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Al Simm, Annapolis Valley
Al is an experienced metal worker, who discovered his artistic talent by chance. He specializes in creating large scale sculptures created from recycled material. He is a juried member of the Nova Scotia Designer Crafts Council and his work is featured in galleries throughout Nova Scotia. In fall 2017, Simm completed work on The Canada Gate. It is a memorial project installed at Flanders Fields in Belgium. Artist Nancy Keating did the design work and Simm built the 4 metre, one tonne sculpture in his Annapolis Valley studio. The gate’s two arches are designed to encourage visitors to reflect on Canada’s part in the Great War, the wood at its base represents the duckboards that lined the trenches, and the steel poppies represent the Canadians who were there. The barbed wire, which will wind around the stems of the poppies, represents the horrors of war.
Alan Syliboy, Nova Scotia.
Alan Syliboy grew up believing that native art was generic. “As a youth, I found painting difficult and painful, because I was unsure of my identity.” But his confidence grew in 1972 when he studied privately with Shirley Bear. He then attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where 25 years later, he was invited to sit on the Board of Governors. Syliboy looks to the indigenous Mi’kmaq petroglyph tradition for inspiration and developes his own artistic vocabulary out of those forms. His popularization of these symbolic icons has conferred on them a mainstream legitimacy that restores community pride in its Mi’kmaq heritage.
Anna Horsnell
Born in Nova Scotia, Anna Horsnell SCA has been painting for over 40 years and has worked and studied in various parts of Canada. She was first recognized as a landscape painter, however today she is best known for her abstract paintings. She exhibits regularly in group and solo shows, and her paintings hang in public and private collections across North America, including the Art Bank of Nova Scotia.
Over the years, Anna has been very active in the local arts community, and in 2009 she was awarded a Progress Club Women of Excellence Award for Arts and Culture in recognition of her accomplishments in her profession and community. She is an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists, and a past Board member of Visual Arts Nova Scotia.
Her work is featured in several books - Nova Scotia’s Contemporary Artists: Volume II, and International Women Celebrate! In 2015, she published a book entitled The Sarah Diaries to accompany her series of paintings highlighting the merchant marine industry.
Artist’s Statement
"My name is Anna Horsnell and painting has always been a comfortable language with which to express myself. Although I may have an abstract idea or direction I wish to explore, spontaneity is crucial to how I work following each mark, each brushstroke with another, until I understand where the painting wants to go. Colour, shapes, mark-making. The constant challenge is to find the right answer within endless possibilities, trusting my instincts. The real beauty of abstract art begins with an invitation to surrender yourself to the image and how it makes you feel. Interpretation is very personal. My greatest satisfaction comes when someone makes their own personal connection with my art."
Bill Gimby, St Margaret's Bay.
Bill Gimby started working with stone during the restoration of the 100-year-old stone house “Cornerstone”. It is now the family home on the shores of St. Margaret’s Bay in Nova Scotia.
The stone restoration evolved into furnishings, stone landscape and commission stonework. Bill has been self taught and following retirement progressed to stone lamps, vases, stonescapes, lanterns, wall art and centre pieces and into a thriving business.
The inspiration and interest come from the surrounding shorelines, tumbled beach rock, driftwood, and the natural setting he lives in.
The work is naturally formed colourful granite and limestone from Nova Scotia, layered colours of gneiss from Newfoundland, slate from Vermont and limestone and sandstone from New Brunswick. Combining these ocean sculpted stones with twisted driftwood to make striking home decor.
Bill Gimby has for the past 20 years developed a reputation for unique and natural decorative and functional stonework. The work is shown in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The business has now grown to the point where Bill’s son Donald has joined to help fulfill demand.
Boma Nnaji, Nova Scotia.
Boma was born in the coastal city of Lagos in West Africa in the 80’s. At a very young age he took to drawing even before writing. During his early years Boma was quickly drawn to the art of comic books which he spent time creating many volumes of his own superhero adventures. In later years during the 90’s Hip-Hop cultural explosion he became fascinated with graffiti arts being the visual element of the music of the time. Further interest was cultivated in arts during his under graduate art and design courses while studying Architecture.
After completing his degree in Architecture, Boma delved more into his artistic pursuit by studying classical and contemporary art . He also developed himself over the years through online courses and constant practice to create his unique style.
The vibrant paintings, that Boma creates are heavily influenced by his tropical heritage infused with a passion for graffiti art. Boma cherishes this connection between a traditional African colour palette and modern street art. He feels that the artistic exchange between these art forms creates a refreshing and brand-new take on conventional subjects.
Boma is inspired by everyday subjects such as faces and places. Being an avid traveler, he is passionate about recording the subjects of his travels which include interesting faces and Architecture.
As a lover of human culture, Boma believes that each unique culture, acts as a window into society and he always finds beauty in it. For this reason, he seeks out new communities to inspire him. Over the years Boma has kept a journal where he documents various communities in Africa, Europe and North America through sketches. Eventually each sketch becomes an inspiration for a finished painting.
With successful exhibitions in his home country and Canada, Boma is a seasoned professional artist. Additionally, he illustrated the art for the best-selling collection of short stories entitled “Fist full of Tales” by Ayodele Arigbabu. Recently, his art was featured in the 2021 summer edition of Chatelaine Magazine and he was also a featured guest in an episode of the Black-out podcast.
As an Artist, Boma’s mission is to express the beauty of humanity and human achievement through his paintings.
Boma lives and works in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Carter Noseworthy, Nova Scotia.
Carter Noseworthy was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland (NF) in 2008. Both of his parents were born and raised in Conception Bay South, NL. They moved as a family to Halifax, Nova Scotia (NS) when Carter was just a year old. His father, an accomplished painter, was stationed in Halifax with the Royal Canadian Navy. His mother, a Speech-Language Pathologist, worked from home to raise Carter and turned her love of sea glass art into a small successful business.
Being a competitive gymnast since the age of 8, Carter devotes 20 hours a week, year-round, to training. He competes at the national level, representing Nova Scotia. In his limited free time, Carter enjoys pursuing his creative and artistic interests such as clay modelling, origami, felting, photography, sketching, and painting. Carter has always had an eye for detail, colour, texture, perspective, patterns, and design.
During the worldwide lockdown in 2020/2021, Carter had extra free time to spend sketching. He decided to use this time to explore the use of watercolour with his architectural sketches. It quickly became his favourite pastime. Drawn to maritime historical buildings, Carter decided to sketch and paint several well-known NL and NS landmarks such as Cabot Tower, Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse, and the Citadel Clock Tower.
His work was noticed locally by a reporter from CBC and an article was written and published online in May 2021 about his newfound talent and ability. The response was huge. The following week, his work was featured on CBC The National which drew attention from art lovers worldwide. He has been receiving commissions ever since.
In 2023, Carter became the youngest artist to ever be a part of Paint the Hydrostone in Halifax, NS. Three of his paintings were shown and sold at 14 Bells Fine Art Gallery. Being inspired by the artists who attended that event, he decided to experiment with oil painting, and it has quickly become his favourite medium. His first official oil painting was selected by Argyle Fine Art, in 2024, to be a part of their 20th anniversary Pre-Shrunk Show and it sold on opening night.
Carter hopes to become an architect or engineer in the future.
Cristina Del Sol, Ontario.
Cristina Del Sol grew up in a small rural city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she received formal art training from the National School of Fine Arts, completing a Bachelor of Fine Art Honours' degree. In Canada she further her art education at "Toronto Art School", in painting and drawing continuing till today attending a number of professional development workshops to increase her skills and supporting her continuing growth as an artist. She has exhibited in Canada, the U.S and Argentina, with artwork featured in International books, juried art shows and contests. Her paintings are in private collections worldwide. She is following her creative dreams in her third floor studio overlooking the Ottawa River and the Gatineau Hills.
Donna L. MacDonald, Nova Scotia.
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Donna has always been fascinated with the natural beauty of the sea and the rugged Maritime coastlines. She is often moved to paint seascapes, boats, and coastal scenes, in an effort to capture, in her own words, “that glimpse of the ordinary that sparks your imagination… something serene or dramatic or beautiful… that is just there, hiding in plain sight”. In addition to these themes, she also enjoys setting her brushes to task on still-life images, landscapes, and on occasion, works of pure imagination. Working as a Nurse Manager for over 20 years, she took up painting as a hobby some 14 years ago. Self-taught over that time, she now considers painting to be not just a means of relaxation and distraction, but moreover, an indispensable outlet for her self-expression.
Donna works with acrylics on canvas. She prefers to mix her colour values from a small palette that often includes two shades of blue, and one each of yellow, red, white, and black. Her paintings are currently on display in the “Dart Gallery”, (Dartmouth), Teichert (Halifax) and “Going Coastal” (Chester), and have been acquired by private collectors from nine of Canada’s ten provinces, from the United Kingdom, and from Minnesota, New York, California, and the Dominican Republic. Donna’s paintings have been chosen as the cover art for Northwood’s “Life” magazine (December issue) for the last three consecutive years.
com·po·si·tion, n.
definition from Oxford Dictionary
1. 1.the nature of something's ingredients or constituents, the way in which a whole or mixture is made up.
2. 2.the artistic arrangement of the parts of a picture
The earthlings are an expression of our connection to Earth. Biologically, we are composed of the same ingredients which make up every aspect of this planet. Perhaps that is why many of us respond so deeply to the natural world. We feel the connection. We instinctively recognize ourselves. We are all of this planet and in that sameness, we are connected to each other. Nothing else matters more than caring for our home and each other. We are all earthlings.
Eleni Manolakos, Nova Scotia.
Eleni embarked on her professional artist career in Ontario, Canada, and continued after a move to Halifax in 2013. After years of expressing herself creatively in fine dining, operating successful restaurants in Toronto, she and her husband began their new adventure in Nova Scotia. The changing views overlooking the Halifax Harbour, the memories of their trips to Europe and the every day beauty of life inspired her to recreate and re-interpret those moments of awe on canvas. She credits her mentor, artist Mary Therese Carmichael, with encouraging her to just ‘paint what you see’. Working primarily in oil, she also occasionally works with acrylic on canvas.
Eleni’s success in both group and solo shows in Ontario and Nova Scotia, has lead to her artwork being included in collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. A series of vibrant, ever-changing skies is bringing a sense of hopefulness and possibility to her art practice.
"The colour of the sky in Nova Scotia speaks to me of wide, open vistas, changing colours and shapes and most of all, of unending possibilities. Life is unpredictable, but the sense that the sun will rise and create beauty against a blue horizon, or streak the night sky daring us to acknowledge that there is opportunity awaiting; those are the feelings that arise in me when I create my ‘Sky’ paintings."
Gloire Aelfaz, Nova Scotia.
Gloire Aelfaz Paluku (also known as Aelfaz Arts) was born in D.R. Congo in 2001 and grew up in Makindye, Kampala, Uganda. He is a lifelong artist; art is part of his genes. He does not have a lot of school experience as an artist but joined a few classes when he was in high school. Aelfaz is always looking for the next opportunity to translate his everyday experiences into artistic expressions. His approach and output are constantly evolving as he hones his personal style. However, he refuses to be typecast and works hard to ensure he does not repeat himself. No matter what, Aelfaz Arts approaches each project with complete enthusiasm and total dedication.
Aelfaz is also passionate about fashion, creating street ware like customizing jeans, shoes, and other forms of clothes. Growing up he was surrounded by hip hop culture and different supportive artists who inspired him. His work has been part of NOCTURNE, through the Noisemakers program and “Interiors” Emerging Artists show at 14 Bells Fine Art Gallery. He has completed several private commissions and murals.
Gloire immigrated to Canada in 2021 and now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is currently studying architecture at NSCC..
Isabel Picard, Quebec.
Originally from Orleans Isle, this professional artist now lives and creates on the South Shore of Quebec City. Isabel Picard completed her Design studies in 1994, then spent nearly fifteen years working in applied arts. She was in turn a carpenter, faux-finish painter and project manager in the commercial, theatrical and museological fields. Her journey eventually lead her to spend more time with her family, and only in 2008 did she finally surrender to the call of creation. She is passionate about texture, color and light, and her artwork is discovered as much through the sense of touch. "Making Art accessible" is a priority. Isabel transposes rhythm and flow, leaving room for improvised gestures. Subsequently, she works to do justice to each plot edge, ridge, hollow or furrow, striving to create unity, harmony and perfect balance between depth and surface. Her production is evolving rapidly, claiming style mastery in the execution of her artwork. Her contemporary style and unique technique stand out through abundant and pronounced reliefs as well as the medium chosen: gouache.
Jacqueline Faye Miller, Saskatchewan
Born in small town Saskatchewan, Jacqueline has worked and lived in the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Returning to Saskatchewan in the late 90’s and now living in Saskatoon.
Jacqueline has worked diligently over the last 30 years developing her skills as an artist through self-teaching, university curriculums and various professional artist workshops. Jacqueline works out of her home based studio and as part of her creative process, and commitment to her craft, she makes it a daily habit to do something art related.
Jacqueline is a disciplined painter, prolific, versatile and experimental with a preference for acrylics on canvas. She paints in series and collections to keep her passion and ambition fresh.
Jacqueline’s distinctive style – strong confident brush strokes remaining loose, fluid and spontaneous, brings varied subjects to life with vibrant colors. Her muse might take her through, urban gardenscapes, becoming up close and personal with all the floral beauties, rural landscapes, to Northern lakes, through the city, up in the clouds or for the fun of it, painting whimsical portraiture.
Inspiration also arrives in the form of medium she uses. Favorite past time is reaching for her oil pastels. As it turns out her representational, loose and impressionistic style is a perfect fit for this buttery medium.
Whether impressionistic, expressive or abstract, a confident brush stroke, the swipe of a crayon or intricate pencil helps build personality into every one of her works, whether still life, whimsical portrait or landscape. These are the tools she creates with.
Jacqueline has received awards over the years and has been published in a number of magazines. Her paintings are represented in private, public and corporate collections throughout Canada. Recent highlights – Saskatchewan Arts Board purchase.
Her favorite quote from a patron: “Everybody sings in a different Color”
Jamie McCallum, Manitoba.
Jamie McCallum grew up on a cattle ranch just south of Brandon, Manitoba. Her early years on the farm have always been a source of inspiration and her love of animals and the vast prairie landscape are often reflected in the subject matter of her work. Jamie was formally trained in North Dakota where she received a degree in graphic design. After graduating, she ventured to Minnesota where she continued to built on her knowledge and love of art throughout her career. Whether it was graphic design, photography, art & framing galleries, or many years in the beauty industry - her experiences have all contributed to her abilities and helped hone her eye for composition, color, and balance. Her desire to paint has always been present and taking brave steps toward an art career have been a long time coming. Painting and creating are true passions for Jamie, and after returning to Canada in 2013 she has been afforded the opportunity to finally follow this dream. Her work is contemporary, gestural, and celebrates a broad subject range full of whimsy and humanity. Jamie pushes proportions to evoke mood and curiosity, and utilizes the power of color and texture to further extend these boundaries. Jamie currently makes her home outside of beautiful Riding Mountain Park National Park in Manitoba.
Jan Davison, Nova Scotia.
Jan Davison is a painter based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Davison graduated from NSCAD University with her Bachelor of Fine Art degree in 2001. She also studied at a painting studio semester abroad at Wimbledon School of the Arts in 2021. With the use of vivid colour she represents the streets of Halifax. Hailing from a line of architects, Davison grew up around great design. She is enthusiastic about sun and warmth and often uses vermillion red as her starting point. “I often see the South of France on our streets - in the summer under a certain light - we are on the same longitudinal line as Nice, in fact. This fuels my inspiration and our local home owners’ paint choices act as a collaboration.”
Joshua Kaiser, Nova Scotia.
Josh Kaiser was born in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. He grew up in a family that nurtured and supported the development of his creative ability. Over the years he has experimented with subjects ranging from landscapes to fantasy, from portraits to wildlife, along with political cartoons and caricatures. He has worked in many mediums and feels no particular loyalty to any one form of art. Choosing instead, to follow inspiration where ever it may lead. After living and working in Vancouver for a number of years, Josh now lives in Halifax, but still considers Cape Breton his home.
Kelly Mitchelmore, Nova Scotia
Native to Nova Scotia, Kelly is a fan of “support local”, believing that your community is only as good as you make it. She uses her art to promote and support her local area as much as possible and is involved with everything from mentorship programs and bursaries, to operating "A Is For Art" (a free and supportive platform for local artists). Whether painting or teaching, or showing, Kelly enjoys a holistic approach to art and encourages all art on all levels. Kelly’s home studio and gallery are in an old and romantic Victorian home located in the lovely town of Windsor. She paints standing and moves quickly to loud music, which has resulted in a quick dance break here and there. Kelly paints in both acrylic and oil and mostly creates nature and scenic pieces using some brush but mostly painting knives and trowels. She prefers to paint on large stretched canvases or wooden panels using a heavy pallet of deep and intense colours and applying with layered technique. Not a fan of being confined or limited by structure, the shape and composition often form as she paints. This allows more freedom and a bond is formed between the artist and the work as they both go through the creation together. She is especially known for her moody coastal scenes and her love of red with her poppy series.
Kelly has a Bachelor of Interior Design which has aided her with colour theory and perspective when creating her pieces. She also served over 14 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, and she contributes her time in the Navy as her inspiration and love for painting water and poppies.
Her newest series is “Nova Scotia Strong, Isolation” series, a contemporary portrayal of Nova Scotia’s beautiful coast. A combination of knife and brush, each acrylic painting is created through a series of layers and washes – creating a moody memory of the scene.
Kim Aerts, Nova Scotia.
Kim Aerts is an artist who was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His parents, who immigrated from Europe, instilled in him a love of the old world and a fascination for ancient places and things. From these interests he started drawing and painting at a young age. As a teen, he had the opportunity to study with renowned Smithsonian artist Eleanor Kish, who taught him the fundamentals of working in oil paints and landscapes.
He attended Mount Allison University and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the late 80s. He then traveled and lived in both Europe and the Northwest Territories before returning to Nova Scotia to settle down. He married and with his partner founded a graphic design firm which he helped run since the mid-1990s.
Throughout this time, Kim continued his art and worked in the mediums of sculpture and photography before returning to painting in oils on canvas. Kim paints landscapes but beneath the surface he is exploring the relationship of the viewer to the natural environment. The idea that animals (including humans) ideally like to position themselves in their environment to be able to see and not be seen is a fundamental concept he works with in his paintings. By both following the rules and occasionally breaking them he creates scenes that draw in the viewer and allows them to enter into another environment. He often works on smaller canvases as they require a greater focus and precision to both invite the viewer and engage them with the complexities that embody the soul of that landscape.
Lisa Maj-Roos, Nova Scotia.
Lisa-Maj Roos is a Canadian artist specializing in oils, encaustics, and chalk pastels. Inspired by her many travels around Canada and the world, each new journey becomes a template for her artwork; a colourful voyage captured by her distinctive style and artistic expression. After having established herself as an artist in Calgary, Alberta, Lisa-Maj now resides in the Annapolis Valley in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia, devoting herself full time in the pursuit of making art within her second floor studio just steps from the Annapolis River basin and the Bay of Fundy.
Lori Doody, Newfoundland.
Lori Doody was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1976. She studied visual arts at Sir Wilfred College in Corner Brook and has been a printmaker since 1998. In 2005 she was named Emerging Artist of the year by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council. She is also the author and illustrator of picture books. In 2017 Capelin Weather and The Puffin Problem were published by Running the Goat Books and Broadsides. Both books were listed in The Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books magazine. The Puffin Problem was also shortlisted for the Bruneau Family Children’s Young Adult Award for the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. Her third book Mallard, Mallard, Moose was also published by Running the Goat Books and Broadsides in 2018.
She currently lives in St. John’s with her husband, their two children and their dog.
Margaret Louise, Nova Scotia.
Margaret Louise is an artist from the south shore of Nova Scotia who has been studying and working in various cities in Europe over the last five years. Though her surroundings have changed she continues to depicts rural, coastal images of the Maritime landscape as she understands that the tranquilly of these scenes leaves room for her bold imaginative style.
Education
2019-2020 – LUCA Brussels, Belgium. Master of Visual Arts – Cum Laude.
2015-2016 - Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Amsterdam,The Netherlands. Bachelor of Fine Art and Design.
2010-2014 - Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Halifax, N.S, Canada. Worked towards Bachelor of Fine Art.
Residencies and Projects
2020 - Visual Arts Nova Scotia, New Grad Program. Halifax, N.S Canada.
2019 - Lunenburg School of the Arts, Artist in Residence. Lunenburg N.S Canada.
2019 – BetOnest. Artist in Residence. Stolpe, Germany.
2018 - Founder of an artist space. Completed construction of sound proof studio spaces for musicians and artists. Berlin, Germany.
2016-2017 - HEIMA Collective, Artist is Residence. Seyðisfjörður East Iceland.
2015 - Dortyard Center for contemporary arts. Artist in Residence. Dordtrecht, The Netherlands.
Mary Doane, Nova Scotia.
Originally from Nova Scotia, Mary lived in Quebec City for 37 years before moving back home in 2015. It was during her training in interior decoration that she first used watercolour as a medium to render perspective drawings.
Mary is inspired by everyday items. She explains, “I do tend to collect lots of odds and ends and the tables in our home are inhabited by all manner of knick-knacks. I suppose some would call it clutter but I have the excuse of calling it inspiration! These things tell stories – on their own, but also when grouped with other objects.”
“I am drawn to the representation of detailed subjects, often in a close-up view. I enjoy drawing the spectator’s eye to details that would otherwise go unnoticed and bring him or her to discover the beauty that is to be found in the textures and forms of the everyday objects around us.”
Mary is a signature member of the Quebec-based Institut des Arts Figuratifs (IAF) and of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolor (CSPWP).
Melanie Currie Unsworth, Nova Scotia.
Melanie Currie Unsworth is a self-taught Canadian artist. Living on the island of Cape Breton, she draws her inspiration from the rugged landscape and ever-changing seasons. Melanie has had a long-standing involvement with the arts over her lifetime. Many of the skills she acquired from her work as a chef and wedding cake designer translate into practice with creating painted work. What truly captivates Melanie are the abstract qualities found in nature. She is fascinated by the varied lines, shapes, shadows, and colours which exist around us. Melanie uses a combination of palette knives and brushes to fabricate the depth, tone, and colour of the subjects. While staying true to portrayal of realistic elements (i.e. form of trees), she prefers to incorporate hues and tones from the environment at large. An example of this would be reflecting colours of the evening sky in the branches and leaves of the trees portrayed. The intention of this is to infuse realistic elements with abstract overtones. She also employs metallic paints and pouring medium to create an effect similar to stained glass.
Melissa Murray
Melissa J Murray Recipe
In a colourful but well worn cup, pour in:
2/3rds of a lifetime of drawing and painting
1 part university fine arts courses
A dash of impressionism, renaissance and surrealism
A pinch of satire
Add nostalgia (to taste)
Stirred. But not shaken. Serve Often.
