Victoria Park Gallery features work of Kincardine artist Pat Guay for month of April

The Victoria Park Gallery is honouring one of its own, Kincardine artist Pat Guay (right), who died in August. Her paintings are on display in the guest gallery for the month of April.

A long-time member of the Victoria Park Gallery in downtown Kincardine, Guay lived in many locations in southwestern Ontario. She made Kincardine her home in the mid-1970s, and was honoured to have her work displayed in the local art gallery.

She believed that the beauty of Bruce County, particularly Lake Huron, nourished her soul, leading her to explore the visual arts.

Primarily, Guay worked in watercolour, as she loved its soft translucence. However, she experimented with acrylic, charcoal, ink and pastel. More recently, she created delightful alcohol inks on tiles.

She had a strong love of nature and was drawn to the outdoors in all four seasons. She also loved to travel, and her work reflected aspects of nature and her travel experiences. She loved painting landscapes, flowers, and interesting buildings or structures, such as old gates, windows with window boxes, gardens, etc. Commissions included painting children, pets, and watercolour renditions from meaningful photos.

While living in the Chatham area, Guay studied with various artists, including Tammy McKay, Jack Reid, and Joe Fetingis. She was a member of Leisuretime Painters, a group of artists who met and painted each Monday afternoon at the Chatham cultural centre.

More recently, she studied with Tony Couch in Georgia, and Julian Hyzler in Tuscany, Italy. She attended a fall course in the Algoma region of northern Ontario where members of the Group of Seven often went for inspiration as they interpreted that incredible landscape.

Victoria Park Gallery, located in the Kincardine Arts Centre in downtown Kincardine, is open daily, Noon to 4 p.m. For more information, check the Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pg/victoriaparkgallerykincardine/posts/