Meet the Team
ECOAA only exists because of its volunteers.
We welcome any help in any capacity.
If your keen to get involved we'd love to hear from you!
We welcome any help in any capacity.
If your keen to get involved we'd love to hear from you!
Our President - Judy Clark
president@ecoaa.ca
Like many hard working volunteers, Judy has worn many hats. She's an excellent president with an eye for detail and a flair for creativity. her abundant energy keeps us going and her calm demeanour keeps us level.
Her Artist Statement
I am an artist living in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. It is an idyllic setting for enhancing creativity.
I have a grand passion for drawing and painting people. I love bringing their portraits to life and telling stories about their daily experiences. While people are my preferred subjects, I also find inspiration in the beauty of nature.
When I retired from a banking career in 2008, I devoted time to my love of art and have been actively developing my art skills ever since.
For five years, I ran the Life Drawing Program at the Baxter Arts Centre in Bloomfield and arranged shows for the work produced by the artists. At live modelling sessions, I sketched with oil on Yupo paper. These quick studies produced fresh and vibrant snapshots. With the onset of Covid in 2020, I switched to using watercolour to sketch and paint the figure and portraits on Zoom.
I have explored and worked in different mediums but oil is a favourite.
I am a member of a number of a few art groups. In 2020, I became the President of East Central Ontario Art Association.
Vice President - this position is currently Vacant
Our Treasurer -
Judy Myers
treasurer@ecoaa.ca
ecoaatreasurer@gmail.com
judimyersstudio.ca
Judi has been working as a professional artist for many years, doing large shows such as the One of a Kind Show and Sale. She is no stranger to working with figures and balancing the books.
About Judi
Judi Myers has been painting and selling quality glass Christmas ornaments at craft shows and in stores and galleries across Canada for more than twenty five years. Every ornament is hand painted by Judi and all designs are her originals.
Each piece is a unique work of art.
When Covid changed the face of creative retail, Judi slowed down with her ornaments and not concentrates on her painting.
Our Secretary -
Laurie Cairns
secretary@ecoaa.ca
www.lauriecairnsart.com
Laurie is new to the Executive, she jumped in with two feet and took on the role of secretary. She's doing a fabulous job and gets the minutes out asap!
About Laurie
Painting has been one of Laurie's lifelong interests. Along with camping, hiking, kayaking and travel. She discovered her passion for painting in highschool (too many years ago to mention) and continued to teach and challenge herself as a hobby while working full time in health care and raising a family. Over these 30 years she was fortunate to attend classes and workshops with many established painters in Ontario and beyond.
Her process of painting begins with value sketches, plein air studies and photography. Painting primarily in oil, she enjoys exploring colour, texture and loose fluid brushstrokes. She is currently building up a body of work to exhibit while also working on a few commissioned pieces.
Our Newsletter Editor AND Social Media Chair
- Jenn Delaney
news@ecoaa
www.jenniferdelaney.ca
Jenn's background in graphic art gives her an edge when designing our eye catching newsletter. Full of colour and active links, its food for inspiration!
About Jenn
Hello! My name is Jennifer Delaney and I am an artist residing in Bethany, Ontario, Canada. I have had a passion for art since childhood, exploring many different mediums.
In the early years, I created a ton of drawings with graphite pencils and different types of markers, usually in my school notebooks, or on anything I could find to make a picture on. In my teen years, I advanced into charcoal, pastels, acrylic painting and had a date or two with airbrushing in my early 20's.
The internet dawned in the mid 1990's, and the pull of digital art was strong for me. It was all I wanted to do. I made graphics whenever time would allow, and loved learning all the technical aspects of the Adobe, Macromedia, and Quark products in existence at the time. In my 30's, I took the plunge, (and I'm not sure how) and I finished an Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design, while balancing a full time career, and being a single mother, and not remembering when I slept. I now have over 20 years of 'part time' digital art experience, but in this decade of life, it was time for a REAL change...
This past year, I have left my 28 year career at a company, and left my digital dabbling, to make the jump to full time artist. I am now primarily an oil painter, learning (daily) AND selling (thank you, art lovers), along with enjoying many other mediums when I need a creativity outlet, other than painting. I'm honing my skills (honing is forEVer), and steadfastly pursuing my dreams as an oil painter.
I am hoping to inspire others with my creativity and leaps of faith. I could not wait any longer to commit to the art inside of me, and commit myself fully and completely into the life I feel I was always destined for. I am SO thankful that I have had the opportunities in my life to help propel my dream forward. I will not take that for granted.
Our Membership Chair AND Webmaster
- Sheila Davis SCA OSA SFCA
membership@ecoaa.ca
webmaster@ecoaa.ca
www.sheiladavis.ca
www.ecoaa.ca
Sheila has been a member of ECOAA for over 30 years. She know the group and its history inside out. She gives ECOAA credit for mush of her successful career as an professional artist. Always busy and on the go Sheila will jump in when needed to keep the group moving ahead. One of those sick people who enjoy tech she created and manages the website www.ecoaa.ca as well as her own and a few for friends. if something goes wrong blame her!
About Sheila
Primarily self taught, Sheila has been a professional artist for over 23 years. Her interest lies in obscure areas of the environment as seen on the periphery of daily vision. Sheila works in oil, painting both Plein Air and in the studio, preferring large panels.
Using dynamic brushstrokes and saturated colour, she captures the friction and play of texture and temperature where surface planes meet, challenging the eye to look deeper, to see beyond the obvious, to become aware of those areas of nature necessary to existence, to see beauty in the mundane.
Her work has a strong organic feel to it, indicative of the natural landscape she paints.
Foremost she is known for the energy she pours into each work to capture the chaotic vibrancy of mother earth.
An elected member of the Society of Canadian Artists, the Ontario Society of Artists and a Senior Status member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Sheila’s work has been featured in magazines, on television and is included in private and corporate collections around the world. She is represented by various galleries throughout Canada and participates in select exhibitions throughout the year.
Sheila is inspired by the friction and play of textures where surface planes meet. The tangled under growth competing for light and space. A play of forces, where colour and temperature meld or clash for dominance - a battle of the elements, Earth, Sky, Water and all they encompass. She believes an Artist interprets best what they know intimately…what surrounds them personally and they touch daily… what influences on a deep emotional level either conscious or unconscious. For her this is the untouched Ontario landscape… tangled, unfettered and unfinished…a work in progress, constantly growing and striving towards light, strength and freedom from constraint.
Our Weekends Co-ordinator - Linda Famme
weekends@ecoaa.ca
Linda Famme on Instagram
ECOAA is well know for it weekends. We paint, we chat, we dance, we immerse ourselves in art for an entire weekend. Networking and learning from others our weekends have become famous. Covid forever changed the history of our weekends. many of our beloved weekend locations closed forever. One was washed away in a storm. There wear tears from a few and memories to cherish from many.
Linda's knowledge of the travel industry puts her in the perfect chair (ha ha) for keep the group moving forward and carrying on tradition.
weekends@ecoaa.ca
Linda Famme on Instagram
ECOAA is well know for it weekends. We paint, we chat, we dance, we immerse ourselves in art for an entire weekend. Networking and learning from others our weekends have become famous. Covid forever changed the history of our weekends. many of our beloved weekend locations closed forever. One was washed away in a storm. There wear tears from a few and memories to cherish from many.
Linda's knowledge of the travel industry puts her in the perfect chair (ha ha) for keep the group moving forward and carrying on tradition.
Our Juried show Chair for 2024 and Campbellford Hospital Exhibition Chair
- Margaret MacDonald
juriedshow@ecoaa.ca
hospitalshow@ecoaa.ca
Margaret MacDonald on Instagram
Former member Leigh Thompson (now living in the UK) initiated the ECOAA ongoing exhibition at The Campbellford Hospital in Campbellford Ontario. It brings our members work in the public eye and some cheer to those visiting the hospital. when Leigh moved back to the UK Margaret stepped forward to take over the arrangements for twice yearly change over of work. The work is hung in a busy corridor and sales are fairly steady!
MORE TO COME!