Meet the artists

The art show and sale will take place at the Humphries House on the corner of George and Water Streets in Shelburne and will run from Wednesday, Aug 12 until Aug 25 from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

All of the displayed work will be on sale and the prices vary to fit anyone’s budget from $5 and up.

The art includes a collection of works involving paintings; carvings and photography each uniquely crafted depending on the artist but with a common theme of the artists drawing their inspiration from living in Shelburne County.

There will be at least one artist available throughout the two weeks but on Aug 14, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. visitors will be able to meet the artists, as all seven will be there to answer questions and give insight to the story behind the art.

When artist Vivian Quiring explains the artists include herself, Ernie Dexter, Jennie Lamont, Lio Lo, Linda Ross, Jack Smith and Darryl Swaine… people often describe the group as ‘the cream of the crop’.

While their work reflects many different styles sure to add a treasured piece of local culture to home collections, their own backgrounds are as diverse as their art. “I paint what I like,” says Lio Lo. “Whatever inspires me.” Lo was born in Taiwan and studied at the Art College in Tainan for three years earning her a Commercial Art Diploma before immigrating to Canada in 1992 where a few years later she located to Shelburne with her husband. Lo often draws inspiration from her surroundings and portrays much of the coastal community including landscape, seascape, wildlife, still life, streetscape, floral and portraits mostly in watercolour works that speak both of her beautiful subjects but also of the strength of her talent and clear artistic ability. “The happiest milestone for me is I was just elected as a member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour,” says Lo. She was the only applicant voted in for the entire province this year. “That speaks of quality,” explains Lo. “You don’t have to prove yourself so hard all the time.”

Jennie Lamont moved to the area from Scotland, where she taught art for many years throughout the Municipality of Barrington. She currently works as a muralist and sculptures for the Museum of Natural History in Halifax, designing backdrops for the exhibits on display. “But I love coming back here as often as I can,” she says. Her work is primarily nature and landscaped based that draws the eye with both its boldness and beauty, capturing what she sees with a unique and gifted style. She enjoys finding her inspiration while clomping through the woods, a new experience for her since arriving in Canada many years ago.

Darryl Swaine finds the wood spirit hidden within each piece of wood he collects along the coastlines and backwoods of Nova Scotia. His current works have a unique process of development that starts with him suiting up in snorkel gear to recover slab wood cut from logs 100 years ago from the bottom of the Clyde River. The wood is then dried on a stone wall and kept indoors for a season. Lined up like statues, Swaine will wait until the carvings hidden shapes will leap out from the corner of his eye. “At the beginning, I don’t know what they are,” explains Swaine, “but somewhere in that process I identify the personality from inside…the fun part is you get intimate with these characters and meet a new friend.” Already a skilled artist of bird carvings, Swaine did not begin his love affair of carving faces until he went on a trip to England with his family. On his travels he learned the tale of Merlin and the Hawk of Wales and went to work recreating the hawk. “Then I had to find my Merlin,” says Swaine, “and I’ve never done anything else.” The faces he carves from the pieces, like many interesting faces, are fascinating and with a depth of character that is diverse with each piece.

Swaine also works as a boat builder and carpenter.

Jack Smith was born in Shelburne County and is now a retired schoolteacher. “I’ve always enjoyed art as a hobby and now that I am retired I am trying to do what I can.” What Smith can do is phenomenal works of art mainly in acrylics and watercolours that speak of colour and light and depict an East Coast life that is sometimes subdued and peaceful and at others stormy and full of vibrant life. He describes himself as not tied down to any one topic. “I paint whatever is pleasing to me with their composition and colours,” he says.

Linda Ross had always photographed for her own pleasure but one day when in a meeting for the Department of Development in Liverpool the room at large was asked if anyone knew how to take aerial photographs to help promote local property. Without ever having done anything like it before, Ross exclaimed that she could and since then it has remained a passion as well as business for her with a ‘birds eye view’ becoming the subject of postcards, brochures, calendars, book covers and framed images that are in many homes in many countries. “Economic development is my passion,” she states. “If I can do something with my camera to promote the province then I will.” Anyone seeing her photographs is sure to fall in love with the area as seen through Ross’s lens. Each photo tells a story of the land and she seamlessly captures its natural beauty and hidden gems. She has taken as many as 18,000 photos in the last few years but has resolved never to make any more than three prints, if that, of what she considers to be an art photograph. She loves to photograph birds, water and trees and her sunrises seem to tell the tale themselves as she arrests time with her shutter in the seconds it takes for dawn to rise.

Vivian Quiring was originally from Manitoba, now living in Ontario but considers Shelburne County as a favourite retreat. Quiring’s joy for painting arises from both the harmony and the diversity of nature. Working primarily in acrylics, she seeks to capture scenes that evoke in each view a personal memory of tranquillity and peace. “Whether a sky with shifting light, an expanse of deserted beach or changing shoreline, a rolling landscape or a field of grain with distant horizons, each can remind us of a special place,” she says. She always liked to paint and draw but did not begin to fully explore her talent until moving to Nova Scotia as a teacher at Dalhousie. “I didn’t know a soul,” she explains and so used he time of isolation for her art. Quiring always enjoyed participating in workshops and “joining like-minded people together”. She has travelled all over the world to attend such workshops and find them inspirational. Her work that creates a feeling of soothing relief with its soft brushstrokes and colours is often described as peaceful. She began planning a show and sale with her own art but not wanting to have to do the show alone she invited some artist friends together. “The energy level goes up when artists get together,” she explained.

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