Through the Lens

"Through the Lens" our annual photography exhibit is upon us! Join us in the gallery for the opening reception Thursday, January, 27th from 6:00pm - 8:00pm. Join us in welcoming Patrick LaCroix, Michael Rutland, Doug Johnson, Jenn Munro, Jillian Arsenault Dewing and Mallory Haigh. To read more about our featured artists click here

"Flash Photo" by Patrick LaCroix

Patrick LaCroix

Patrick's series "COVERED FACES" was produced for an exhibition at the Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery at the Columbus Centre in Toronto during the summer of 2010. The theme, "COVERED FACES" was inspired by the work of the great Irving Penn who produced many images of masked and covered faces and often created an air of mystery in his photographs. "Penn's work has always been a major influence on my photography" says LaCroix. Pat LaCroix spent 40 years producing advertising photography in Toronto, Canada. His work has received over 60 national and international awards including the prestigious Lifetime Awards from the Canadian Association of Photographers and Illustrators in Communication. His work has appeared in such publications as Photographis, The Art Directors Index to Photographers, Creativity Magazine, and Harpers Bazaar to name a few. He has lectured extensively to photography students as well as professional photography associations in Canada and the U.S.

In Canadian Waters by Michael Rutland

Michael Rutland

Michael is an artist who works in many mediums. He draws, paints, sculpts, is a photographer, designer, and film maker. He began drawing and painting about age 3 and started to sculpt during an extended stay in hospital in his early teens. After graduating from the Ontario College of Art, he co-founded the Global Village Theatre in Toronto. He has worked for various theatres designing and building sets, props, puppets, and costumes, including: Global Village, Toronto; Mercer O'Casey Art Centre, New York; Young Peoples Theatre, Toronto; Toronto Dance Theatre's World Tour; Royal Alexandra, Toronto; and the Czechoslovakian Black Box Theatre. He was the recipient of grants from the Canada Council and other funding groups to work and study outside of Canada: New York City, USA; Nuremberg, Germany; Edinburgh, Scotland. Michael worked as a Management Consultant in graphic design for Laventhol and Horwath which later became Price Waterhouse.

After starting his own film production company, Future Scenario, he worked internationally as a writer/ producer/ director and occasionally as an actor and composer. Fifteen years ago, with his wife Marilyn Lawrie, he moved to their farm near Stirling, Ontario where they opened Rivendell Herb Farm, a Café, an Art Studio, and a Gallery. Michael is presently living in Belleville where he is continuing to pursue his art in all areas. He designed and built the "Children of Hope" sculpture at the corner of Pinnacle and Station Street, Belleville. His erotic photography was featured at the Festival de Censure in Montreal. Last year he completed a commission to design the set and costumes for a new opera by Opera Lyra Ottawa, "The Bremen Town Musicians". Recently, as a Photographer, he competed with over 200 other photographers and was one of eighteen to garner a place on the Red Wall in Ottawa.

My Minds Eye by Doug Johnson

Doug Johnson

Doug's love of photography was born around 40 years ago when he was hitchhiking through Europe, his father's 35mm Ansco bellows camera in hand. He soon discovered he had a talent for turning the reality around him into timeless images, through subtlety of lighting and simplified compositions. But the most important lesson he learned was fine tuning a natural ability of capturing an image at the "decisive moment". Once back in Canada, Doug continued to pursue his passion for taking pictures, but university, family and his business in Toronto took up most of his time. Doug enrolled in as many photography courses time would allow, joined the Toronto Camera Club and concentrated on taking portraits of families and school graduation portraits. Doug attended a week long workshop with Freeman Patterson, certificate courses at Ryerson University and the Maine Photography Workshops where he discovered Art Photography. Studying the History of Photography at Ryerson was a turning point for Doug. Through studying the work of famous photographers, such as, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Kertesz stirred his interest in street photography and this he considers his most rewarding work.

The year of 2004, when Doug and his wife Denyse moved to Prince Edward County, offered him his first opportunity to pursue photography as a business. His work has been exhibited at the Side Street Gallery in Wellington, The Regent Theatre in Picton and around Picton in Art in the Community. He has also been involved in Art in the County, The Prince Edward County Studio Tour and The Makers Hand in Picton as well as doing family portraits and weddings. Doug Johnson's thought-provoking fine art photographs capture the ordinary moments and objects in our day to day life and magically transforms them into something special, providing a unique and whimsical view of the world around us.

Olivia by Jenn Munro

Jenn Munro

Jenn Munro's love for photography started when her first son was born. Jenn went through a role of film per month to make sure she caught "every" moment of her first born. Jenn's documentation escalated after her second son was born she then decided to purchase a digital SLR and has never looked back taking numerous photos of her now three children along capturing the memories for other families in her community, preserving their memories for years to come.

Jillian Arsenault Dewing

Jillian Arsenault Dewing first discovered her interest in photography while studying art at Lakefield College. After graduation she spent many years working and traveling aboard throughout Africa, Europe and most recently Australia, documenting and creating a journal of her travels through her lens. After returning home from her year long journey through Australia she decided to take her hobby one step further. Jillian's current series narrates her time spent in the land down under. Jillian is interested in diverse photography driven by concept, fashion, portraiture and landscape capturing the beauty in nature by creatively composing the essence of her subject matter. This is Jillian's second exhibition.

Mallory Haigh

With a hybridized style of journalistic and artistic photography, Mallory Haigh's work tell a story - this passion led her to enroll in Loyalist College's Photojournalism program this past year. Though scientifically minded, her interests have always come back to this form of artistic expression. Merging the medium of photography with her passion of horses, aviation, music and travel, Haigh has started producing a extensive portfolio with a variety of different images. From an early age, Mallory has enjoyed expressing herself through various forms of art, including music, drawing, digital design and writing. As a youth, she experimented with polaroid's and film, fascinated with the science behind photography from both a physical and chemical perspective. She continues her studies at Loyalist and is hoping to continue her degree in biological sciences at a later date.