Ottawa School of Art

Public and private institutions, many individuals in the Ottawa region and around the world, have collected the art works of these crafters. They have won prestigious awards and fellowships and they contribute in large quantity to the cultural life of the city and of the region.

KAREL AELTERMAN

Karel Aelterman is a cabinetmaker-craftsman who designs and makes unique, contemporary and high-end furniture that is mainly distributed through art and craft galleries, and shown in exhibitions. He also makes commission furniture.

Born in Belgium in 1966, living and working in Canada since 1994, Karel has been making furniture in his studio since 2004. Prior to focusing full-time on cabinetmaking, he gained more than 15 years experience as a translator and meeting planner for government agencies.

He studied translation in Brussels and acquired his first woodworking experience both as self-taught and in private sculpting courses. He subsequently attended several courses at Algonquin College in Ottawa and graduated at the Rosewood Studio’s craftsman course in Almonte. In 2006, he won the award for emerging artists from the Conseil de la culture de l’Outaouais.

Karel likes to pay specific attention to details, proportions, construction methods and quality of materials. He uses intuitive design to create functional pieces of art that emphasize the inherent beauty of domestic and exotic woods.

www.karelaelterman.com

CAIRN CUNNANE

Cairn Cunnane has been operating his own studio as an artist-blacksmith for 13 years. His main focus is on unique architectural and sculptural pieces designed and created for specific clients and or places. Iron-steel, bronze, copper, aluminum, and stainless are the main materials.

He is basically self-taught. As a member of A.B.A.N.A. (Artist Blacksmith Asso¬ciation of North America), he has attended conferences is St. Louis, Mo. 1994; Alfred, N.Y. 1996; Flagstaff, AR. 2000, La Crosse, MI. 2002, and the Symposium on Iron at Penland, NC. He demonstrated forging metal sculpture at the International Caniron Conference at McMaster University in 2003, and has been invited to do the same in Victoria B.C. in July 2007.

Along with courses in art history, photography, and drawing, his interest has led to travels in Europe and the Far East to study and photograph metalwork. “Anvils Ring”, the A.B.A.N.A. publication featured his work in the Spring 1996, Winter 2001, and Summer 2003 issues.

What is an artist- blacksmith? A blacksmith creates out of metal by heating it in a forge and then hammering it (forging) into a new form. The rigid material becomes plastic and soft for the time it is hot glowing red and then freezes again. This is not casting where you make a mould and pour the material into it. This is a hands-on process. It is very old since the first tools and weapons had to be made like this. The art-craft, which almost disappeared with the machine age, remains basically unchanged, but modern accessories have added to its possibilities. It is fun and an exciting field with unlimited possibilities. While it is hard, hot, and rewarding work, some of the best smiths in the U.S. today are women.

www.cairncunnane.ca

CHANTAL DAVIGNON

Chantal Davignon’s preferred form of creative expression is painting on fabric, which she has been doing for over 25 years. The span of her work ranges from traditional silk paintings to mixed media collages integrating paper, fabrics, acrylics and embroidery.

Chantal was born and raised in Montreal. She received a bachelor in the History of Art from the University of Montreal and a bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Quebec in Montreal. Chantal was first taught the language of abstraction at the age of 12 by Jerome Paradis, a friend and colleague of Paul-Emile Borduas. He showed her the works and techniques of the Automatists painters.

Chantal took up silk painting at the age of 16 and has been creating with fabric since that time. Mostly an experimental artist, she expresses her views of the world with textile and paint. Through her “gestural roots,” her work reveals a tension between figuration and abstraction. Chantal Davignon’s pieces can be seen in private collections in Canada and the U.S.

KAREN GOETZINGER

Karen Goetzinger is an award winning artist, teacher, and lecturer. She is known and sought after for her finely detailed wall hangings that often employ a kimono shaped “canvas” and are influ¬enced by her roots in traditional quilt making, couture construction, and her passion for vintage Japanese textiles and design. Karen’s art interprets the quietly deep and powerful contrasts that speak to her from vintage Asian textiles. Her works have been exhibited by public and private galleries in Canada and the United States, in museums, at regional fiber art shows throughout North America and hang in private collections internationally. They have been described as “breathtaking and inspirational, a beautiful blend of tradi¬tional and contemporary fiber art.”

www.karengoetzinger.com

PAMELA LASERRE

After completing her fine arts studies at the University of the Arts, London (St Martin’s Cental, Byam Shaw) she worked as an art critic (Cape Times), was an assistant gallery custodian and taught European Art History. Presently teaches in the Diploma, General & Children’s Program at the OSA & completed a didactic painting commission for the National Gallery of Canada in 2007. Her work is carried by “Rossovw Modern” & “Off the Wall Contemporary” in South Africa & can be found in private collections in Canada, South Africa, France & the USA. She exhibits regularly in the Ottawa region & in SA.

HEIDI PIVNICK

Heidi Pivnick is a professional rug artist and teacher. She has been an needle artist for thirty years and in 1999 opened the Gathering Rug Hooking Studio. Heidi has acquired her Canadian and American accred¬itation in teaching rug hooking, and teaches in schools across Canada and the United States. She is widely known for taking the art of rug hooking to a new and exciting contemporary art form. Heidi is well known for her dyeing technique and custom dyes for customers across North America. She has won many awards in the rug hooking community and has in the past five years made the transition to mainstream art. An accepted artist Heidi has accepted commissions and has shown her work in galleries in Canada and the States and now belongs to private collectors along side valued oriental rugs.

www.heidipivnickrugartist.com

DAVID PATERSON

David Paterson is an artist who works exclusively with glass. David graduated from the Glassblowing Program at Sheridan College in 1985, and over the course of his career his work has won several awards and is now included in many private collections. David’s work includes hand-blown vases, bowls, paperweights, perfume bottles, wine bottle stoppers, and oil lamps; kiln formed plates; large wall sculptures; and even glass furniture. Hand-blown pieces are made from a clear molten lead­-free crystal combined with colored glasses that are imported from Europe. About 150 pounds of glass is melted in a furnace at 2100°F and kept liquid 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Only a blowpipe and hand tools are used to create each piece. Kiln-formed pieces are hand-crafted from sheets of glass that are slowly heated until they soften and take on the shape of the hand-made form underneath it. Often the top surface is coated with gold or other precious metals. David also often applies gold and silver leaf to the glass, creating spectacular effects. You can watch the glassblowing at his store and studio in the historic village of Merrickville.

www.david-paterson.com

CAROLYNNE PYNN TRUDEAU

Carolynn Pynn Trudeau has been a practicing potter and instructor since graduating in Fine Arts from McMaster University in 1971. She credits a two –year apprenticeship with potter Helen Brink, undertaken upon graduation, for her abiding interest in functional form. Operating from her home studio in central Ottawa, Carolynne produces unique and limited production functional pottery, which is distributed through arts and crafts galleries, exhibitions and by commission. Her wheel-thrown forms are refined, providing a surface for detailed and complex decoration. The decoration is built up by means of impressions, slips, multiple-fired glazes, over-glazes and ceramic transfers. In conjunction with World Mosaic Inc., Ottawa, she also designs and decorates tile for both interior and exterior architectural installation, working along with architects, developers, and interior designers. Carolynne credits her initial instruction as an elementary school teacher for her continuing love of teaching. Since her apprenticeship, she has taught all levels of clay work to students in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and community centres. She welcomes this opportunity to work with the Ottawa School of Art.

ERIN ROBERTSON

Erin Robertson is a sculptor and painter who explores figurative and environmental themes through the inventive use of a wide variety of materials, including oils, acrylics, resins, ceramics, papier-maché, concrete, metal and textiles. Her art is marked by its whimsical and subversive play on everyday idioms, domesticity, urban landscapes and mythology. Her recent works include the “Response” series—paintings in oil and resin of nighttime emergency scenarios—and “Signs of Life,” a combination of mixed-media sculpture and paintings drawing on imagery ranging from sheep to hydro fields.Erin studied Fine Art at York University in Toronto and at Atelier Gilbert Diabold in Paris. She is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Guelph University. Her work is shown in private and public galleries and is widely collected in Canada and abroad. She is represented by Lafreniere & Pai Gallery in Ottawa.

Erin Robertson will be teaching the Principles of Design course.