The Talented Artists of 2026
(To see a large view of any painting, click on it!)
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Raquel Roth
Halifax, Nova Scotia Raquel Roth says “Colour inspires me to paint. There’s something magical about how pigments of different colours interact to produce the most luscious, and sometimes unexpected, hues. I love sharing the joy I feel when creating and am always honoured when someone chooses to bring my artwork into their home." Raquel is an award-winning, Halifax-based acrylic artist. She finds inspiration in the vibrant colours of flowers and utilizes a variety of colour palettes to celebrate the intricate patterns of shadow, light and movement found in nature. Her work is colourful, often has a touch of whimsy and ranges from the traditional still life to more abstract explorations of her love of flowers and birds. She often paints intuitively, letting each piece develop in spontaneous ways. Negative painting is frequently used to depict background foliage and a sense of depth, while multiple thin layers of glazes add to the vibrancy of her work. Her creations can be found in shows and galleries throughout Canada and in private collections across North America and internationally. She is a juried exhibiting member of the Federation of Canadian Artists. https://www.rrothart.com https://www.instagram.com/rrothart/ https://www.facebook.com/RRothArt/ |
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Linda Norton
South Glengarry ON Linda grew up in Montreal and now lives in South Glengarry along the Raison River. After a successful career as an art director and graphic designer/illustrator she has returned to her first love of painting. She works primarily in watercolours and acrylics and has an obsession with woodland animals, especially foxes. Her style is whimsical and vibrant that lifts the spirit and makes you happy. Her goal is to weave magic of the forest into everything she paints. Facebook: www.facebook.com/crazyfoxpaper Instagram: /www.instagram.com/lindanortonart |
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Edmond Leger
Ottawa ON Music has been an emotion that I have nurtured all my life. There has always been a duality in my music. First, there is the mathematical grammar that allows me to join notes together to achieve a logical sequence. Second, there is the unexplainable connection that comes when the grammar evolves into a discussion of thoughts, a sense of being. Being mostly self-taught as far as my music and painting are concerned, I continue to discuss these thoughts with my abstracts. There is always a rhythm that occurs while I paint. Musical notes appear as if I am writing a score, playing, painting the grammar on my canvas. Improvisation allows the logical to become liberated. Music is a bridge that we have been exploring for thousands of years. This bridge between knowing and understanding is what I try to achieve with color. It is not the need to do that I wish to explore but more the need to feel this connection, share my music in a most intimate way. My paintings are a reflection of my improvisation, my connection with the unexplainable and the grammar. This place that I understand without being able to explain it but rather having no need to… edmondleger.com |
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Callia Silverton
Kingston ON Callia Silverton works with acrylic and gouache paints to depict a wide array of subjects, including landscapes, both urban and rural, and portraits of people and animal friends. She uses bright colours and loose, expressive brushstrokes to deftly depict light and atmosphere. Her works focus on themes of home and memory, and allow the viewer to step into the scene as if they were right there with her. Callia grew up in Toronto and studied fine arts at Sheridan College before completing a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto and a Master of Science degree in anatomy from Queen's University. Her combined science and art background reflect a curiosity and connection to the world that is reflected in her artwork. https://www.calliasilvertonfineart.ca/ @calliyuh |
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Eda Brown
Brockville ON Eda’s paintings create a sense of place at a particular moment in time. The use of vivid and vibrant colours with quick brush work brings the viewer into a place that can be uniquely their own. Eda has always been a painter. As a young person attending school, art class was her favourite place. Studying Graphic Design embedded a visual vocabulary and design-sense on which to build. Now, fast forward a few years, Eda spends most of her time in her home studio where she is inspired by her surroundings each day. Working mainly with oil paint, she creates landscapes which clearly have a loose and painterly feel. Her work has been acquired by collectors across Canada, USA and Europe. https://www.edabrown.com/ https://www.instagram.com/by_edabrown https://www.facebook.com/eda.brown.5 |
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Tracy-Lynn Chisholm
Cornwall ON You’ll usually find Tracy-Lynn where the wild things are — paint-splattered, blissfully messy, and ohh so content! Tracy-Lynn Chisholm is a self-taught artist and entrepreneur who has spent decades gathering creatives, establishing studios, and cultivating a flourishing gallery in her hometown of Cornwall. She is drawn to electric colours and expressive brushstrokes, happily wandering between mediums, though the richness of oils remains unmatched when capturing the rugged beauty of landscapes. Her paintings are rooted in untamed spaces — places where the soul can exhale — gentle reminders that while there may be no WiFi in the forest, you’ll always find a better connection. |
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Jackie Kavanagh
Ottawa, Ontario Jackie says, "As a self-taught fibre artist, I create playful, visually dynamic fibre artwork using traditional handweaving techniques. I love the tactile experience of working with natural fibres and the challenge of creating abstract designs that leave room for personal interpretation. Weaving is a free flowing, spontaneous and meditative process for me so each piece is an originally designed and handmade work of art infused with vibrancy, joy, and a sense of whimsy. Sustainability is important, so preference is given to natural and recycled materials. Scraps of wool and fibre are saved to be used in future artwork. I have participated in various art shows and events in the Ottawa area since 2021. My artwork has been recognized at the Spring 2025 Pelham Art Festival with 2 awards, Best of Fine Craft and Design, and Best of Floral. My artwork was accepted into the Spring 2025 Society of Canadian Artists Open International Juried Online Exhibition and the Fall 2025 Society of Canadian Artists 57th Juried Exhibition. https://www.instagram.com/maple_weaves/ https://www.facebook.com/mapleweaves/ |
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Ed Vanderbaaren
Brockville ON I am primarily a representational artist and potter, crafting pieces that are both functional and easily recognizable. However, I enjoy pushing the boundaries of exact representation, creating forms that evoke a sense of suggestion rather than explicit depiction. This subtle ambiguity excites me, and I continuously strive to imbue my work with a hint of mystery. For me, pottery and painting are journeys that reflect my emotions and perceptions of each day, guiding my hands intuitively. The final pieces, whether in clay or on canvas, often surprise me with their unexpected outcomes. |
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Candice Nixon
Cornwall ON Candice finds her muse in the quiet beauty of nature and the poetry of everyday life. She is inspired by shifting light, organic textures, and the subtle details often overlooked in the natural world. Fused glass enables her to capture the essence of this ever changing face by exploring the many ways it can be manipulated. Through its fluid and transformative qualities, she creates unique glass art using vibrant colours and rich textures to evoke the viewer’s senses and emotions, and to invite reflection and connection. https://meltingpotstudio.ca https://www.facebook.com/meltingpotstudio https://www.instagram.com/meltingpotstudio.ca |
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Laura Kingsbury
Merrickville ON "I have always been inspired by nature in my professional career as a wildlife biologist and in my artistic career as a painter. I have been painting wildlife and birds for over 40 years but more recently have wandered into painting Canadian landscapes in acrylics. This new medium has reinspired my creative soul. I grew up in the Thousand Island area, spent my adulthood exploring Georgian Bay and northern Ontario, and have now retired to beautiful Merrickville. A lifetime of inspiration to explore in my paintings!" Instagram: @laurakingsburyart Facebook: Laura Kingsbury Studio |
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Jules Crowley
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Martha Stroud
Kingston ON I paint to try to capture and retain the joy I feel in nature and everyday life. Driving around Eastern Ontario is a constant inspiration and I never get tired of trying to find new routes between my home in Kingston and my cottage near Highway 7. So many lovely lakes and different views every season. And a new barn around every corner. marthastroudart.weebly.com [email protected] @marthastroudart |
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Monique van Someren
Brockville, ON Monique van Someren is an oil painter, sketchbook artist, and macro photographer. She enjoys working in series, and until recently, her primary focus was on the insects of the Thousand Islands region. In 2025, she began a new series titled "Garden Party," which depicts the animals that visit her backyard. This series has gained popularity and continues to expand. Monique sets these creatures in scenes inspired by her experiences, stories, and dreams. She finds daily motivation in observing them frolicking on her deck and lawn. With a camera always on standby, she captures endless inspiration and reference material. Through this new series, Monique hopes to bring joy to her viewers, especially during challenging times. moniquevansomeren.com https://www.instagram.com/moniquevansomeren/ https://www.facebook.com/moniquevansomerenartist |
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John Sorensen
Gananoque ON John Sorensen's background as an architectural antique dealer, a collector of folk art and original paint antiques and his love of social dancing influences his choice of subject matter. He uses the rich warm colours and texture obtained from traditional oil paint to interpret what he sees and experiences every day. A self-taught artist he describes the act of creation as a conversation full of surprise and joy. |
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Monika Rosen
Kingston ON Monika Rosen is a figurative and landscape artist, who holds an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art and a BFA in Studio Arts from Queen’s University. Through light and water, and fascinated by the relationship between the psyche and the landscape, her paintings and monotypes navigate themes of healing, transformation, and the rhythms of an interconnected ecosystem. A practice of en-plein-air painting accompanies her studio work, where she relishes learning from nature and seeing the world anew. She has exhibited locally and abroad, with work acquired for the collections of 21C Museum Hotels (US) and the Daniels Corporation (Toronto). Outside of her practice, she teaches painting, illustrates for the medical industry, and sails the waters of Lake Ontario. Instagram: monikarosenart Facebook: www.facebook.com/monikarosenart Website: www.monikarosen.com |
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Pamela Prince
Brockville ON Pamela works with sterling silver and 14k gf wire to sculpt unique jewelry using an array of semi-precious gemstones, cultured opals and Herkimer diamonds. [email protected] |
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Nadine Baker
Kingston ON Nadine’s artwork sits at the intersection of impressionistic softness and luminous realism, evoking calm introspection and a gentle sense of wonder. While Nadine’s artistic background was established in hyper realism and technical precision, she feels increasingly pulled away from strict representation and toward a more expressive way of seeing. Looser, impressionistic painting has become a means to explore beyond literal accuracy. She is especially inspired to challenge preconceived notions of acrylic paint, revealing its versatility and often overlooked depth and richness. Drawing inspiration from natural forms and scenery, she invites the viewer into intimate, quiet moments within an otherwise fast-paced world. Her painting style is atmospheric and light-driven, rooted in representational landscapes and still life, yet softened through a painterly, almost meditative lens. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nadine_baker_art?igsh=azdwMnFjcDZhcmky&utm_source=qr Website: https://www.nadinebakerart.com/ |
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Sian Tucker
Brockville ON Occasionally I get the urge to clean the house. When this happens, I go to my paint room until the urge passes. My paint room overlooks the St Lawrence River, where sun sparkling on water, cloud reflections, the ever-changing light and the fishermen further distract me. In my paintings I try to capture 'the feel' of the image rather than aiming for visual accuracy. Under my brush, islands move, trees are replanted or obliterated and clouds change shape. Only the fisherman remains a constant, always a little east of the Three Sisters islands, his sometimes daily presence for the last two years reassuring. After hunting through thrift shops for glass and pottery to repurpose, it's amazing how a salad bowl, lamp, and a few knick knacks can transform into something totally different and quirky. |
