Meet ASK Artists

Cathy Ball was born and raised in Orillia, Ontario, and was drawn to art from a young age. Her mother enrolled her in an adult painting class at the age of 10 and her passion for creativity in the arts blossomed from there. Her work reflects the inspiration she finds in the beauty of nature. Forest groves, waterfalls, fall colours, lakeshores, woodland trails, sunsets and sunrises, Northern Lights and many other natural landscape themes dominate her work. Working primarily in watercolour, often with a variety of supportive media, Cathy channels the splendour of the natural world through her brush. As owner of a busy janitorial business, Cathy paints at every opportunity her schedule allows and strives to refine her creative expression with every stroke of the brush.

Marianne Broome was born in England but spent much of her childhood in Malaysia. The stunning scenery and abundance of exotic animals and plants heightened her love of nature and keen interest in drawing and painting. Her artwork was selling in local galleries and department stores while she was still a teenager. Marianne settled in Canada in 1980 and lives in the beautiful countryside near Toronto, Ontario.

Inge Dam has been weaving for 34 years and in 1992 completed an in-depth study for Ontario Handweavers and Spinners to become a Master Weaver. The subject of the study was Iron Age Textiles from Northern Europe (the Iron Age was from 500 B.C. – A.D. 800). In the course of her study, she became interested in tablet (card) weaving. In excavations of Iron Age sites in Northern Europe (particularly in peat bogs and burial grounds), ancient textiles have been found with tablet woven borders. Through inspirations of these textiles, Inge now incorporates tablet weaving into fabrics by weaving the tablet borders and bands simultaneously with the fabric on the loom, creating scarves, shawls, jackets and coats. She also makes unique bags from leftover handwoven fabrics.

Hasnain Dattu attended York University and earned a degree in Psychology, minoring in Theology. He then went on to Toronto Metropolitan University and earned a degree in Photography. Hasnain is currently an instructor at Humber College working in the Photography program, while also pursuing an MFA at the Ontario College of Art and Design University. As a youngster, Hasnain would often spend his time staring at strangers. That didn’t sit well with his mother, who found the behaviour rude. And so he’d also spend a lot of time being punished. Torn between the activity he loved and the motherly approval he longed to have, Hasnain didn’t know what to do. But fate intervened. One sunny day he was asked to take a family photograph. And as he peered through the lens of the camera, the epiphany struck: PHOTOGRAPHY. Yes, he had finally found a socially acceptable way to channel his insatiable curiosity for people. And if that wasn’t enough, he later found he could make a career out of it.

Grace Downer received a BA and MBA from McGill University and spent her career in the corporate world. A love of drawing and painting since childhood prompted her to study and take workshops locally as well as through online courses. She does impressionistic plein air and studio work in landscapes, figurative and cityscapes. She has recently participated in plein air competitions at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection Gallery and ASK’s “Autumn Reflections En Plein Air” in King City. In March 2022, Grace founded East of Toronto Plein Air Group and looks for opportunities to organize paint outings and other activities.

Patricia Earl paints to convey the light, colour and mood of what she sees and feels around her as Mother Nature so generously provides. She doesn’t have to travel far to find subjects that inspire her. The gentle rolling hills, farmlands, forests, and wild flowers that she loves to paint are found in abundance in Ontario’s countryside, on the hiking trails, and in her own backyard. Some of her inspiration comes from her view from the backseat of the motorcycle that she and husband Jim ride as they travel the Ontario countryside or American southwest. In studio, Pat enjoys painting with both acrylics and watercolours, but the latter especially appeals to her. She loves the freshness of the medium and being able to apply and pour colours right on the paper, watching the painting evolve beneath her brush. Pat enjoys the constant challenge of keeping the white of the paper and using the transparency of watercolours to ultimately make the painting glow.

Jacqueline England resides in the Mississauga, Ontario, area. She was born in Nottingham, England, and immigrated to Canada as a young child. She returned to the U.K. to further her education and while there, she became introduced to the world of horses and, as a young teen, spent many a day “mucking out”, grooming, riding and showing horses. She has worked in various mediums, such as pastel, watercolour, gouache, acrylic, graphite and oils but favours oils as she loves the intense colour that is achieved by using them. When she paints, it is imperative that she strive to create photo-realism, especially for her horses. As long as she can picture in her mind her hand moving over the body of a horse, she is able to achieve the height of realism she demands. Jacqueline’s greatest wish is that upon viewing her paintings, the viewer will be able to feel and see what she saw while painting all these gorgeous creatures of nature and to have a greater insight of the animal it portrays.

Ronen Grunberg became curious about photography and videography in Grade 9, when a media course allowed him to explore the art of photography as well as make short films with a Super 8mm camera. Ronen’s interest in media arts continued through his 30-plus years as a high school history, English and technology teacher. In 2012, he founded the Aurora Public Library Camera Club so that area photographers could meet monthly to share their knowledge and creativity. Six years ago, Ronen became interested in drones and how they can be used in aerial photography. Drone photography is now an integral part of Ronen’s creative output.

Joan Hamilton has been designing and making jewellery since graduating from the George Brown College Jewellery Arts program. Arcane Designs grew into a retail gallery, Arcane Metal and Stone (since closed), which drew on the idea that most precious metals and gems have many special properties. Now working from a home studio, her work is inspired by strong geometric forms, architecture and her travels, and she often tries to add an unexpected element to her pieces.

Joan personally designs and craft most pieces by hand, constantly exploring new themes and techniques. Using predominantly sterling silver, 14K golds and the recent return to bronze, and incorporating sometimes hard to find coloured gems, she is always striving to create designs that combine dramatic scale with fine detail. 

Those who own one of her works know that they are wearing a one-of-a-kind piece that will outlast trends and give a lifetime of pleasure. 

Helen Hermanns  paints naturally and with intent, strict ideals and a thirst for constantly keeping depth and feel through the use of light in her paintings. She enjoys capturing the feel and beauty of horses in their natural surroundings or in work. Helen’s medium is oil on canvas or board.

Karen Hunter attended the Ontario College of Art in 1981 and received her diploma in Design/General Design in 1985. Karen has been designing and making jewellery since 1983. In 1990, she took a workshop, working with Niobium and Titanium, where she found the metal for her! All of her jewellery is handmade at her home studio and workshop, and each piece is hand-cut and formed.

Maryam Khani was born in Tehran, Iran in 1979. She graduated from university with bachelor degree of engineering in 2002. She immigrated to Canada in late 2005 and continued with her education in Canada until she became a mother.  Her husband introduced her to the world of art and became her biggest supporter and encourager. Maryam loves to spend more time with her children and provide them with a safe, loving and learning environment. She changed her career and became an artist.  She believes world of art would give her confidence to portray her feelings and her thoughts, where she is able to provide safe and loving place for her boys to grow.  In January 2014, Maryam became a member of Kingcrafts in King City, Ontario where she started pottery and since then she’s been in several different pottery workshops. She continued her artistic work by learning watercolor in October 2016. So far, she has been at several art exhibitions to show her pottery works  and watercolor paintings in Canada.

Melina Lisi is an abstract Resin artist, born and raised in Toronto. She moved to King Township in 1981 and is an active member of the Arts Society King.  Melina has participated in various juried shows, including the Schomberg Street Gallery event.  Melina had a long-time interest in the arts.  It was not until 2002 when she became afflicted with a chronic condition known as Trigeminal Neuralgia, a disorder which affects the facial nerves, that her passion for the arts was reignited.  One of the outlets she turned to was her love of contemporary art. Melina began to experiment with acrylic paint and then moved on to other various mediums including ink and Resin.  She describes her artistry as, “Creating my inner peace and becoming totally immersed with my creation. My concentration takes me away and my pain subs  ides. Art is my therapy.  Art fulfills me”.  She recalls a very spiritual mentor once told her, “You’ve been given a wonderful gift, one that must be shared”. Melina is self-taught and creates her paintings with various ediums, acrylics, inks and pigments, just to name a few, but it was Resin that captured her attention with its lustrous glasslike finish and 3-D effect.  She was captivated.

Ann Murray Livingstone

A Nova Scotian by birth, through my formative years I lived Coast to Coast. The land-scapes and the animals therein are part of my psyche and cross-Canada heritage.
Horses have played a huge part in my life, from my first ride at six until now, when I still ride my boy, Rory.
Drawing since childhood, I have continued Drawing and Painting as part of my life.
In 2000, at 55 I graduated with an Honours B.A. in Art/Art History from U. of T. at Mississauga and Sheridan College.
My process….? I like to paint series dealing with similar subjects. I become enamoured of a subject whether it be trains, the game of croquet, animals, women in diaphanous dresses…and of course, doing it my way. Mixing my own colours for the most part, I paint in oils with a limited palette.
I also am a quilter. I use quilting to create vibrant, excitingly coloured saddle pads trimmed with braid. I also do smaller pieces… lap robes, table top pieces, as well as wall hangings. My biggest quilt was the “Star Quilt” for my cousin, Anne Murray. That quilt had 5,220 one inch squares. I sometimes make a garment for fun from fabric scraps and leftover pieces.
All in all I am always moving forward to create alluring and different projects.

Vladimir Lopatin was born in Leningrad, Russia. He attained his Bachelor of Arts degree at the Academy of Arts and Design in Kharkov, Ukraine. He moved to Canada in 1997 and currently resides in Stouffville, Ontario. His interest and love of art began at childhood and has become a lifelong passion. He loves working in different mediums but he finds oil paintings and wood sculptures to be the ideal method of expression for his passion for art.

He paints and sculpts the world he lives in. Nature gives him an endless supply of forms and patterns for inspiration. His inspiration comes from the shadowing, curvature, shape, color, and texture of the wood itself. His art is stylized fantasy rather than realism. His work can be found in private collections in Ukraine, Russia, Yugoslavia, Germany, Australia, USA, and Canada.

Hans Martin retired after a career in Atmospheric Physics in 1998 and in 2003 took up painting.  He enrolled in Donnah Cameron’s watercolor classes in Newmarket until a few years ago when she moved. In time he became familiar with various art organizations including SOYRA and ASK. He has participated in several shows and other special events. He has won several watercolour awards including two honourable mentions and three first prizes.

Mary Morganelli immigrated from Italy where her love for art developed at an early age.  Her artwork was put aside to start a family, but recently she revived her passion by taking private lessons.  She adores painting whatever inspires her, including portraits, landscapes, flowers, animals, automobiles, and more. Using an array of mediums, her therapeutic creations tell stories, express emotions, and some are just for fun.  For Mary, variety is the spice of life.

Evangeline Munn‘s love of watercolor is reflected  in her fresh, transparent colors. Her inspirations often come from nature . Evangeline studied at the Creative School of Art in Edmonton, Alberta, at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, the San Miguel de Allende Institute in Mexico, the Haliburton School of Fine Art in Ontario, and in Kenya. She has been in numerous solo and juried group shows and has won a number of awards in the Toronto Watercolor shows, Aurora Art shows, Central and East Central Art shows and received a scholarship from the Ontario Arts Council. Evangeline is a signature member of the Toronto Watercolor Society and a former member of the Arts and Letters Club. Her work is represented in several galleries and in private collections across North America, England, Europe, Japan, and Australia.

Evangeline is also an instructor in art. Recently she served as a juror for 2 shows.

Evangeline lives with her family in King City, Ontario.

Artist statement:
Evangeline strives to bring a unique approach and to capture a feeling of passion for whatever she is painting.

Michele Nash
MichelesMagic Art
“art inspired beauty”

Creativity is in my soul whether it be with paint, photography or words.  It is the perfection in the imperfection that I take to completion.  Exploring our environment (rural and urban) allows me to see different textures, movement and light/dark components which open up unlimited possibilities that I incorporate into my art.

Colour is a key component to my artistry.  Colour seeps into my minds’ eye whether I am awake or dreaming, allowing my vision to come alive in clips.  As a self-taught artist and spiritual being, I fill each art piece with healing and joy.  Delving into many art forms over the years, I have build a solid foundation which I continue to expand on my artistic journey.

Presently, I am focussing on several mediums including Abstract Art, Alcohol Ink, Cold Wax and Oil, Mixed Media, Photography, and Textured Art. 

I am an Artist, a Certified Crystal Healer, Crystal Reiki Master, Level 1 Reiki teacher and a Crystal Grid Master.  I am an avid cook and baker. I live with my husband and our 2 dogs.  I reside in King City, Ontario, Canada.

Hoda Nicholas is a Canadian artist born in Cairo, Egypt and currently lives in Newmarket, Ontario. Hoda uses colours expressively and vibrantly to capture moments in time highlighting the beauty in a flower, a landscape, a pear or a child’s face. Hoda’s intention is to evoke a feeling, rather than depicting a realistic representation of the subject, allowing the viewer to interact with the paintings at a more emotional level. The subject might vary but the end goal is always to inspire a sense of joy and beauty through each painting. Pursuing art is an ongoing journey for Hoda filled with excitement and anticipation of what each painting will bring forth.

My name is Jenny Nicholson and my passion for art started when I retired and 2 years ago joined a drawing class at the local Aurora Seniors Centre.  This was quickly followed by a watercolour paint class.  To my surprise, I had ignited a curiosity and passion I didn’t even know I had and during the lockdown period of the pandemic, this new passion kept me excited and sane.

I have attended in person classes and workshops from wonderful local artists like Nancy Newman, Karen Levert, Bonnie Steinberg and Judy Sherman. With so few in person opportunities during the pandemic, I have praised the wonder of technology and enjoyed the many online tutorials available on YouTube and the brave and adventurous instructors who have embraced it.

My goal is to continue to learn and grow in this wonderful medium of watercolour and to connect with like minded people in the vibrant world of art.

John Panopoulos lives in Lloydtown, King Township who has been a working artist for over thirty five years in a multi-faceted design career with a diverse arts background. His creative imagination and skills have forged the next evolution of his unique design creations. John brings sophistication and a high standard of craftsmanship to every one of a kind, monolithic stone piece he creates.Inspired by several pivotal journeys to Iceland, Ireland and Greece each piece is an exceptional, exclusive collection, uniquely created as a sculptural focal point to evoke surreal and lyrical expressions.“I like surprising people with a familiar object in a evocative placement” says John.  His creations include, large water features, immense stone benches, focal garden features, entrance tables, coffee tables and more. Each sculptural piece is formulated with an alchemy of materials to achieve the look and feel of real stone at a fraction of the weight, that is strong and all weather resistant making it logistically easier to place in any desired space.

Dominick Petrungaro began exploring his interest in photography and film as early as grade school and his photographs have appeared in Toronto newspapers and magazines. He specializes in portraiture, landscape, and architectural. He is also a freelance photographer whose work includes; Justin Trudeau’s campaign trail in Ontario, Cadbury Canada, Parkinson Society Canada, Ashley’s Angels, Sick Kids Hospital, Art World Fine Art,The Breast Cancer Society of Canada, Systems Interactive, Clean Farm, The Arrowhead Inn and Artemis Boutique.

Ivanka Pipinikova mainly paints with oils. Figures of people have always been a source of inspiration for her. She hopes that through her work, she can convey the feeling and mood of a moment in a way that the viewer can become a part of it. Constantly growing and evolving as an artist, Ivanka aims to create beautiful, impactful art. She has exhibited her paintings at various Juried Art Shows and Art exhibitions.

Jessica Pulla 

may be a health professional by training, but the arts have always held a special place in her heart. Now that her four children are growing up, she’s finding the time to focus on the things that truly make her happy. A self- taught watercolour artist, Jessica embraces the fluidity of the medium and would characterize her style as very loose and free. Often painting spontaneously with no reference, the final result is always a surprise. 
Having been raised here in King City – where she currently resides with her own family – Jessica is excited to be a member of the Arts Society of King.

Anne Reimer’s paintings show a remarkable sense of colour, love, and understanding of nature.

Her inspirations come from the beauty of of local area scenes, as well as her travels. She loves to depict barns, mills, and capturing still life from her garden.

Anne was born in Paraguay, South America, and immigrated to Canada in 1955 at the age of 16. Her art training from Art Instruction Schools has helped her gain understanding of the fundamentals of art. Feeling a deep love for fine art, she has been inspired to perfect her technique in oil, watercolour, and mixed media.

Living in the Niagara area since she immigrated, she has married and raised a family of three children, and continues to be involved with grandchildren as the family grows.

Over the past several decades, she has exhibited in variety of shows and galleries. Her works are displayed in many homes in Canada, the United States, and many other countries.

She spends many hours in her home studio, painting for shows and filling commissions, as well as teaching. Her love for art grows with each painting as she seeks to fulfill her ambition.

Clare Ross has been showing and selling her work internationally since 2008. Her work has been reviewed in magazines in Canada and in England. She periodically opens her studio for tours and exhibitions. In 2012, Clare joined ASK and in 2014, she was one of 12 artists juried into the Ontario Society of Artists (OSA). She is currently the Vice President of the OSA. In 2016 she received an honourable mention from the Society of Canadian Artists for her piece titled “Soft Sunrise.” She currently shows in juried and other group shows and privately to interested buyers. She is working on two photographic projects for 2017: “Conversations with Nature” – an interpretation of our interference with nature, and a yet to be titled project focusing on the declining population of butterflies. Clare has a presence in social media and you can follow her work on Facebook and Instagram.

Steve Silverman. A native of Toronto, Canada, Steve Silverman is a Canadian award-winning, fine art photographer with a keen and unique artistic vision. His love and passion for black and white photography are reflected in his dramatic landscapes and engaging cityscapes from across Canada and abroad.
Steve’s photos are visual metaphors. An intimate, interpretive view of the world around him. An implied comparison creating a link between the mundane and the sublime. He uses strong tonal contrast, texture and mood to express his artistic vision. His photos are easily recognizable by his use of strong leading lines combined with the interplay of light and shadows to create depth, giving a two-dimensional image the illusion of three dimensions. Simple put, he can transform a simple, mundane scene into a compelling black & white fine art photograph. Steve’s photos have been published in many international books and magazines. He is also a guest speaker at local camera clubs. Steve works with several Canadian art galleries and publishers on a variety of corporate and home decor fine art projects.

Catharine Somerville was born in Canada and lives both in the UK and Canada. Her work has won major awards and is in public and private collections throughout the world.
Primarily a colourist, it is Catharine’s aim to touch the emotional chords in the viewer with her unique colour pallet.
 
She works in all media and subject matter.

Natasha Vasiljevic is known for mixing a minimalist’s eye with a maximalist’s sense of colour. She brings a precise, sculptural approach to her work for various commercial clients like Holt Renfrew, Indigo, YSL Beauty, Dior Cosmetics, Canada Post, The Hudson’s Bay and Canada Goose.

Her love of story telling and conceiving conceptual still life have won her several National Magazine and Advertising and Design Club of Canada awards, and her work has been featured in various North American and European publications, like In Style, Red UK, Allure, Women’s Health and others.

Phyllis Vernon paints in a variety of media and styles – her art is an exciting and constantly changing event as she explores and experiments with her love of colour, texture, light, form, media, and a wide variety of subjects.  Originally a watercolour artist, she has broadened her scope to include acrylics, inks, graphite, collage and hand-pulled prints, blending realism and abstraction.  Phyllis travels extensively and often paints from  her photographs and sketches. She has participated in workshops with professional artists in Canada, United States, France and Spain, as well as extensive reading and research on her own.  She accepts commissions and delights clients by capturing in paint a favourite location, often an ancestral home in Europe.

Michelle Zikovitz has been weaving functional baskets for over 20 years and teaching for the past 15 years, throughout southern Ontario. Her early weaving years were spent at her 2 floor looms focusing on woven tapestries, rugs, placemats and runners. A basketry workshop taught by a fellow guild member, a love of baskets and the ability to weave baskets almost anywhere all led to a new found passion of basket weaving.  Reed is her personal material of choice for teaching, incorporating her own hand dyed reed whenever possible. Michelle enjoys experimenting with random dyed or “space dyed” skeins of reed, creating many unique colour combinations and resulting in truly one of a kind baskets.  When not basket weaving or working, Michelle dabbles in photography, sewing, fibre arts and various painting mediums. She loves to explore and find local basket weavers, artists, shops and galleries on her travels.