Series: "Know our Member Artists"

CLIFFORD J. RIVIERE

A scientist by profession, an artist by desire, the paintings of Cliff Riviere are the result of his training in both areas. His work shows a good understanding of the elements of painting as well as an ability to manipulate technique into his personal style.

His formal training in art started at high school, where he learned the fundamentals of drawing and painting in ink, pastel and water colour. After emigrating to Toronto from the Caribbean, Cliff continued to develop his talents. He joined an art group(Etobicoke), attended workshops and took courses. Through classes on the spirituality of art at The Rudolph Steiner Centre in Thornhill, he gained understanding of Goethe’s theory of colour, which has given him a new perspective on the use of colour to express form.
His preferred medium is oil, though he has done paintings in acrylic, water colour pastel and gouache.

As a current member of both Visual Arts Mississauga and the Mississauga Art Society, Cliff devotes himself to the continued development of his art.

Past Exhibits:

• Etobicoke Public Library
• Mississauga Central Library
• Port Credit Library
• Art Gallery of African/Canadian Visual Artists
• Sunrise Gallery
• Delta Meadowvale Semi-annual Art Exhibition
• Mississauga Art Gallery
  

Artist Statement:

Light is the basis of our connection to the world. It is the medium through which, in conjunction with our particular cultural influences, we form our concepts and perceptions.
The primary focus of my art is to create the sensation of light through the manipulation of colour and form. It is my aim to bring out the particular essence of the subjects that appeal to me. The process is transformational and hopefully, the finished work will evoke a spiritual resonance in the viewer.

ART SALE & AUCTION !!!

Date: July 14, 2007
Time: 10:00 am to 4:30 pm
Venue: Port Credit Library, Mississauga

Proceeds from the Auction would be donated to the Port Credit Library

Flyer:

Series: "Know our Member Artists"

VISHAL MISRA

Background:
Vishal is a Canadian artist of South-Asian origin. Growing up in India, he had a traditional upbringing which sets the undertone for his work. Over the years, he has travelled across many cities in Asia, Europe and Americas which further expanded his experience through multitude of cultural influences. In his drawings and paintings he portrays the varied experiences, emotions and events in his life from his unique perspective.

Illustrations:
As an introduction to art, he began his career as an illustrator for local college publications. His illustrations have also featured in the National newspaper and magazines. Currently, on a regular basis, he makes commercial illustrations for professional publications in Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries in the South-East Asian region.

Sketching and Painting:
Vishal does not have an art related degree / education however, he has attended a few workshops and demos by artists in the Canadian art circle. In his sketches and paintings he attempt to capture a myriad of human experiences from the past, activities of the present and expectations from the future.
His sketches and paintings have featured in Juried shows, publications and are also part of private collections.

Associations:
Mississauga Art Society (MAS), Member & Vice-President
SAVAC, Member
Visual Arts Mississauga (VAM), Member
Mississauga Arts Council (MAC), Member

Past exhibits:

• Artscape Gallery (Resident artist), Mississauga
• Springbanks Visual Art Centre, Mississauga
• Arta Gallery @ Distillery district, Toronto
• CNE, Toronto
• Emily Carr Gallery, Mississauga
• Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga
• Lorne Park Studio, Mississauga
• Deloitte & Touche LLP, Toronto
• South Asian Heritage Festival, Toronto
• VoV Fair, Richmond Hill
• International Cultural Festival, US & Japan
• Port Credit Library, Mississauga
• MOSAIC 2007, Civic Square, Mississauga

Upcoming exhibits:

• HYC Conference, Toronto, July 22007
• Port Credit Library, Mississauga, July 2007
• CNE, July 2007
• Artfully Yours, Novotel

For his body of recent works and enquries please visit http://www.vishalmisra.com

Series: "Know our Member Artists"

KUMAR SAMARANAYAKE A.O.C.A.D

Kumar Samaranayake was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada in 1975. He is the youngest in the family of two brothers, two sisters and four pet elephants. He studied Architecture at Carleton University in Ottawa and graduated in Industrial Design from Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto.

Kumar has loved to sketch and paint as long as he can remember and is a self-taught artist. It is only very recently that he has started to paint seriously after persistent encouragement from his family and friends. Watercolor is his first love but he is continually exploring other media in Acrylic, Oil, Encaustic and multi-media. He is a versatile artist who can adapt different styles and methods to suite his subject matter. This approach keeps his work fresh and exciting. Mostly he likes to incorporate bold colors with a loose style that leaves something
for your immagination. His work is influenced by artists such as John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer and Edward Seago.

He is a member of Springbank Artists and Mississauga Art Society since 1997. In the Fall of 2001, his first solo show “Ephemeral 1 ” meaning “Changing light” was very well received and has become an annual event since. Several times his paintings were selected to juried shows held by Visual Arts Mississauga and Oakville Arts Council. Twice he has won first and second place in Valentine show with Visual Arts Mississauga. His paintings are in private collections in Canada, USA, France, Hong Kong, Australia and Sri Lanka.

Presently he freelances as a graphic designer, illustrator and teaches part time at Visual Arts Mississauga which allows him to devote more of his time to paint. For over fourteen years he worked as a creative director for a reputable advertising agency in Toronto. His graphic design work has nominated and won numerous SAM ( Sales and Marketing) awards in Real Estate field in Toronto and throughout Canada.

Kumar lives in Mississauga with his wife and three children. He continues to devote his spare time to paint. His work is represented by galleries in Mississauga, Streetsville, Oakville and Schomberg,Ontario. He accepts commission work for Fine art, Illustration, Graphic design and just about everything in between.

(905)569-3448 or samk1@rogers.com

www.yessy.com/samk1/

Series: "Know our Member Artists"

Nada Annan

When Nada discovered oil painting, it was love at first stroke, because it allowed her the chance to translate inspiration into instant colour. Every oil painting she does is an exploration, combining focus with intuitive freedom. Her career began by copying from impressionist artists under the tutelage of known experts in the field.

As she got more and more involved in her art, she took some art classes, and then joined the Mississauga Art Society. She enjoys painting still life, landscapes and figures and is noted for her use of deep and rich colours.

Nada is passionate about her art. “I want people to see in my paintings the beauty of the structure that they may walk by every day and might never notice. As with my still life painting, I hope to evoke a smile or feeling of calm for my viewer”.

Her works have been included in numerous group and one-person shows and her art has been exhibited in a number of galleries.

To find out more about Nada, view her works, and learn about her upcoming shows and endeavors, you are invited to visit her website at http://www.nadaannan.com/ and you can email her at nadaannan@rogers.com.

Port Credit Library Exhibit

Mississauga Art Society (MAS) had their exhibit at the Port Credit Library , Mississauga, on a sunny Saturday, May 26th 2007 – and what an excellent show it was !! The show looked better than ever, with its 15 member artist team offering a heady brew of new works. It was evident that most artists were making leaps in their artistic development, while also offering a good selection of classic and traditional talent.

The show was a success in all respect.

The walls were filled imaginatively with beautiful pieces of art. Aggressive marketing with flyers displayed in and around the venue along with colorful signage ensured a steady stream of visitors to the exhibit. Cries went out by artist for more and more space as the artwork was immense.

Visitors were treated to an impressive and eclectic mix of work, in different mediums and styles, by the artists of MAS which included:

1. Diane Lee, winner of the Visual Arts Mississauga Awards and Jury shows, with her paintings in oil;


2. Ed Clark, whose landscape watercolor art took us on a stroll through the landscapes of Ontario cottage country;


3. Hooshang Zahiri, whose watercolors showed us the colors and scenery of Tuscany and Spain;


4. Ron Sypher, with his amazing acrylic renditions of country-side landscapes;


5. Elaine Quinn, who has a great eye and patience to capture infinite details in her beautiful work, especially on wild life;


6. Nada Anan, with her dreamy and misty landscape in acrylic on canvas;


7. Luba Repar, with her Van Gogh style paintings (she actually had a portrait of Van Gogh on exhibit !!)


8. Sandi Pryhodki, the featured artist from the Spring show, along with her bold splashes of paint on canvas, amazing abstract art;


9. Nadine Smith, with her dreamy and colorful watercolors;


10. Vishal Misra, with his figurative and surprisingly panoramic landscape artwork;


11. Anupama Vittal, with her expressive abstract pieces which offered a faint glimpse of ‘surreal’ work;


12. Mary-Louise, with her Mississauga landscape paintings;


13. Frank Tonido, with his amazing portraits and real-like acrylic paintings;


14. Cliff Riviere, his works on elements and strong influences of the African-American culture, and finally


15. Kumar Samarnayake, with his amazing collection of landscape and nude figurative paintings.

The show was even made more special when a long-standing member of the Group, Lorne Scott visited the exhibit despite his ailing health. His presence was pleasant surprise for all the members.

The excitement flowed as visitors interacted and discussed subjects and style of paintings with the exhibiting artists. To encourage visitor participation, a grand draw was held along the exhibit. The winners of the draw were:

• Leigh Lucas, who won a miniature painting on a 23KT certified Gold leaf (from Italy) and


• Jamie Davis, who won the painting puzzle from the AGO collections of the work by Lawrence Harris (Group of Seven).

At close, the exhibiting artists were left with hunger for more time to interact with the visitors and share their works. But alas ! all good things come to an end. So to all those who missed out … patience, for we will be back at the same venue on July 14, 2007 - Stay tuned !!

For images from the show, please visit

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8558516@N03/