Bio's of the Artists in the Juried Exhibit
(Alphabetical Order)

Click on the artists name to view the artwork he or she displayed during the festival.


John Keith Baldwin's interest in art began in grade school and has grown and flourished since that time. Enrolled at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design by the time he was sixteen, Keith has gone on to do murals, portraits, signs, and even tattoos. Keith considers himself fortunate to be part of the Whitney Pier art scene, and gratefully acknowledges the support he received throughout his career, particularly from his mother, Eileen.

Barry Paul Bernard was born in Waycobah, Cape Breton, and began his career as a photographer in the early 1980's for the "Micmac News". Barry completed a videography course at Restigouche, N.B., and is currently a free -lance photographer working part-time with the Eskasoni School Board. His photography reflects his insights on native culture and the essence of the Mi'kmaq. His pictures, particularly of elders, help to build an archive of his people.

Kenny Boone held his first exhibition of watercolour paintings in the fall of 1991, and its success encouraged him to continue with his work. Kenny's compositions have an explicit detail, which are the result of his background in commercial art and technical drawing, as well as many hours spent at his craft. His work has been featured at the Spectrum Gallery in Halifax, the Lytesome Gallery in Antigonish, and a painting entitled "Dominion Boardwalk" was presented as a Limited Edition lithograph which sold out within the first year.

David Brewer was born in Fredericton and is an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada. His interest in Celtic design began more than a decade ago, but it was not until the early nineties that he became focused on a series of drawings he describes as "iconographic" in the way they are "a visible sign of an invisible reality". David views his work as an attempt to express a way of seeing that was the heart and soul of the early Celts and Celtic Christians.

Kathleen Bunin, a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, has had solo exhibits at both the Anna Leonowens Gallery in Halifax and at the Centre Bras d'Or Art Gallery in Baddeck, as well as being part of numerous group exhibits throughout the province. Kathleen is a member of the Nova Scotia Printmakers Association, The Alberta Printmakers Society, and Visual Arts Nova Scotia, and a founding member and president of the "in.sight. Gallery Association" artists' group.

Inez Caldwell, a native of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, has been fascinated by textiles since learning embroidery at the age of ten. Glorious colour, craftsmanship, and originality, are the hallmarks of Inez's unique textile creations. Her work has been exhibited in several recent shows in Halifax and Sydney, including "The Year of the Threaded Needle" and "Fibrearts" at the University College of Cape Breton.

Kimberley Cote-Floyd is an artist from Ottawa who now lives and works in Sydney. Kimberley studied painting, printmaking, and drawing at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Art with a Minor in Art History. Her current work involves collage materials and acrylic paint, which she uses to express her ideas about the self, nature, and home.

Linda Crewe works in a wide variety of media including oils, watercolours, and pastels. Her subjects range from still life to portraiture, landscapes, and figurative work. Recipient of an Associate of the Ontario College of Art diploma, Linda currently teaches at the Cape Breton School of Crafts and with Sydney Parks and Recreation. In 1994 she held her first solo show at the Gate House Gallery in Sydney, and has gone on to participate in many group shows throughout the Cape Breton area.

Diana Dabinett was born in Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia), and currently lives in Shoe Cove on the eastern coast of Newfoundland. A fine arts graduate from the University of Cape Town, Diana works in watercolours and hand painted French dyes on silk. She has exhibited extensively in both Canada and the U.S. and is part of a two-person show called "Pathways", comprised of silk banners and paintings.

Elmer Doiron, though mainly self-taught, has always had a flair for sketching and drawing. Originally from Charlottetown, Elmer has lived in Cape Breton since 1967, and has exhibited his work at the University College of Cape Breton Gallery #2, Centre 200, the Annual I.O.D.E. Show, the Halifax Seniors' Gallery, and the Wyzart Group in Sydney River. Elmer's main media is oil, though he has also used watercolours and coloured pencils in his work, which consists primarily of landscapes, portraits, and still life.

Patsy Francis-Gill was born in Montreal but has summered in Cape Breton for the past seventeen years. A fine arts graduate of Concordia University, Patsy has exhibited in shows at McGill University, the McCord Museum, and The Arts Club of Montreal. Painting exclusively in oils, Patsy uses bold brush strokes and exquisite colour and tone and contrast of light and dark to capture the unique beauty of the island. A member of the Cape Breton Artists' Association, Patsy is keen to break into the 'art milieu' in C.B.

Simon Gillis is a much-travelled New Waterford native married to the former Myrna Dunn of Bay Street, Whitney Pier. Active in many volunteer organisations, Simon decided to turn his hand to painting, and has been taking instruction at the Cape Breton School of Crafts under the tutelage of artist Linda Crewe. Concentrating in oils, Simon has thus far found the painting experience both rewarding and enjoyable.

Cyril S. Hearn is a life long resident of Whitney Pier, and a steel fabricator and profile burner by trade. It was not until 1996 that he started making steel sculptures, and the bald eagle taking a fish is the first piece he did. Prior to that, Cyril was a self-taught wood carver. He finds both wood and steel immensely rewarding to work with, and hopes to be able to devote himself to his art full-time one day.

Morgan James Hanam moved with his family to Howie Centre in 1975 from Renfrew, Ontario. A graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Morgan majored in painting and drawing. He has exhibited at both the Anna Leonowens Gallery and the Khyber Gallery, and recently completed two murals at the Peer Literacy Centre on Dorchester Street and at Eskasoni.

Jasmine Jones is a self-taught artisan who has been painting on silk for almost twenty years. Jasmine finds her main inspiration in nature and the silk itself provides a medium that is simultaneously elegant yet rugged, practical yet luxurious. Using French dyes, Jasmine is able to reproduce particularly vibrant colours in the clothing, banners, quilts, and scarves that she creates. Her work is available at Arts North in Cape North and at other shops in Cape Breton, and at her Southwest Margaree studio by appointment.

Patsy MacAulay - MacKinnon is an award winning watercolourist with a growing reputation for her exploration of subjects dealing with Cape Breton's heritage. Her watercolours have been reproduced as covers for publications, calendars, and record albums, and have been accepted in provincial and international shows as well as being part of private and corporate collections in Canada and the U.S. Most recently she has been signed to illustrate several children's books.

Josef (Joe) MacKinnon showed an aptitude for the arts from an early age - acting, painting, singing, and storytelling, though it was woodcarving that eventually captured his artistic imagination. Working mainly in Cape Breton pine, Joe has displayed his pieces in the U.C.C.B. Gallery and at 'The Barn' at the Normaway Inn, as well as in museums and other galleries. A photo of his woodcarving called 'Fiddlers' adorns the back cover of the Nova Scotia tourism booklet, "Vacation '98".

V. L. MacLean works predominantly in oil, watercolour, and intaglio, but has also worked in pencil, wood block printing, lithography, relief printing, and egg tempura. Vicki is represented by twelve galleries in the maritimes and has had fourteen solo exhibitions, with many of her works represented in public, private, and corporate collections both nationally and internationally. A fine arts graduate from the Connecticut College for Women, Vicki is currently the director of the St. Francis Xavier University Art Gallery.

Heather MacLeod has studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, York University, and St. Mary's University. Heather's video work explores social and political issues and has been shown internationally, while her photographs, which deal with a 'sense of place' and the interplay of nature and culture in landscape have been exhibited in group and solo shows since the 1980's. Heather teaches in Saint Mary's University Canada Studies Dept. and also works as a freelance writer and researcher.

Martin MacNeil has been interested in drawing and painting since childhood and attributes his drawing skills to being 'a left hander'. He moved from drawing to painting in oils while still in his teens, and though he stopped painting for a time resumed it in later years because he 'still had the bug'. Martin took lessons for a few years but his own distinctive style always managed to shine through. Now Martin paints in acrylics, using bright colours to reflect his positive attitude, and this he believes is why his work exudes a happy and upbeat feeling.

Bill MacQueen has been both a student and instructor of art, concentrating in oil painting. He has also taken courses in Lettering and Sign Lettering, and worked for eight years in the CJCB TV Art Department and for ten years in his own business, Able Signs. Bill has exhibited his work with the Whitney Pier Historical Association, the I.O.D.E., and the Cape Breton Artists' Association.

Catherine Moir works in both oils and watercolours, with canvas sizes ranging from 5 in. x 7 in. to 3 ft. x 4 ft. Catherine studied painting at NSCAD and under Allan Whylie, a graduate of the Royal Academy of London to whom she attributes her sensitivity for colour and composition. She prefers to work outside to capture the essence of early morning or late afternoon light at her home near Baddeck. Catherine has exhibited at the MacKinnon Harbour Hall, the Masonic Hall in Baddeck, Centre Bras d'Or, N.S. Art Sales and Rental, Lytesome Gallery, and Anderson House, as well as selling work to patrons in the U.S. and Germany.

detta morrison-phillips is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art whose work reflects her interest in exploring the emotional life and its themes of desire, transience, and redemption. detta has exhibited at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Cape Breton Regional Vans Show, the Northside Artists' Association Annual Show, Centre Bras d'Or, and her work can be found in private collections in Canada and the U.S. A founding member and public relations co-ordinator for 'in.sight' Gallery, detta is currently working toward an upcoming show featuring female artists to be held at the UCCB Art Gallery in 1999.

Michel de Noncourt is a graduate of the Montreal School of Fine Art and was sculptor in residence (Youth Pavilion) at Expo '67. His work has been part of numerous group exhibits including those held at the Contemporary Museum of Montreal, Rodin Museum (Paris), the Responses Art Gallery, and the Anna Leonowens Gallery, while private collectors in Montreal, Longueuil, Halifax, and Antigonish also have pieces by Michel. He has taught in both Montreal and the Antigonish area, and is a founding member of The Gallery in Antigonish.

Onni Nordman is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and was a nominee for the Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship at Yale. Onni has been exhibiting since the mid- 1980's at St. Mary's University Gallery, Anna Leonowens Gallery, the Eye Level Gallery, OO Gallery, Ecphore, TUNS, and the UCCB Gallery - where she will have a solo show in May of 1999. Her work has appeared on book covers, and she has done paintings for films. Onni's work is currently in the collections of the N.S. Art Bank, Minova Corp. (Finland), Mr. & Mrs. Denne Burchell, Dr. Jacek Weselkowski, and Dr. H. Prosser (Australia).

Christine Sandeson has been an artist for the last twenty years, currently concentrating on acrylic on canvas, though she also creates small, detailed paintings on masonite and graphite drawings on paper. Christine's work has been shown at the Art Gallery of N.S., the Nova Scotia Art Bank, the I.W.K. Hospital, and at the Institute of Early Childhood Education. She is a co-founder of the Cobequid Art School and Signatures Gallery of Fine Art, and presently provides art expression programming at the Springhill Institution, the Nova Institution for Federally Sentenced Women, and the Institute for Early Childhood Education.

Teena Marie Saunders is a self-taught artist who works in acrylics, producing floorcloths and paintings that depict fish, flowers, and other common objects. Teena is also a printmaker, portraying native flora, etc. in small linocuts [relief prints from linoleum blocks]. A member of 'in.sight' Gallery, Visual Arts Nova Scotia, and the Nova Scotia Printmakers' Association, Teena works at Ross House Studio, a co-operative printmaking and fine arts studio in Margaree Harbour. Her work has been exhibited at the UCCB Gallery and the Sherman Hines Gallery.

Bernard Siller is a graduate of both Mc Gill and Concordia universities, and is well known for his original poetry, painting, photography, and sculpture, though he is perhaps most renowned locally for his acclaimed stained glass work. Bernard has exhibited at the Lyceum, Centre Bras d'Or, the McConnell Library, Studio One, UCCB Gallery, Anna Leonowens Gallery, the Gatehouse Gallery, Art Sales and Rental Society, the Whitney Pier Historical Museum, and the Sydney Credit Union Mini Gallery. Bernard is an executive board member of artsCape Breton, and a member of the Cape Breton Artists' Association and Visual Arts N.S.

Shira Taylor has enjoyed nature photography from an early age. A Toronto native, Shira visits family in Whitney Pier regularly and includes Cape Breton scenes in her photo card line 'Earth Images' (available at Moraff's Yarns & Crafts). Following a year's travels in the Middle East and Africa, Shira's interests have turned increasingly to photojournalism. She will begin her studies at York University this September.

Maria-Magdalena Wesolkowska was born in Algeria, and her art work began as two dimensional pieces - drawing and painting using mixed media techniques, though she has moved on to sculpture in clay and wood and performance based works which rely heavily on painterly components. Magda explores the themes of identity, memory (retention and transmission), isolation, exile, and marginalization, and a certain 'lyrical nostalgia' permeates her work. Magda's pieces balance traditional painting, sculpting, and print methods with more contemporary approaches found in assemblage and performance works.



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