No Borders Art Festival 2021 Artists

Adrian Baker

Adrian’s work has been featured in solo exhibitions as well as in multiple juried shows both nationally & internationally. She was the artist-in-residence for the Bermuda Masterworks Museum, and has received numerous commissions to create public art installations. Her work has been featured in Canadian and international publications, and her art can be found in public and private collections across Canada, the USA and abroad. Besides making art, Adrian has conducted adult art classes & workshops throughout her career. She lives and works in a village in eastern Ontario Canadian art, Painting and Installations with an environmental theme (adrianbakerart.com)

Carol Howard Donati is a multidisciplinary artist of settler origins working with still and moving images, paint, print and found materials related to place. Her works have shown locally and internationally, and she holds Master’s Degrees in Anthropology (UBC) and Fine Arts (University of Ottawa). www.carolhowarddonati.ca

Ashley Grenstone

Born and currently living on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation ‘Odawa’ (colonially referred to as Ottawa) Ashley was raised in several territories across Turtle Island, and is herself a mix of colonizer (English, French, Irish, German, Austrian), Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation and Mi’kmaq. Though raised apart from her indigenous roots she is reclaiming them piece by piece, learning when to step up and when to step aside for others’ voices to lead the way. As a human rights advocate Ashley strives for 2-Spirit representation; gender and sexuality rights; and, towards ending the usage of children in armed conflict. As a professional artist her work has shown at the Carleton University Art Gallery in ‘To Be Continued: Troubling The Queer Archive‘, Curated by Cara Tierney and Anna Shah Hoque; ‘Queer Landscapes Queer Intersections‘ in the John B Aird Gallery, TO; the online publication ‘These Pills Don’t Come In Our Colour’; to name a few.

Aki Metallic Silver

Aki is an Algonquin artist from Kitigan Zibi, Quebec. She is a contemporary artist, rapper, musician and actor. She has participated in and assists her mother Doreen Stevens with many artistic projects.

Ashelita Shellard is a talented multimedia artist and musician. Her artwork is characterized by strong lines and intense colours – deep greens, psychedelic pinks and a penetrating gaze. An accomplished guitarist, she performs her own and well-chosen cover songs, solo or with other musicians, with a unique and unforgettable voice and style. She is indigenous of Peruvian ancestry and a strong supporter of The Thunderbird Sisters Collective and the No Borders Art Festival.

Edgar Hernandez is a Guatemalan-Canadian prolific artist who presents a new way of seeing nature and life. Working within Communities towards a great concern for climate and social change, he has produced various experimental and documentary short films. His stunning multisensory video montage is produced to confront the issue of the relationship between creativity and change within our society. As the gate to imagination opens, new philosophies for creativity, living and consciousness comes to light.

Lisa Shalfoun

Lisa is an Ottawa based visual artist and writer. Born in Austria, she immigrated to Canada at age 42. She began creating intuitive and mixed media art after recurring dreams of teal and gold paintings. Her love of bright colours led her to do acrylic pouring. Her pictures often show waves and nebulae. Growing up, she was taught Super 8 filming and photography at home. She went on to study philosophy at Vienna University and discovered her love of writing. Lisa traveled Europe and the Middle East, always immersed in the local culture. An adventurer at heart, she is enjoying the freedom creating art is giving her. Lisa is a social activist fighting homelessness and poverty.

Evan Garrow

Visual artist and creator of digital art pieces. He creates his work mainly over the phone and is currently selling prints of his work in the byward market.

Ava Margueritte is a neurodiverse multidisciplinary artist, primarily focused on photo-based works and drawing, painting, and writing. Margueritte has a BFA from OCAD University in Fine Arts Photography and a Diploma from School of the Photographic Arts: Ottawa. Using various photographic mediums including, but not limited to, medium format, large format film, and digital, she explores different narratives to document physical reactions to other emotional states. By absorbing her surroundings, she evaluates the connection between body and mind. Drawing from several different mediums to execute her narrative, and is inspired by other multidisciplinary artists such as Egon Schiele, Wes Anderson, Cindy Sherman, Irving Penn, Tim Walker, and Suzy Lake. Margueritte has shown nationally, internationally. Her work is in the City of Ottawa Direct Purchase program and the collection of several personal collectors. In 2021 she was the recipient of the Youth and Culture Pilot program grant, awarded by the City of Ottawa.

Juanita Sauve has been creating with textiles for over 2 decades. A reluctant stitcher at first, she soon discovered that she could tell a story in fabric and thread. Her first art quilts were entirelyhand stitched often exploring Canadian landscapes as well as personal and political themes. Presently, her mounted andframed art has moved to a more impressionist style using intensely machine stitched fabric strips to ‘paint’ a picture while she still strives to capture reality with her finely stitched hand embroideries. Drawing on her love of nature, hiking, and unspoiled landscapes, Juanita’s work is inspired by a desire to create beauty, especially in challenging times. She also considers stitching as a form of activism and social commentary.

Greg Scriver

I’m an amateur Photographer, I love taking pictures from sunrise to sunsets and nature photos. I’m very proud to be Indigenous, a Mohawk from Kahnawà:ke (MCK) and part of the Turtle clan. My Indigenous name is Wolf-Star. The Turtle Clan represents the shifting of the earth and the cycles of the moon. The people of the Turtle Clan are considered the well of information and the keepers of the land. When the world shut down in March 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic; I started looking for the beauty that is right in front of us. I began going out each and every day to capture that beauty and share it with others through my photography. We all need to stop and take a minute to look at what we have in front of us. Meegwetch. More photos can be seen and purchased: https://gscriver.picfair.com Follow me on my social media Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/ggscriver Follow along on my journey, Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GregScriverPhotography

Frances Laube

I’m a multidisciplinary artist living in Ottawa. I’ve always loved creating – painting and sculpting. I have been making art since my childhood and have had training through various programs offered by the Ottawa School of Art, the Hintonberg Community Centre and most recently, the Being program. With Being I in exhibits and shows such as Turning The Page, a multimedia arts performance by Jesse Stuart at both the Fourth Stage, andGallery 101. Art is my way of expressing myself and a way of being a part of the community. It is a way of belonging and breaking down barriers. I find inspiration for works from my daily life, horseback riding, dancing, swimming. I love the water and so I paint water … My summers are always spent by the water …at the beaches in Ottawa – paddle boarding, swimming and kayaking, camping with my friends at Misquah, vacationing or spending time at cottages. Water can be very soothing – but waves can be disturbing even when they are beautifully reflecting the soft colours of summer, the salty strong waves creating surface disturbances. That is what I have painted.

Doreen Stevens is an Algonquin artist from Kitigan Zibi, Quebec. Her spirit name is Anamitagize-Odaying” One who speaks with the heart. “Actress Singer-Songwriter, Spoken word multi-talented visual artist. She been featured in various films and performance art throughout Europe, Australia, USA and Canada. Her art exhibits include “The creation Story,” a Mosaic Turtle depicting the Algonquins of the Great Lakes region on Turtle Island, the Wampum belts, and the elements and water the blood life of mother earth. Acting/singing credits include: The sacred Gift,Red Earth White Earth, Windigo, The Blood of the Hunter, Black Robe, and Sheaweh, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and opening acts for Ian Tamblyn, Natalie McMaster, and Digging Roots. Stage venues include Love me, Forgive those Who Trespass, Healing Mother by Judith Thompson in the Leaves of Forever national tour, the White Buffalo Calf Woman 2008, The Sacred Circles directed by Bruce Sinclair, The Blood Remembersworkshopped by Thompson Highway &Veronique St Pierres, and The Rez Sisters, Toronto, 2008.

Marie-Claude Charland A métisse artist of Indigenous, French and Scottish ancestry, Marie-Claude was born in Hull, then adopted and raised in North Bay, Ontario. After studying landscape design in Toronto, she moved to the Okanagan, where she raised her son, obtained a BA in Fine Arts and worked as a free-lance artist, art instructor and landscape designer. Back in the Outaouais since 2001, she continues to study traditional Indigenous teachings while pursuing her artistic practice. A versatile artist, Marie-Claude creates masks, large figurative sculptures, paintings, murals and mixed-media installations. Through art making, she wishes to share her profound love for our Mother Earth whileexploring the ancient teachings that come from Creation, our “Original Instructions”. She believes that a personalconnexion with the natural world, where everything is aliveand sentient, can help all human beings connect with their own heart, find their place in the Sacred Circle of Life andshare their gifts with the world.

Maureen O’Neill

I am honoured to be among these artists and activists

Four reasons why I paint:

1. Nothing is worth more than this day–Goethe

2. Hope is the thing with feathers–Dickinson

3. I’m dreaming the hardest–Monroe

4. I weep as I make the honey,

wearing the shirt of a bee–Rumi

www.maureenoneill.ca www.liafail.ca

Michael J. Hinchcliff, MickCliff ©, is a visual artist with a disability but he doesn’t let that stop him! Mike (Mick) lives in the Tamir Foundation Ottawa group home and hopes one day to make a living as a visual artist so he can have a cat, more control over his life and his own apartment with room for a helper and a painting studio. His inspiration comes from a love of animals, especially cats, from birds, especially puffins, from nature, deserts – mainly layer cakes and the colours of life. He has been painting and exhibiting for 15 years with “BEING Studios”, formerly “H’Art of Ottawa”). Mike has participated in manyexhibits from Canada’s Rideau Hall to galleries on Ottawa’s Sussex Drive, Visual Arts Centres, and many others. More recently, he has sold work at the Ottawa Art Gallery and The National Gallery of Canada. One of his ink drawings, “Mother Rhinoceros Looking For Her Baby” appeared in a 1999decorator’s magazine. He is a prolific artist with works collected alongside some pretty important artists in enviable private and corporate collections in Canada

Pamela Cailloux was born in Chibougamau Québec. She is of Métis descent consisting of Huron and Algonquin heritage. Many of the concepts portrayed in her works are influenced by the teachings of the Medicine Wheel consisting of balance, seasons, elements and harmony, symbolizing the balance and healing that restore natural order. Pamela has been a featured artist with the Eagles Rising campaign across Canada to raise awareness for murdered and missing indigenous women. Her works are carried by Canadian Art Prints and Winn Devon Art Group. Many original artworks can be bought at ARTpriorGallery, located in Arnprior, Ontario. Custom works are always welcome and you can reach Pamela on Messenger/ Facebook or by email at:caillouxpam@gmail.com. Artiste Peintre Pamela Cailloux – Revuemajulie Découvrez cetteartiste

Victoria Laube is a multidisciplinary artist. Although her work is predominately lens based, when warranted, she incorporates other media into her practice. She photographs digitally with a small format camera and is usually engaged in ‘stream of consciousness’ photography of the quotidien. Photographing those everyday mundane things that generally go unnoticed or are overlooked, Laube captures degradation, evolution, and metamorphosis. At times, in search of the unexpected, of the ephemeral, of hidden secrets, she is driven, she would say almost subconsciously, to stage various unconventional scenarios and then to photograph them. Laube shoots frequently, captures multiples, and always ensures a variety of viewpoints. She embraces both focus and blur to convey meaning and emotion. Not only interested in the messages single photographs hold, she is also fascinated by how photographs present in relationship to each other, in relationship to time, and in relationship to the greater world.

Claudia Doreen I began painting at the age of 15 years. My mom took out her paints and that was that. I went to University as a mature student and was put in some 2nd year classes so I missed out on some of the early learning of color theory and so on: I felt no one helped me with my curriculum. I studied art for four years at Concordia University in Montreal and at University of Toronto. In Toronto, I painted color field art, and felt let down by the University – I didn’t like color field art, it meant little to me, and no one described it to me. So, since I retired early, 22 years into my career, I began taking classes at Ottawa School of Art, still go there sometimes for classes, and am going again this September. I feel so lost due to the pandemic and so lonesome except for my husband and a few close friends. I hope you will like my art – the figure and the portrait.

Colleen Gray My medium of choice is ground mineral watercolour paint on synthetic paper. It’s a fascinating journey into the unpredictable nature of earth and water and every time I create, I’m left breathless by the beauty of the interactions on the paper beneath my brush. I also play with Arches watercolour paper. The fact that I am an Indigenous artist using water and minerals on the surface of an oil based paper is not lost on me. Oil and water never mix…unless of course, you’re an artist. (I love the irony.) I am very proud to create products from my art that are sold to benefit youth in remote Indigenous schools through the Art for Aid Project which has evolved into a dynamic and powerful program that works under the umbrella of the registered Canadian charity, I Love First Peoples. Sales of my original work are the fuel that feeds the Art for Aid Project’s demanding shipping and operations budget.My secondary art products, in support of Art for Aid, can be found at http://www.artforaidshop.ca. (Colleen was the recipient of the Governor General’s Medal for Volunteering in 2019)

Marige Regalado “I don’t believe in boundaries or languages that split us apart, but in everything that keep us connected together as a whole.” I am a Cuban born creative soul, established in Ottawa since 2007. I hold a Bachelor in Architecture from the University of Havana. As an immigrant to Canada I have embraced multiculturalism in many aspects of my life, as I consider that this is a big step in growing as a human being, as well as expanding consciousness. In my work I express my passion and concerns related to human condition and nature, in all its extent, mainly using digital media to fulfill my creations. My own brand, MariabelonesART is a family project I have developed to promote and sell my husband and daughter’s artworks as well as my own. Among other works, I have produced visual material to promote musical shows in the capital region, as well as the cover artwork for the album “Continuous,“ produced by the Ottawa based Cuban musician Miguel de Armas in 2020.

Debbie Rubin. I’m an Ottawa-based artist and musician and since 2010 have been sharing my love of colour through landscape and architecture acrylic paintings. Texture is often added to my work with the use of fabrics, paper and found objects. Most recently, I’ve been enjoying the flowing feel of watercolour. Nature is a key inspiration for me and my international travels have provided loads of reference material upon which to base my work. I’m a member of “Out of the Box” and the “West Carleton Artist Society”. My work has been shown in the annual Out of the Box Exhibition at Kitchisippi United Church, at local restaurants and coffee shops and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, and is also held in private collections.

Robin Paul. I started my the art that I do now, mask making, in 2014 because, in 2012, I was told that I would never see again. In 2011 I was stricken with meningitis, water on the brain, and was told that my vision would never return. In 2014, I saw a doctor who disagreed, and saw that my sight was returning after I recognized a shape, a heart, that he had made. So I began making masks as therapy. I can see now, although I need glasses to read, and could describe you if you were standing in front of me. I do what I do because of being told I would never be able to see. I can see, and I hope you appreciate my work.

Rob Snikkar – THE OFF-WHITE PROJECT

I am an artist and former teacher and computer programmer.

I grew up working-class in a richly diverse neighbourhood of Toronto now gone forever due to gentrification.

I knew all kinds of people. I saw racism, abuse and violence because my friends were Chinese or black.

I look to my past to inform me about matters today. I strive to see implicit biases that were part of me, of my surroundings and of society’s institutions that showed their faces to me and my friends.