Southern Ontario Visual Artists take over Shelburne Art Gallery

Written By Paula Brown

Dufferin residents will have the opportunity to see work from several southern Ontario professional artists with the latest exhibit at the Town of Shelburne Art Gallery. 

Southern Ontario Visual Artists (SOVA) is hosting an exhibit titled, As the Artists View It, at the Town Hall Art Gallery in Shelburne from Aug. 6 until Aug. 23. 

“We like to pick different areas, but several of them [SOVA artists] are from up there, and I had relatives, and still have relatives up in that area. So, we kind of like to go to where, where we have a connection,” said Lynden Cowan, founder of SOVA, about the exhibit's location.

The exhibit features roughly 40 pieces of art from 12 members of the Southern Ontario Visual Artists group. The exhibit looks to show visitors how artists seek to depict not only objective reality in their pieces of work but rather their subjective emotions and responses to objects and events. 

“Art really reflects the community an all these artists, they don't paint [to people's preferences]”, said Cowan. “They paint from the heart so they're actually extending themselves as part of the community and showing what interests them.”

The Southern Ontario Visual Artists are an exhibition group of artists that originally formed in June of 2014 and hosted their first art showcase that following September. 

From the first year as a group, SOVA has been active in the art community, including assisting in an anti-bullying campaign at The Arts Project in London, Ont., helping to paint sculpted horses that were used in the Pan Am games and showcased throughout the Headwaters area, and hosting an exhibition of their work in the Fall's Gallery of the Alton Mills Arts Centre. 

Each year, the group looks to be involved in up to five exhibits displaying the work of its members. 

As the Artists View It by Southern Ontario Visual Artists (SOVA) is on display at the Town Hall Art Gallery in Shelburne until Aug. 23. 

Those interested in finding out more information about the artists who are a part of the exhibit and their pieces of work can visit the Town Hall Art Gallery page on the Town of Shelburne website – www.shelburne.ca.