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What strikes you as beautiful?
 
I think I could turn and live with animals. They are so placid and self-contained. I stand and look at them long and long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins. They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God. Not one is dissatisfied. Not one is demented with the mania of owning things. Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago. Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

― Walt Whitman
Mixed media collage by Louise Palmer:
                                                                    Do Not Disturb
                                  The Look                                                              Pepper        
                                  Whippet                                                               Funny Face
Louise Palmer: Dogs and Mogs (*)
(* = "mogs", for those, like us, who didn't know, is British slang for "cats")

Louise Palmer helps us carry our animal theme forward into March with her delightful dog and cat themed collages, on display in our West window.

Louise's works are always assembled collages, bits of paper snipped from recycled magazines and books. She extracts from these bits and pieces wonderfully vibrant palettes and compositions. Her works are resplendent examples of the artistic space that we and most of our customers prefer, neither purely abstract nor purely representational. 

 
The Cardboard Connoisseur
"If it fits, I sits!"
About Louise Palmer
Fond childhood memories of the tactile pleasure of creating art with found objects and discarded magazines evolved Louise Palmer's collage style. Drawing inspiration from animals and nature her arrangements of torn paper to create a new picture surprises and delights the viewer, who may at first perceive loose brush strokes, only to be surprised by hidden images among the changing tones.

Originally from Hampshire, England, Louise arrived in Canada in 2004 in the company of her Canadian husband, and has lived in Halifax and Victoria prior to settling in Ottawa.

Predominantly a self-taught artist, Louise earned her Certificate of Creative Arts from Algonquin College in 2016. She has exhibited regionally since 2018, and currently has a piece on display at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, at Queen's Park in Toronto. We're very pleased to have her as a regular contributor to the gallery.
Collage has a special place in my heart. I have my wonderful late Mum to thank for this, the endless hours as a child spent sticking things and making pictures using glue made from flour and water. My Mum would pick up free wall paper sample books from the store for us to tear up and we would use old boxes as our substrate. Nowadays the glue is acrylic gel medium with a final 2-3 coats of UV protectant varnish. The tactile pleasure of deconstructing pages of pictures and using them as my palette, rearranging them into something new, has never left me. There is nothing like scouring the pages of discarded books and magazines and tearing out the perfect piece. My studio is my happy place where I feed my soul, and get lost in the pure joy that is ART.   - Louise Palmer
Louise is a wonderful follow-on to Anita Utas' ongoing show (see below) because both of these artists have a knack for capturing the individual spirit of the animals they portray!
More critters!
Some other artists have contributed animal themed art for our March animal theme!
Bear Song (mixed media on wood) by Ronald Kok
Big Mama (photographic print on canvas) by Louise Tanguay

Egret Chicks (detail) acrylic on canvas by Roy Brash

The Bear and the Breeze (oil on canvas) by Kate Green
Highland Cow (oil on wood) by Kate Green
Anita Utas Wildlife Benefit continues through March 31
In keeping with our animal theme, our benefit show on behalf of the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary featuring the unique wildlife portraiture of Anita Utas continues through March 31. Thanks to a generous anonymous matching grant, we are able to send 100% of the sale price of Anita's works to that worthy nonprofit.

Half of the gross proceeds from these original artworks will be donated directly by the artist and gallery to help the Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. A generous matching grant from an anonymous benefactor will double that contribution! The result is a double benefit: you'll have a beautiful animal painting gracing your walls, and the entire value of your purchase will help local wildlife.

 
NEW! 

We now have a series of small, modestly priced ($66) reproductions of Anita's works. They make wonderful gifts! These are photographic reproductions of Anita's wildlife portraits, hand mounted onto 6" x 6" boards and wax varnished. We have stock, and more can be produced to order.  

These too are part of our fundraiser! 100% of the list price will be donated to the sanctuary on any sales or orders placed during the month of March.
Above: our window display of some of the reproductions
by gallerist Irene Tobis (left) of works by Anita Utas (right).
A dozen images to choose from!


The Rideau Valley Wildlife Sanctuary (RVWS) is a not-for-profit organization which has been caring for injured or abandoned wildlife since 2005. Since then, the RVWS has cared for more than 11,000 wild animals. The goal of the organization is to nurse the wildlife back to health and release them back into the wild as close to where they were found as possible. RVWS cares for a gamut of wildlife ranging from turtles, to bats, to skunks, to raccoons, to squirrels.

Wildlife sanctuaries like Rideau Valley provide orphaned wildlife with the care they need to survive these desperate circumstances. It also provides outreach and education about wildlife and habitat management issues in the region. The RVWS receives no government funding. It relies on grants and donations from the public, including your purchases as part of this fundraiser, to keep its operation going.
Stop By!
As always, we try to keep the Gallery windows interesting for the neighbourhood.

Ottawa is now in the red zone and your gallerists are over age 65, so we're being extra careful with COVID precautions.  We are allowing one person at a time into the gallery, but we appreciate you minimizing time inside, browsing online first and making purchases online rather than onsite if possible.

We're happy to bring artworks outside for your inspection in good weather. One of us is usually there between 11 AM and 4 PM, Wednesdays through Saturdays, and occasionally in the early evening as well. Please knock and we'll be happy to chat outside, to show you our wares, and if you wish, to help you complete a purchase. 

Call us if you want to arrange an appointment to be sure we'll be there to meet you.

We're located just off the Rideau Pathway, so wander by on your urban hike, and have a peek at our display windows! 

 
Please support local artists and galleries!

We are open for online ordering, curbside pickup, and local delivery.   
We also can ship many of our pieces within North America.


We and our artists greatly appreciate you shopping locally!

Window shop at 299 Crichton Street - or shop online. 24/7/365.

Telephone inquiries welcome at 613 748 - 2008.

Or contact us via email using this form.
galerie electric street gallery
 
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