Upcoming Exhibit
Opening Night: Friday, March 10
Featuring six guest artists and a popup visit from Donna Reid of The Hamilton Store
Melanie Cheung
melaniecheung.com
@melaniecheungstudio
Melanie Cheung is an abstract artist based in Hamilton, Ontario. Her work seeks to express the intangible aspects of being human; emotions that are difficult to voice, thoughts that aren’t fully formed, fleeting memories, and inexplicable feelings. Using fluid, translucent layers of paint and mixed media, Melanie works through a combination of careful planning and intuition. She finds a sense of calm through unique colour pairings and poured techniques, allowing imperfect textures to form, creating harmony between wanting control and leaving room for chance occurrences. Recently she has explored deeper into vaguely representational landscape painting. These abstracted landscape works represent an idea or a memory of a place rather than what was actually there.
Previously, Melanie trained and worked as a fashion designer before pursuing art. Originally from Toronto, she received a Bachelor of Design in fashion design from Toronto Metropolitan University. Melanie resided in Montreal for twelve years before moving to Hamilton in 2020, where she now lives, works as a graphic designer and paints from her home studio.
Mary Flynn
backalleygallery.ca
@backalley.gallery
Mary Flynn is an artist creating in many mediums including acrylic, encaustic, and collage/mixed media. Born and raised in Hamilton with a "slight" detour (25 years) in Toronto as a corporate salesperson. Mary returned home to Hamilton in 2012. Along the way, she discovered the healing properties of hiking, nature, and then art.
While mostly self-taught, Mary has taken many courses and workshops at Etobicoke School of the Arts, Dundas Valley School of Arts, Georgian Bay Centre for the Arts, and the Cotton Factory.
Her work has been sold at McMaster's Art in the Park, to private collectors, and now through her own gallery, "The Back Alley Gallery
Dawn Grant
dawngrantartistry.com
@dawngrantartistry
Dawn Grant's passion for representation in mainstream media, has shaped her profession as a makeup and special FX airtist, props maker, wearable art designer, and therapeutic art practitioner.
She develops characters, creates props and designs thought provoking works of wearable art. Her use of upcycled textiles, mediums and techniques, blend nuances of the African Diaspora, with a visionary approach in fashion and design.
A passion for inclusive spaces extends to her therapeutic art practice, which helps people explore self expression and emotions, using art and creative processes as a compass for personal insight and healing.
Dawn Grant's passion for representation in mainstream media, has shaped her profession as a makeup and special FX airtist, props maker, wearable art designer, and therapeutic art practitioner.
She develops characters, creates props and designs thought provoking works of wearable art. Her use of upcycled textiles, mediums and techniques, blend nuances of the African Diaspora, with a visionary approach in fashion and design.
A passion for inclusive spaces extends to her therapeutic art practice, which helps people explore self expression and emotions, using art and creative processes as a compass for personal insight and healing.
Jodi Kitto-Ward
jodikitto-ward.com
@jodi.kitto.ward
Jodi Kitto-Ward is a Sheridan College Fine Arts Graduate, an award-winning artist and an elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists, Ontario Society of Artists and Colour and Form Society. Jodi is represented by galleries in Southern Ontario and her artwork is held in public and private collections. Repeating within her body of work are landscapes and urban views, many inspired from Hamilton, ON where Jodi resides and works from her home studio.
Painting mainly in acrylic, Jodi’s work is strongly influenced by line, colour and expression. Her style is representational, vibrant and simplified in form, evoking influences of Pop Art and Art Deco.
Colleen Reid
colleenreid.ca
@collen_m_reid
I have always been interested in why we are (I am) driven to create beauty in many forms and why it is so important in all of our lives. In the last few years, climate change and the need to address sustainability in our personal lives as well as in our work, has concentrated my desire to demonstrate nature and our interactions with it, within my art and design.
My artwork explores ideas of nature, beauty and the man-made world as well as their intertwined relationships. I like to play with collage, gel transfer prints and my photographic images of the world around me. I love the meditative act of stippling lines with nib and ink and exploring the extensive happy accidents of the ragged edges of gel transfers. I look for the beautiful patterns in nature and explore their juxtaposition with man-made objects as well as ourselves.
Recently I have become intrigued by the beauty in the decline of nature: the dying vines, flowers and leaves. Walking in the forest in the fall you are surrounded by incredible beauty, never mind just walking through the back alleys of west Hamilton. I find the skeletal remains of weeds and flowers, sometimes covered with small drifts of snow, absolutely stunning.
My desire is to share the beauty, joy and comfort I find in nature, as well as share my awe and respect for nature, particularly in this difficult period of time.
My hope is to underline the importance of nature, the incredible beauty of nature and the significance of our needed respect for it.
Shuka
stilliam1.com
@shukad108
Meditation and Yoga came to Shuka in 2006 when stress was the major player in his life. Often in life we come to the tipping point where change is the only option. His doctor prescribed meditation instead of medication, and so Shuka found Ishaya’s Ascension meditation yoga and a new community. In 2009, he went all in to become a cloistered monk and learned to be teacher of the ancient practice of Ishaya’s Ascension meditation and later on to become a traditional Hatha yoga instructor.
Today he teaches meditation, yoga and is a full time practicing artist. Lucky is he who is able to find and live his passions.
His practice of meditation, yoga and love for nature greatly influence everything he creates and plays with. There are two ways to consider art and life, both externally and internal. Both require awareness and an openness to just be and experience the ever present sweet spot of the ever generous present moment.
The Hamilton Store
@thehamontstore
The Hamilton Store is a unique gift shop celebrating all things Hamilton! Featuring art and gifts by local artists and artisans, gourmet food products created locally, souvenirs, prints, posters and photographs as well as books and maps, custom gift baskets, host and recognition gifts.