Brian Porter and David Gorman are both from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

Brian Porter has had a long and celebrated career as a full time artist, has shown his work internationally, and is the subject of documentaries from the National Film Board and CBC This new body of work is inspired in part by Edgar Allan Poe's 1848 poem To Helen, in which Poe refers to a thousand upturned roses as a symbol of his fondness for a woman he greatly admired.

David Gorman is a part time artist and former board member of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. His other work as a sub-sea consultant includes significant international ocean travel, and it is these experiences that inspire much of his work as an artist.

This section will be under construction as we prepare for the opening.

3 Painters - 3 Visions

New works by Susan Paterson, Kim Milan and Greg Coldwell.

October 6 to 27, 2023

Opening reception: Friday, October 6 at 6 PM.

Susan Paterson is a well-established realist artist whose paintings have received national and international acclaim. At the recent 16th International Art Renewal Center Salon, two of her paintings won three awards, resulting in one of her paintings being shown this July at Sotheby's in New York. We are very pleased to be able to present a new body of work in Halifax.

Kim Milan is an emerging artist whose work demonstrates a fluid and self-assured manner. Her subtle palette seems perfectly suited to the subject matter she chooses, and she brings her studious focus on refining her work to every painting.

Greg Coldwell is a diverse artist who splits his time amongst a number of artful pursuits, including commissioned model building, music, and painting. Inspiration for his small and detailed paintings comes from walking around Halifax, looking up, and finding great compositions in signage, industrial and construction scenes, and sometimes even birds.

This section is under construction until we get closer to the opening day.

A former TV news anchor and CBC Radio broadcaster, Hans Durstling became captured by the magic of gemstones around the mid-1980s. At that point he began serious cutting, including a stint in Los Angeles cutting for the then president of the American Opal Society. He went on to study gemology, and combined his background in communication with his interest in stone by writing for gem and general publications.

He initiated a teaching and demonstrating facility, The Electric Park Learning Center, at the world's top mineral and gem expo in Tucson, Arizona, and is the originator of a 7-hour Discovery Channel series "Stones of Fate and Fortune".

In the July 2016 Issue of Reader's Digest, he was featured for his recutting of gems salvaged from the Fort MacMurray fire.

Currrently based in Halifax, he offers gemstone recutting and repair, sourcing, assessment, and restoration of gems and other stone, and does private commissions in precious stone and/or precious metal.

Shirray's career in art began with studying advertising, design and illustration at the Ontario Collage of Art and Design University in Toronto. Later she obtained a Bachelor's degree in creative art from York University.

Shirray worked in commercial art and graphic design for years before starting her career in painting. Her art is represented by many prominent galleries including the Toronto Art Fair. She exhibited regularly with the Ontario Society of Artists and represented the Society on the Board of the John B. Aird Gallery.

Following her move to the east coast of Canada, she owned and opperated a gallery in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

Shirray's work is found in both private and public collections in Canada and the United States.

Born in Corner Brook and raised in Halifax, Peter MacWhirter has taken a circuitous artistic path to Liverpool, Nova Scotia, where he now works and lives.

While studying Sciences at Mount Allison University he was introduced to the world renowned Zoologist, Dr. W.B.Scott, in St. Andrew's, N.B. Before working with Bev Scott, MacWhirter spent a short time working as an apprentice natural History illustrator at the Royal Ontario Museum. The artist went onto illustrate many scientific publications including, The Atlantic Fishes of Canada (U. of T. Press, 1988). It was at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, St. Andrews, that he was offered the opportunity to design and construct several dioramas in their aquarium. This led to work in film and television.

For 11 years he worked as a Key Model Maker within the Nova Scotia Film and Television industry. This work included work in the areas of prop making, SFX and special make-up effects. As demand for this work lessened in Nova Scotia, he began to investigate other artistic opportunities. In 2008, he was appointed Assistant Professor within the Design Department at Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea. He recently left this position for full-time art making in Liverpool.

The artist has lectured at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA, Beijing), Guangzhou Academy of Arts (GAFA), Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Polytechnic University, NSCAD University and OCAD University. He has been invited as a resident artist in Argentina, Australia, Equador, Paraguay, New Zealand and Shenzhen. He has received support from The Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Arts Council, Korean Arts Council and Canadian embassies in Japan, China, South Korea and the USA.

Since 1982, MacWhirter's artwork has been about marine and aquatic habitats, and the animals and plants that live there. The artist describes his practice as, "The mixing of visual metaphors to create linear and non-linear narratives." Irony has been a constant feature of these narratives.

MacWhirter graduated from OCAD University (AOCA), Toronto, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art (BA Honours), Scotland, and MFA from West Virginia University, USA. Later, he was accepted to the London Film School, however he did not attend due to an attractive job offer in Seoul, South Korea. It was there he produced the pilot for the award winning animation series entitled, NetiBee.

The artist's works are in public and private collection throughout the world.

Kim (Chase) Milan was born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the second oldest in a family of 8 children. Kim had an early interest in art and creating with whatever was at hand. Kim choose a traditional educational path obtaining a BSC. in Computer Science and Business Admistration at Saint Mary's University. Kim ultimately left her long career as a System's Integrator upon becoming a mom. She also used this opportunity to delve into her passion for art. Over a span of 3 years, Kim augmented her natural ability and interest with painting and drawing courses at the NSCAD School of Extended Studies. Kim travels extensively and has lived in a number of Canadian cities but calls Halifax, Nova Scotia home.

Native to Nova Scotia, and living in Windsor, Kelly Mitchelmore paints in both acrylic and oil using a combined technique of knife and brush. From bold florals to soft landscapes, Kelly is especially known for her moody coastal scenes and her signature red poppy series.

Her Bachelor of Interior Design provided her with a sound foundation in colour theory and perspective. Also a 14 year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces and she attributes much of her inspiration and love of painting water and poppies to her naval career.

Kelly hosts workshops in person and online and her home studio gallery is open for showings by appointment.

You can find her work in galleries and collections throughout Canada.

Patricia Morris was born in Beauharnois, Quebec, and spent her early childhood in Kitimat, BC. Her secondary school years were spent in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. After returning to Canada, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Mount Allison University, a Masters of Fine Arts from Concordia University, and a Diploma in Art Education from McGill University. In 1980s she began exhibiting abstract drawings and installations in Montreal, Que., Sackville, NB, and St. John''s, NL while teaching drawing and sculpture in the Continuing Education department at Mt. Allison University.

The following 16 years were spent exploring abstraction with pastel and ink, exhibiting in Kingston, Ottawa and Toronto. During this time she taught art at secondary and elementary levels in Quebec and Ontario.

Patricia Morris is an award winning artist with works in major Canadian collections. She has refined her focus in recent years and combined her strong understanding of abstraction with a visually fascinating reference to the diverse beauty of Canadian landscape. She has received many accolades for her current "Trans Canada Drive" series, which celebrated road trips through all of Canada's provinces with dynamic, semi-abstract oil paintings. These works are at once mysterious yet somehow familiar, as the viewer can experience a sense of landscape in motion that is rendered in a distinct, refined and fluid manner.

Opening reception: Thursday, April 27 at 6 PM.

An exhibition of Fine Craft featuring the works of master artisans Philip Doucette, Ian Gilson, Brad Hall, Wilma Butts, Laura Kenney, Peter MacWhirter, Jennifer Marlow, Don Moore, Mindy Moore, Carlo Myers, Louise Pentz, Sally Ravindra and Kay Stanfield and Hans Durstling.

March 17 to April 14, 2023

Opening reception: Friday March 17 from 6 PM to 8 PM.

There will be more works in the exhibition than will be posted on the site.

We encourage you to come and view all of these fascinating three dimentional works in person.

New work by Johanna Steffen and Philip Doucette

November 18 to December 9, 2022

Opening reception: Friday, November 18 from 6 PM to 8 PM

Craig Rubadoux and Lorena Ziraldo: Poetry and Paint places the work of these two outstanding painters together for the first time.

Both artists are well known for their strong styles, their insightful use of colour, and their preference for figurative subject matter.

In lieu of an opening reception, Craig  will be in the gallery on Saturday, October 15 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM to meet with visitors. Unfortunately, Lorena will be unable to attend.