Floral show on display, artists working at event

The Visual Arts Brampton touring Floral Art Show 2012 is now on display at Brampton City Hall, as part of their Art in the Atrium program. Just the first stop of the summer, works will travel to Carabram's Canada pavilion, Artway Invitational Gallery, the Canadian National Exhibition, and Four Corners branch of the Brampton Library.

A complete set of thumbnails of this art will be posted on the VAB website in the coming days.

We've just confirmed that VAB will be returning to the porch of City Hall, before the Flower City Parade. Ryan C. Thompson, Jacqueline Veltri, and Debra Ali painting flowers en plein air June 16, the same day as the Brampton Farmer's Market, Brampton Horticultural Society flower show, Yogapalooza, and the Flower City Parade.

In March, VAB had a general member's show at the Atrium. In July, we'll be installing an exhibit of portraits by the Wednesday bunch.

Jacqueline Veltri featured in solo show at Artway

Visual Arts Brampton Artway Gallery's biannual Invitational Show "Through the Years" features Jacqueline Veltri's portaiture of her two daughters. Veltri's children are a common subject matter in her work over the year, and the show chronicles both the growth of her art and her daughters themselves.

Visit Jacqueline's official site for more information, or read more about the show in The Brampton Guardian. Many thanks for the Guardian for their coverage!

Runs in the Family returns for 2011

An annual tradition started last year, Artway Invitational Gallery is proud to show that artistic ability does run in the family. This year's Runs in the Family exhibitors are:

• Paulina Su and sister Victoria Su
• Albert Seaman and son C. A. Seaman
• Tasha Singh and her cousin Tiana Tzogas
• Andrea McLeod and husband Kerry McLeod
• Keith Moreau and wife Janice Moreau

Jacqueline Veltri on display at City Hall, August

From August 2 to 29, Visual Arts Brampton member and vice president Jacqueline Veltri will be having a solo exhibition at Brampton City Hall Art in the Atrium. The show, Reflections, includes work in oil, acrylic, coloured pencil, and graphite.

Reflections is an exhibit which explores reflections either figuratively or literally, and in some cases, both. Some of the pieces are of objects which cast a reflection of itself, others explore the way light is reflected by an object, while others still, incorporate both concepts. The path of this exploration in some cases lead to a deeper investigation of reflection as a concept asking the viewer to reflect on the idea put forth by the artist. 

A variety of media was used to further the exploration in order to resolve how physical reflection would be achieved from one medium to another. This gave the artist the freedom to discover new ways of conveying the notion of what an object might look like when it is reflected on a surface which is sometimes in motion, or fraught with inclusions.

Veltri is also now an exhibiting member of the Wellington Artists' Gallery, in Fergus, Ontario. VAB members Thea Jansen and William Band are also represented at Wellington.

2011 VAB Board of Directors include new member

Visual Arts Brampton welcome Alecia Charny, new to our Board of Directors. A relatively new member of VAB, Charny creates at our Thursday daytime open studio sessions, with Jacqueline Veltri. The rest of the board returns in their previous positions:

• Keith Moreau, president
• Jacqueline Veltri, vice-president
• Pat Wepf, treasurer
• Bill Riopka, secretary
• Stephanie Czolij, Paul Draper, Marian Simpson

Wepf has informed us that this will be her final year as treasurer, and we thank her for her years of assistance. We are in the process of finding a replacement for the 2012-2013 annum.

Painting at the Flower City Parade, June 18

Visual Arts Brampton will be back at the Flower City Parade day event this year, in promotion of our touring Floral Art Show. From 9 am to half-past-noon, select members of Visual Arts Brampton will be painting on the porch of Brampton City Hall, just outside the atrium's, where our art and the Brampton Horticultural Society will be set up.

Currently, Jacqueline Veltri and Debra Ali are expecting to paint at the event; both participated last year.

Jacqueline Veltri in Colored Pencil Society of America online show

Congratulations to Visual Arts Brampton member Jacqueline Veltri, who was accepted into the Colored Pencil Society of America's Explore This! 7 2011. Her accepted artwork is Ergy at Play, of course, in coloured pencil (plus watercolour).

According to their website: "The Colored Pencil Society of America is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 exclusively dedicated to artists working with colored pencil. Representing several countries around the world and with almost 2000 members, CPSA provides two annual exhibitions (one online and the other in conjunction with the annual convention), product research information, workshops & seminars, a newsletter, a networking directory, and district chapters across the United States."

Despite the snow, no cancellations at VAB Studio, Saturday

Yes, all five kids classes are on today at the Visual Arts Brampton creative studio, as its the first week of classes in the new year.

Class times are the following:
6 to 8 years old, 9:30 to 11:00 am
6 to 8 years old, 11:30 to 1:00 pm
9 to 12 years old, 9:30 to 11:30 am
12 to 18 years old, 1:00 to 3:00 pm
9 to 12 years old, 3:15 to 5:15 pm

Additionally, we expect (but have not confirmed) that Jacqueline Veltri's painting open studio is a go.

Two articles in recent Guardian

In case you missed the two articles about Visual Arts Brampton in last week's Brampton Guardian, both are available online.

First is an interview with Ryan Thompson, relating to his comic Villains of Mercy, on display at Artway's annual Laughlines exhibit. Also included in the show are works by Steve Nease, Peter Emslie, Rob Penman, and Debra Ali.

Included on the same page was a mention of additional open studio time at Visual Arts Brampton, taught by OCAD-trained artist and VAB member Jacqueline Veltri.

Painting Open Studio: new times, two options

Visual Arts Brampton member and artist Jacqueline Veltri's Painting Open Studio timeslot is moving and expanding.

Jacqueline's new session times are Thursdays from 10 am to 2 pm (starting April 8), and Saturdays from 3 to 5 pm (starting April 10). Jacqueline is available to offer help and encouragement as you work in acrylic, water-based oil paints, and/or watercolours. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art, she has years of creative experience.

Sessions are $3 for members, $5 for non-members, and free for Crea8tif level members. Times are drop-in, so students don't have to commit to every week, and can stay for a while or the entire session length.

The studio will still be open Thursday evenings, with Keith Moreau at the helm; artists may use any medium in this time.

BBOT exhibit: Jacqueline Veltri

Last week, Visual Arts Brampton member Jacqueline Veltri installed her artwork at the Brampton Board of Trade offices. Jacqueline's artwork will be on display for the next few months, returning in the BBOT's unannounced new location. (The block their building is currently will be levelled for the expansion of City Hall.)

Previous solo exhibits at the BBOT include Bridget Aubé, William Band, Marguerite Finlayson, Paul Highgate, Conrad Mieschke, and Keith Moreau.

BBOT is located at 33 Queen Street West, on the 2nd Floor.

VAB's Carabram photos on Facebook

Check out Visual Arts Brampton's Facebook profile: recently added is a photos folder called Carabram 2009, where we're stockpiling photos of our art display and the the Canada pavilion in general. You don't have to have an account on Facebook to see the pictures, if you do however, considering becoming a "fan" of VAB.

Works on display at Carabram are by Betty Jean Evans, Marguerite Finlayson, Emily Kowalik, Keith Moreau, Jacqueline Riopka, Alex Rodway, with Bridget Aube Doughty.