure Jewelry at Globe Studios in 2000. Recognition for her artwork has come in the form of several awards and nominations. Shannon finds the most enjoyment from designing her uniquely expressive pieces and exhibiting at galleries.
Anna Krak-Kepka is a full-time visual artist and art educator. Anna is primarily known for her unique and rare talent with color. Her paintings are full of enchantment of the world of dream and magic. Her work touches us with the most intimate personal experience. She speaks with an artistic language which opens the way to her individuality.
Anna studied at the Faculty of Interior Design and the Faculty of Painting in Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow-Poland, where she received her Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. After university graduation she continued her artistic education in Rome, Italy. She also completed studies in Pedagogic Profile and Computer Graphic Design at University of Toronto.
Anna Krak-Kepka is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Her works can be found in arts galleries, private art collections and public places in Canada, USA, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Poland, Hungary, and Holland.
Jim Lawrence grew up in Nova Scotia. While studying towards a doctorate in environmental chemistry, he took evening courses in painting and continued to take courses in painting and sculpting throughout his career. In recent years, he has focused on wood sculpture. Nature inspires most of Jim’s art. He prefers to challenge the viewer with unusual designs and subject matter. His artworks appear in collections in Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and as far away as the UK, Spain and the USA.
Jim is a member of the National Capital Network of Sculptors and has participated in group shows with them ( the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Dimensions Sculpture Show, Archives Canada, Kanata Civic Art Gallery) as well as the Shenkman Centre and Figureworks. He is also a member of the Outaouais Wood Carvers Club and has won a number of prizes at the National Capital Carving Competition including Best of Show in 2013 and 2017. Jim has given presentations on his work to the Outaouais Wood Carvers Club and the West Carleton Arts Soc.
I finished an Art School in Minsk, Belarus, then graduated from Easel Graphic Arts Department of Belarusian Academy of Arts. Throughout my academic studies my artistic abilities were recognised by my teachers and peers, and after graduation I was awarded a grant from Creative Academic Studios. At the same time, I was teaching drawing at Belarusian Academy of Arts.
Later I discovered my current interest in the field of watercolour. I developed a unique combination of using a transparent watercolour and an oil pastel together, which gives to my paintings so intense and colourful look.
Now I have been living in Ottawa Area with my husband and kids. We are enjoying to be outside as much as possible, and not surprising it has got an impact on my art. In a big part of my works I depict vibrant views from different places of Ottawa and Outaouais Region.
In her more than 25 years-spinning practice of a watercolour artist, graphic and ornamental designer, she put her skills and experience into teaching at Ottawa School of Art (since 2016), where she shares with students her ability to create lustful watercolours, to explore the picturesque manner, applying with bold and colourful acrylic brushstrokes and precise, meticulous drawings.
Her first steps in the professional art career happened to become visible during her “previous life” in Moscow, Russia, as she mentions her studies in the Fine Art college, years that she practiced as a ceramic artist, co-owner of a ceramic art studio and an artist, working on the permanent contract with a Paleontological Museum in Moscow. “International exhibitions, big projects in Germany, Sweden, UK, Canada, US, guided and supported by the local municipalities, all that steps and accomplishments made me feel more familiar with modern, contemporary trends and tendencies, dominating around the globe – and I will be so glad to bring all these nuances to my artworks, to share all that with my students and with my audience,” – she said.
Since the 2017, right after she got her international credentials re-evaluated and enhanced in Ottawa School of Art, she has been also teaching in the Glebe Community Centre and in the Abbotsford House. “The moments when our attendees feel that their accomplishments look really professional, striking or worth exposing around Ottawa, are such the best outcome that every art instructor ever dreamed of; that is why we do our creative researches, explore variety of techniques, just to have a chance to share it with all of our students” – she says.
Ink painting is a sensual experience…it engages all the senses and completely captures my attention. Ink has its own way of moving and creating a bond between the brush, the paper and the mind and heart of the painter. Ink has life.
My fascination with the medium of ink as it is used in Chinese and Japanese art is a passion that began many years ago. In 1999, I began formal study of Japanese calligraphy and sumi-e with Sensei Tomoko Kodama, who was also my honoured mentor for teaching, and continued my studies later on with other master artists Sensei Kaz Tanahashi, Sensei Hekuin Oda of the Oda Calligraphy School in Illinois, and Master Rujin Qin in Ottawa. Since 2010, I’ve been teaching at the Ottawa School of Art and I hold seasonal workshops or short courses at the upstairs studio at East Wind, as well elsewhere in my community.
My focus remains firmly rooted in the traditional practices of shodo (Zen calligraphy) but I am always working to create new pieces and explore new avenues of expression in both shodo and sumi-e (ink painting). There are strong elements of impressionism in this genre, and of the gestural, and the avant-garde. It is the power of line. Both shodo and sumi-e have moved beyond the traditional use of rice papers to include other surfaces such as print-making papers and canvas; in addition to water-based mediums, acrylics are also being used in this genre.
But the new has not displaced the old, however; traditional methods inform and support the contemporary approaches. Old and new methods co-exist peacefully and continue to excite.
An ‘underground’ interest in North America is becoming more mainstream as once distant cultures move closer together.
Teaching sumi-e and calligraphy has led me to so many joyful moments with my students, and I thank them for sharing their achievements with me as we journey together in The Way of the Brush. www.TheWayofTheBrush.com
Faezeh is a Persian artist with a strong foundation in Fine Art and Textile Design. She specializes in watercolour, Batik painting, and painting on fabric, blending these with textile design to create innovative and expressive works. Her art has been exhibited internationally, with shows across Europe and Canada, including renowned venues such as the Ottawa School of Art and the Ottawa Art Gallery. She has also collaborated on projects with the Canadian Museum of Nature and the National Gallery of Canada.
As an experienced educator, Faezeh teaches at both EcoEquitable and the Ottawa School of Art. Over the years, she has designed and led courses in Batik painting, digital art, textile design, watercolor, and fashion design. Her passion for painting and textiles drives her to inspire creativity in others, guiding them to explore mixed techniques and discover their unique artistic voice.
Faezeh views art as the art of storytelling through details. She encourages her students to develop personal styles and find the artistic part of themselves to create artworks, custom fashion and home decor that reflect their individuality.
Her first career was as a registered nurse with a postgraduate diploma in psychiatry. She was always interested in art, and started her BFA at the University of Manitoba. She then completed her education at Concordia University with a BFA in Art Education, and an MA in Art Therapy. In Ottawa, she maintains a private practice, gives motivational talks and workshops, and teaches at the OSA.
Wendy earned her MA in art history from Carleton university and a BAH in art history and English literature at Queen’s University. She is passionate about art education and has taught visual literacy at galleries in Kingston, Halifax and Ottawa since 2003.
Maria Moldovan was born in Romania. She started her visual education in the High School of Arts, Sf. Gheorghe, her hometown, in a class specialized in painting. After 4 years of painting she has chosen to study ceramic art at the University of Arts and Design in Cluj Napoca. She made this decision because she was attracted by three-dimensional art but she couldn’t give up the colors. So it seemed to be the perfect solution to have sculpture and painting at the same time.
Painting and ceramic art fluctuates through her life since then. There are longer periods of time dedicated for painting and than for ceramic art.
Starting from 2008 she is involved in projects related to children’s illustration as well. There are five books so far published with her illustrations.
Maria moved with her family in Canada in 2013.
“To focus not on the obvious but to represent the insignificant “
Seeta Muller is an artist based in Marseille France, and likes creating erratic visions with materials that are “non traditional” She is interested in representing the invisible or what is left behind or even forgotten. Currently working with abandoned curtains and other objects discarded on the streets of Marseille, she works on creating sensory installations that work as an“experience”. These often take form as field notes or fabric fragments. She will be creating two larger installations for the coming year in 2025, in the United Kingdom and Italy.
Lindy has been an Art instructor at the Ottawa School of Art for over 15 years.
Lindy was a self-employed consultant for the Federal Government, a Federal Government employee and an Account Manager for various Information Technology Consulting groups. After a significant life event, she returned to her first calling: that of an artist.
Public spirit and advocacy for art are her passions. She volunteered her time on the Board of Directors at the Visual Arts Centre, Orléans (VACO), as an art curator for VACO Art Gallery, the CS Alterna Bank Branches in the Ottawa, Promenade Arteast in the Shenkman Center, Trinity Gallery, and City of Ottawa. Lindy Nadarajah was President of Arteast Ottawa for 2 years as well as a member of the Executive Committee of Arteast for many years.
She also participated in such events as Festivarts, Cumberland Farmer Market, Petrie Island and the Ottawa Tulip Festival. She also organized many Outreach projects with Ottawa Public and Catholic Schools through Arteast Ottawa.
Patti Normand has been a professional artist for over twenty years. She has worked professionally for many years as a sculptor and model maker for area museums, notably the Children’s Museum and the Canadian Museum of Civilization where her creations can be seen throughout the museum. She has also maintained her own artistic practice of painting and sculpting, exhibiting in local galleries, and has a love of teaching and teaches on a regular basis for the Ottawa School of Art’s Outreach Program.
Esra is born and raised in Turkiye; worked as an architect for 25 years in Istanbul.
She took drawing and painting lessons as an interest and sooner Botanical Art _ which combines her love for Art and Plants _ became her passion. Thanks to Kerri Weller’s encouragement to Esra; she had the chance to start teaching Botanical Illustration.
Her main field of interest is combining the perfect forms in nature with detailed techniques of botanical art in an aesthetic way. She is a member of OSBA_Ottawa Society of Botanical Artists and had the chance to exhibit her works at Plant Portraits Exhibition and Botanical Arts Show at Shenkman Center. She loves teaching and sharing her passion with other artists and she is teaching watercolour for botanical artists at Ottawa School of Art at the moment…
Shannon graduated with a Visual Arts Drawing Major and a SPACE (Social Practice and Community Engagement) Minor from Emily Carr University. She is inspired by the learning curves of new mediums and finding community and connection through art practices. Sheexperiments with drawing, painting, collage, videography, sound design, animation, poetry and prose. Reoccurring themes in her work include queerness in nature and body, landscapes of the mind, narration, critical theory and art therapy.
Laura Prochilo is a multidisciplinary visual artist from the New York City area. Work plays across a variety of different mediums, including (but not limited to) immersive installation, sound and video art, collage/ mixed media, photography, sculpture, performance art, experimental film, and graphic design. Currently, their work spans four continents, with exhibitions and collaborations in places like Iceland, Italy, South Korea, mainland China, and the United Kingdom.
As of 2024, the artist is currently completing a studio residency in Pragovka in the Czech Republic with work and research on time impermanence and climate change. A residency was also earlier this year at Make CIC in Liverpool, England, where research and work on Future Food, an ongoing project, was developed.
My name is John-David Powell (JD).
I was born and raised in our nation’s capital Ottawa.
I worked for the Canadian Federal Government in property management for 40 years. Among my responsibilities were the Federal Monuments including the National War Memorial.
I have been a self-taught visual artist for over 20 years. I use a palette knife for all my art. My art presents retro-abstracts, self-impressions and mixed media. My art is the expression of myself and my passion for art.
I’am quite proud to teach the Palette Knife Skills (intro/int.) course.
Thank you.
An artist and illustrator, Gilles has a passion for producing imaginative ideas. For the last nine years, he has been inspiring children in his classroom with art history, drawing, painting and sculpting techniques, as well as animation, cartooning and illustration lessons. He is a self-published author and a published illustrator. He aspires to pass on his passion for art to everyone he teaches.
Gamal began to explore nature using his inner eye to reveal the hidden beauty of flowers, trees and the rhythm of water. He shares that with humanity using his camera and his knowledge of acrylic paint on canvas.
“When I walk I see the life in flowers, trees and in water. The light and shadows are dancing. The colours and movement create music in life. This symphony never ends. All you need is to open your eyes and your heart to see it. It is there. Can you see it?”
Valerie Ryan, B.F.A. (Queen’s University), M.F.A. (University of Saskatchewan), has been teaching art to children and adults for over 25 years. From 1990 to 2009, Valerie worked as a very knowledgeable tour guide and an outstanding studio instructor at the National Gallery of Canada. She has received Artist in the School and projects grants. Valerie’s colourful and expressive landscape paintings are in the collection of the City of Ottawa, External Affairs, Canada, as well as many corporate and private collections.
My artistic practice continues to see a commitment to art in pencil form, my draughtsmanship a celebration of the art of portraiture with a more recent exploration of nature adding a further dimension to my work in the studio. I continue to relish the endless possibilities inherent in depicting through an ever-expanding understanding of tonal values, the world around me.
Lyndon Simmons is a Canadian artist whose work explores the tensions between traditional beliefs and evolving social norms. In 2023, he was the Artist in Residence at the Ottawa School of Art and held his first solo exhibit in 2024 at the Lee Matasi Gallery. Focusing on portraiture and the human figure, Lyndon combines both digital and traditional oil painting techniques to create a unique style that reflects his exploration of identity and human complexity.
In addition to his artistic practice, Lyndon has begun teaching oil painting fundamentals at the Ottawa School of Art, sharing his skills and passion with new artists.
Guillermo Trejo was born in Mexico City and has a BFA from Bellas Arts School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking. His first subject after emigrating to Canada in 2007 was a series of drawings inspired by characters from Canadian newspapers. As he tries to understand the “multicultural” landscape in Canada, he likes to draw plants and make prints of people. His profound understanding of art history is reflected in his contemporary work. He currently teaches printmaking and drawing at the Ottawa School of Art
Janet divides her time between her work as an adjunct research professor in Carleton University’s College of Humanities and her practice as a fibre artist. Janet has studied with Fiona Duthie (Salt Spring Island, BC) and taken workshops with Moy McKay (Scotland), and Catherine O’Leary (Australia).
Janet’s fibre art has been exhibited at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, the 2018 Felting Symposium & Exhibition in Nova Scotia, and in OSAO’s instructors’ exhibitions. In 2019, she will be a guest artist at Arts on Main Gallery in Picton, Prince Edward County.
Janet works in 2 and 3D combining wet-felting, needle-felting and stitching. She loves to incorporate untreated fleece from Shetland and Orkney. Her wearable art practice includes cowls, scarves, berets and jewelry. She draws on her Orcadian heritage, the sea, and domestic history for her imagery.
You can find her work @fibrelass on Facebook and Instagram.
Laura Twiss brings over 30 years of experience in Canada’s fashion industry to the Ottawa School of Art, through fibre, textiles, assembly, and many forms of handwork.
Her path began with a silk handkerchief, later, the enchantment handknitting and then, the elegance of crochet. The process of making wearable sculpture from fabric is her greatest satisfaction. The skill of offering desirable apparel was the challenge she excelled at while operating a thriving Canadian retail business. In her role as Artistic Director, Twiss oversaw customer experience, merchandising, marketing and promoting an exclusively Made in Canada clothing line. Her inclination for solving problems and offering customisable wardrobe s to customers allowed her to create marvellous outcomes by listening and bridging their style, budget, and lifestyle, and hence satisfied customers.
As an instructor, Laura shares her vast experience and creativity and guides her students of all ages to explore their aesthetics, rekindle their interests, and to best express themselves through their artistic medium; be it pastels, printmaking, or clothing. Magic happens in Twiss’ classes.
Mohsen Veysi is an accomplished artist, researcher, and educator with significant academic achievements, including a BFA and MA in visual arts from the Academia di Belle Arti of Florence, an MFA from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and a PhD in Humanities with a focus on art history from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
His creative journey is driven by a profound passion for poetry, philosophy, and art history, which is evident in his work that intricately interlaces visual and verbal elements. Veysi's art is distinguished by the fusion of Persian and Latin calligraphic styles, serving as conduits to convey the essence of poetry in both its original language and in translation. He views calligraphy not only as a means of conveying poetry but also as a medium that enchants viewers through visual narratives.
His research explores various facets of art history, with a particular focus on the history of drawing, Intersections of Persian calligraphy and poetry, as well as the symbiotic relationship between image and text. Additionally, he delves into the realms of Neuroaesthetics and Neuroarthistory, along with the historiography of Alois Riegl.
As an educator, Veysi skillfully engages students from diverse backgrounds, employing a student-centered approach that prioritizes meta-learning and self-discovery. For Veysi, teaching serves as a platform for fostering artistic expression and leadership, empowering students to articulate their perspectives through visual mediums.
Lindsay Watson is a contemporary oil painter, based in Ottawa, who finds inspiration in the world around her. Starting with photographs, (all her own), of the small, strange, or strangely beautiful moments of her life, such as toys strewn on the floor, kitchen scenes, or landscapes, Watson upcycles this imagery into contemporary oil paintings that range from nearly abstract to photorealistic. Using brushes, palette knives, squeegees, spatulas, or whatever else she can find in her kitchen, Watson takes a fresh approach to a classical art form.
Influenced by genre painters, such as Vermeer and Mary Pratt, Watson believes that all emotions can be expressed through simple imagery. As such, she combines light, colour, and paint application with everyday scenes, to make works that are at times playful, tender, or brooding.
Watson is a BFA graduate of the University of Ottawa who has shown in several venues in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto.
