Announcing our public reception with artist Linda Gordon and special guest Louise Thomas for the current exhibitions in the Esplanade Art Gallery: Vision Circle: The Art of Roy Thomas and Linda Gordon: The Eye of the Heart, Thursday January 16 at 7pm.

Roy Thomas, Our Brother Wolf, Acrylic on canvas, Private Collection.

This large retrospective highlights the richness of the Ojibwa Woodland art of Thunder Bay’s Ahnisnabae-born Roy Thomas (1940 – 2004), from his earliest drawings to his monumental public commissions. Thomas’ vibrant paintings evoke spiritual connections to the natural world around us. In the exhibition catalogue, writer Joseph Boyden says “My favorite quote from Roy is this: ‘When I use my paintbrush I understand that I am not the only one doing the painting even though my name goes on the finished work.’ In these few words, Roy captures the spirit of the Ahnisnabae. And he captures the spirit of his art. We are all inter-related. We are all connected. We are all one family in the same boat.”

We are pleased to announce that special guest Louise Thomas will be with us from Thunder Bay and will give a tour of the exhibition during the reception.

Vision Circle: The Art of Roy Thomas is curated by Dr. Elizabeth McLuhan and its tour organized by the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. THE JUMP – Read the rest of this entry »

Donna Macauley is a visual artist in Medicine Hat. She has taken four years of post-secondary art education including two years of Visual Communications in Medicine Hat and two years of Fine Arts at the University of Calgary.

I first viewed her work hanging in Western Pizza, which was a welcome change to most restaurants having typical and highly recognizable artwork or bland artwork. Donna’s pieces on the other hand are intriguing and what is more, local, and that aspect alone makes it a lot more interesting to me.

Image courtesy of Wallgear.net

Her abstract pieces are definitely my favourites, but she also delves into still life, portraits, and modern renderings.

More samples of her work as well as contact information for Donna Macauley can be found at http://www.wallgear.net or head down to Western Pizza to enjoy some good food and check the art out.