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

-Born in Provence,France
- Toronto raised
-Served educated Canadian/ US Mil
Travelled internationally
- Constr. Eng/HnMBA/ret.Pilot
-Business Developer/Proj.Mngr
- reside Wasaga
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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.

Sophie is a graduate from The Image Arts School at Ryerson University where she obtained her B.F.A. with a specialty in photography. She started out as a street photographer mainly exploring the streets of Toronto but also Havana, Chicago, Boston, New York and Paris. It soon became clear to her that what began as a solitary pastime was evolving into a passion to capture humanity, preserve moments in time and learn other people’s stories. Sophie has also done work in documentary photography exploring the themes of memory, trauma and loss. Her work has been exhibited at the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival and at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto where she received honourable mention for her photo book, “Now Always Still”.

A recent move to Grey Bruce has uncovered a new direction in Sophie’s work as she begins to photograph with awe the beauty of this region. Most recently Sophie has developed a curiosity for Cyanotypes which combines her skills in photography, the dark room, and her love of art history. She has started to create art work using this historical photographic process to produce botanical and abstract designs. A mother of two young children, Sophie resides in Meaford and is looking forward to sharing her work and becoming a part of the artistic communities of Simcoe and Grey Bruce County.

A BFA graduate with honours from Georgian College and Thompson Rivers University, Joanne is able to devote all her time to exploring and making art.
Whether painting, printmaking or digital photography, Joanne looks to mundane images in her immediate surroundings to connote her perspectives of comfort, discomfort and the uncanny. She reinterprets the banal experiences of everyday life, sometimes with an unconventional depiction.

Though much of what she creates has an unconventional feel she is also an avid En Plein Air painter of more traditional scenes. Working from many locations as close as her backyard to favourite hideaways throughout Ontario, she feels a connection with the environment as she paints. Loosely rendering with multiple layers, not only visual, but emotional moments in her landscape paintings.

Joanne is currently residing in Wasaga Beach. She shows in many galleries across Ontario and enjoys teaching painting and printmaking workshops.

“We all have a personal method for deciphering what we see. It is how we individually process these events that make us all necessarily unique.”

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.

Alexandra Glueckler is a pyrography and mixed media artist based in South Georgian Bay, Ontario. Her work is inspired by her love of animals and the outdoors, a passion she complements with a career in landscape design and decor. As a realism artist, Alex strives to capture the spirit of a subject and bring it to life, allowing her clients to feel as though they are able to hold a cherished moment, forever fired in time.

Painting daily (mostly) since November 2021.

The beauty of creation has always inspired me. Painting has become part of my therapy and helps me have a better understanding of the world around me. I sit in my studio window and watch the light an color play on the Blue Mountains; walk local trails; wander the beach; cloud chase with my sister.

Experimenting is my nature. Being self-taught I don't get stuck in the rules or purpose - acrylic can be used like watercolor, chunks of an old cottage are great to paint on, fallen branches and lichen are art in themselves. I strive to truly see light and color, texture and shape around me.

Practice makes progress.

When you need to paint just paint! As a child I always was drawing and painting until I stopped in my early twenties. A year ago I saw Acrylic pouring/Fluid Art and became so inspired I was hooked. I have been creating paintings non stop since then.
Why I love this form is the unexpected outcome. Every painting is unique and original.

I have now lived in Collingwood for two years. Originally from Montreal Qc I came to Ontario in 1990. I was in sales and advertising which brought me to many small business here in Collingwood back in 2000. How blessed we are with this four season paradise.

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.

Amelia is an encaustic and mixed media artist based in Owen Sound, Ontario. She uses layers of wax, paint, and ephemera to examine her own mental health while encouraging a positive perspective. She is passionate about her mediums and processes, and lead workshops guiding others to find their joy. Amelia is also the owner of Upwards Art Studio. She has been a practicing encaustic artist for more than 10 years. Upwards Art Studio started as a shared teaching studio in the Elora Centre for the Arts. Due to COVID-19, it became very apparent that Amelia’s studio needed to be closer to her home in Owen Sound so, she started looking for a new location. She found a store located in the River District of downtown Owen Sound.
Amelia knows how hard it can be to find encaustic supplies in Ontario and also how hard it is to find any art materials in Owen Sound. Many area artists echo her need. Finding someone who has experience with the materials and can speak to their quality and use is really lacking in the area box stores. Plus combining art supply retail with workshops is game-changing. The supplies are right there to test out!

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.

Trained in London, UK. Ran a design organization in Toronto. Have lived and worked in the Collingwood area for over 20 years. Most of my work contains environmental elements. I work in multi media formats.

I have the privilege of being able to enjoy the shores of Georgian Bay year round, at Pointe au Baril in the summer and Collingwood in the winter.
I am self taught and have explored a variety of creative outlets including the design and production of stained glass windows in addition to my painting.
My current painting style has an element of abstract and tries to capture the energy of the subject through the use of shapes and colours.
I enjoy the dance of my paints and brushes!
I am a proud member of the BMFA and participate in the annual Ojibway Club At Show.

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.