Acrylic on Canvas (16x16)

Painted during the Elora Plein Air Festival, Hidden Spring captures the first quiet signs of life returning to my garden after a long Canadian winter.
I was drawn to the way the early spring light touched the garden—the soft greens, emerging branches, and small hints of colour appearing among the shadows. It felt like discovering a hidden world waking up right outside my door.
This painting is a reminder that spring doesn’t arrive all at once. It begins quietly, almost unnoticed, until suddenly the garden is alive again.

Vera Kisseleva is a professional landscape artist, art educator, and the founder of Vera Kiss Art Studio in downtown Fergus. With a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education and more than ten years as a full-time artist, she has built her career around capturing the beauty of nature, light, and atmosphere through vibrant acrylic paintings.

Colour reduction woodcut (20x17)

Kaitlin Teeter is a multidisciplinary artist based in Guelph, Ontario working in printmaking, photography and drawing. Her work explores themes of science, nature and curiosity. She is interested in how the study of the natural world can create a sense of wonder and reverence in the beholder. Much of her practice is informed by her prior studies in Plant Science and Microbiology at the University of Guelph. She is a recipient of the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation Printmaking Prize and received both the Printmaking Award and the Technicians’ Award at the University Guelph’s 58th Annual Juried Art Show.

This work is inspired by scientist Barbara McClintock’s groundbreaking discovery of genetic transposition in maize. This phenomenon is responsible for the rainbow of coloured kernels found in some corn varieties. I chose to zoom in on the kernels because I enjoy how they resemble a group of multiplying cells.

Pastel ( 41.5 x 22.5)

Vicki is a designated Master Pastelist with the Pastel Artists.CA and an exhibiting member of the Federation of Canadian Artists.

Her pastels have been featured in International Artists and Pastel International art journals in 2000 & 2015 and exhibited with the Canadian Korean Exhibition at Federation Gallery in Vancouver in 2003.

She has garnered many awards in provincial competitions with work included in private and corporate collections.

Vicki is drawn primarily to the unique geographical formations of the Niagara Escarpment and surrounding countryside and waterways.

Her style is colourful & energetic using an economy of mark making and bold layering. Seasonal changes in nature are a constant inspiration to capture "en plein air" or in her studio in Puslinch,Ontario.  Landscape painting is her passion and she seldom tires of the endless choices before her. 

Painting is a very fulfilling experience and I feel blessed to be able to have the passion and the time to experience it. Hopefully I can convey to viewers similar feelings of appreciation.

Vicki is basically a self taught painter with additional instruction from top international instructors. She has exhibited professionally since 1990 and has instructed workshops for seniors and younger pastel enthusiasts. 

Oil on Canvas (20x16)

Matthew Donaldson has been an Artist since he was born. His work features impressionistic portraits and dark, atmospheric landscapes. He has shown in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. He currently resides in Guelph.

Acrylic on canvas (24x18)

"I have always been a dreamer and the pull of nature is a part of me, the dreamer. I am mesmerized by its sight, sound and texture. The feel of cedar bark under my fingers, the smoothness of rocks worn by the elements. The sounds of crashing waves and the winds rustling the grasses. The hum or buzz of the cicadas and the bees on a hot, dry, summer day. The call of the red-winged blackbird, takes me to a special place in my childhood. Most of all it’s the way the sunlight illuminates and reveals a whole other world of intricacies and patterns, that surely would have been missed, sight unseen, without its kiss. I’ve been told I see things differently than others, so I feel compelled to share what I see and feel. Nature is my muse and paint and brush are my tools. For this is the dream, I dare to dream."

Sharon Barker

Framed Acrylic Monotype Print on Handmade Paper (16.5x13.5)

Gillian Joseph is a Guelph-based artist whose work highlights the extraordinary in the ordinary. She uses acrylic and watercolour paint as well as charcoal. Gillian is an Associate member of the Society of Canadian Artists. Her paintings have been exhibited in several galleries both locally and abroad, but currently her paintings and cards can be viewed at the Artisan Store in downtown Guelph and at the Art Gallery of Guelph Gallery Shop on Gordon Street.

Framed Acrylic Monotype Print on Handmade Paper (16.5x13.5)

Gillian Joseph is a Guelph-based artist whose work highlights the extraordinary in the ordinary. She uses acrylic and watercolour paint as well as charcoal. Gillian is an Associate member of the Society of Canadian Artists. She has exhibited her work in several galleries both locally and abroad, and currently her paintings and cards can be found at The Guelph Artisan Store in downtown Guelph and the Art Gallery of Guelph Gallery Shop on Gordon Street.

Acrylic on cradled wood (12x12)

Ruth Linda Morton holds an honours computer science degree with a minor in fine art from the University of Guelph. She worked in the technology industry for 30 years before exiting corporate life and becoming a full-time professional artist in 2025. Equally comfortable with a keyboard or a paint brush, her logical, process-happy side and creative, chaos-loving side inform each other throughout her process. Ruth works from her home studio in Guelph, Ontario.

Acrylic on canvas (16x20)

Kim Taylor is a local artist

Watercolour (7x9)

Red-winged Heart is about symmetry, nature, and the red-winged blackbird. This past summer I kept seeing this bird, and I felt a connection to it, like it was watching over me. Red-winged blackbirds are protectors; for example, the male birds will chase people and horses to protect their nest. This reminds how important it is to protect and hold onto the people we care about.

Hi my name is Karina, and my pronouns are (they/them) I am a visual artist whose work is rooted in personal experience and visions of a social justice–focused utopia. My art highlights representation across queer, disabled, and racialized communities. Creating art is both a way to imagine a world where everyone can be their fullest selves and a meaningful part of their own healing journey.

Acrylic on canvas (

The white lily symbolizes spring, hope and a new beginning. 

Toronto Island born and Guelph based, Jackie McLarnon is an artist whose work celebrates a life in motion. A retired health and fitness professional and current Guelph YMCA volunteer, Jackie brings a sense of energy and flow to her loose-style paintings. Working across oil, acrylic, watercolour, and pastel, she finds constant inspiration in the colours and textures of her garden. Her art has won prizes at the Aberfoyle Agricultural Fair.

Acrylic on canvas ( )

Poppies are a flower that I have repeatedly drawn and painted since childhood. We all know it is an important reminder as we get closer to November but it’s just a beautiful, delicate and colourful flower. 

Toronto Island born and Guelph based, Jackie McLarnon is an artist whose work celebrates a life in motion. A retired health and fitness professional and current Guelph YMCA volunteer, Jackie brings a sense of energy and flow to her loose-style paintings. Working across oil, acrylic, watercolour, and pastel, she finds constant inspiration in the colours and textures of her garden. Her art has won prizes at the Aberfoyle Agricultural Fair.

Acrylic on canvas (14x12)

Nicole Clark, artist, and dreamer. Living in Fergus this artist works to bring joy and dreaminess to the everyday through her artwork, hoping to bring equality and basic human decency to all. Through the love and joy of nostalgia this artwork brings back the joy and fun that driving on a sunny day with that right person.

Acrylic on canvas (36x36)

Created with a sense of fun and full of colour, a nod to the adult ladies of all ages, who enjoy girl time to share, gossip and love.

Vanya Ryan is a full time Artist who lives near Guelph Ontario. She has always been inspired by the world around her and by her imagination.

Vanya likes to primarily work with acrylic paint on stretched canvas. She loves to create fun scenes that feel distorted and full of colour. Though she is primarily known for her floral creations on canvas, inspired by her spring and summer garden. Vanya Ryan grew up in Guelph Ontario and feels a connection to the vibrant Art Community and considers her self lucky to be surrounded by such positive Art influences.

Hardcover children's book signed by the author.

Acrylic on board (18x24)

Art is an integral part of my life, both as a personal practice and as a means of connection. Prior to retirement I taught acrylic painting and wood carving at a seniors’ centre, there I had the privilege of nurturing creativity and encouraging others to discover their own artistic voices.

My work is grounded in a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, observation and the simple pleasure of creating and the expressive possibilities of paint and wood. It is especially meaningful to share my work through this auction, where these pieces can find not only an audience, but a new home and a new realization.

Ilana Miller

Mixed Media on canvas (24x30)

Karinda Ristic is an emerging abstract artist originally from Cape Town, South Africa and is now living in Ontario, Canada. She creates ethereal abstract landscapes with mixed media, exploring the inner journey of one's authentic self.

She is mostly self-taught, although she enjoys learning new skills through

participating in many different art courses over the years. Initially she worked with

acrylic paints, but her artwork has organically shifted over the last 8 years, since

during this time she has moved around the world with her partner and two children.

This has given her a unique perspective of the world and now she mostly works with fluid ink mediums and sews into the canvas with embroidery thread.

Karinda has participated in a variety of group exhibitions in Canada. One of her

highlights was when she was invited to do a talk at the opening event for the Unity

Art group exhibition in British Columbia. Her work has also been published in a

variety of international art magazines.

Acrylic on canvas (36x36)

Vanya Ryan is a full time Artist who lives near Guelph Ontario. She has always been inspired by the world around her and by her imagination.

Vanya likes to primarily work with acrylic paint on stretched canvas. She loves to create fun scenes that feel distorted and full of colour. Though she is primarily known for her floral creations on canvas, inspired by her spring and summer garden. Vanya Ryan grew up in Guelph Ontario and feels a connection to the vibrant Art Community and considers her self lucky to be surrounded by such positive Art influences.

Oil and cold wax (24x24)

Carolyn Sharp

This piece was inspired by the rocky shores and wild skies of Lake Huron.

As an artist deeply inspired by the breathtaking Canadian landscape, my work seeks to unveil the intricate rhythms of nature. Through layered paintings, I strive to evoke the energy and essence of the environments I cherish. I paint how it feels to be in nature. Each piece is an invitation to the viewer—an opportunity to step into a moment suspended in time, a memory, or a place of quiet contemplation.

This is an archival inkjet print from a unique mordançage print. (14x12)

This work is from a series using the processes and materials of photography to reimagine the landscape and make visible what has been invisibilized by human interests.

Richelle Forsey is an interdisciplinary process-based artist and writer. Through her practice she explores her interests in the materiality and boundaries of photography in the digital age, the culture of nature, and the beauty of entropy.

Richelle works with digital technologies such as drone cameras, scanners and imaging software and analogue processes like cyanotype and mordançage; and her outputs vacillate between interventions, exhibitions, and online presentations. Through her most recent project “desire lines” she examines the intersection of the sublime landscape and the urban environment and makes work exploring the evidence of the consequences of contemporary life.

Forsey’s work has been exhibited frequently in galleries and public spaces throughout Ontario including Gallery Stratford’s Art in the Trees and Gallery 44’s Production Gallery, as well collaboratively in Nuit Blanche (Toronto), the Contact Photography Festival (Toronto) and Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener + Area. Richelle is a member of the URBEX photography collective TLR Club and is the Photography Technician in the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph.