The Canadian Shield and Other Landscapes at the Ken Segal Gallery involves the works of three talented Canadian artists: Ed Bartram RCA, Tim Schouten, and Robert Sim. From the iconic images of Georgian Bay and the Canadian Shield by Bartram, to the images of Treaty signing locations by Schouten and to the images of Winnipeg landscapes by Sim, we see the diverse Canadian landscapes represented in different media and styles in this exhibition.

Our first artist Ed Bartram RCA is one of Canada’s foremost painters and printmakers. His inspiration has been the Georgian Bay and the Precambrian landscape. While the Group of Seven was among the first artists to paint the islands of Georgian Bay, Bartram reinterprets the same subject matter using modern printmaking techniques. He earned his M.A. in Fine Arts at the University of Toronto in 1964 and became an RCA member in 1976. He had exhibited in the past in Winnipeg at the Thomas Gallery and Upstairs Gallery. His works are in many public and private collections, and are exhibited with the Mira Godard Gallery and public galleries across Canada. We are very honoured that he joined our gallery.

Our second artist is Tim Schouten. Schouten has had two solo shows at our gallery. His works in the show are part of his ongoing Treaty Lands Project which includes The Treaty Suites. The Treaty Suites project was conceived as a series of eleven suites of paintings, each based on photographs taken at the exact locations of the signings of each of the eleven “numbered treaties” between First Nations and Canada. He is intent upon understanding the layers of conflict and beauty associated with each specific place. For Schouten landscape is visual place and his paintings are visually gorgeous, luminous and shimmering, and all the while underneath the surface is the question of land ownership.

Last but not least, Robert Sim, also a new member to our gallery, is not only a talented painter, but also an amazing sculptor. He graduated from the School of Art at the University of Manitoba in 1989. Currently, four of his paintings are on display in the Subconscious City exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, curated by Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan. In our exhibition we are displaying 17 of his small landscape paintings, 15 of which depict scenes from Winnipeg. This particular body of work focuses on a series of oils on paper that are beautifully executed. This is our first exhibition featuring Sim and we are proud to introduce his work to our clients.

This show continues the commitment of the Ken Segal Gallery to put on exhibitions of contemporary works of art. The Canadian Shield and Other Landscapes opens on Thursday, May 1, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:30pm and continues to May 24. Robert Sim and Tim Schouten will be in attendance at the opening and works are available for preview. To get more information, interview the artists or receive press-ready images, please contact the gallery.