Tag: Artwork

News

Lighthouse Festival invites you to join us in celebrating the mixed media artwork of artist JC Lee

Posted on February 25, 2025

Please join us as we unveil the mixed media artwork of Norfolk County & Hamilton artist JC Lee that will hang in the box office lobby for the 2025 season at Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover. Champagne and light refreshments will be served and JC’s artwork will be for sale.

When: Sunday, March 23rd | 2 PM to 4 PM

Where: Lighthouse Festival Theatre – Box Office Lobby | 247 Main Street, Port Dover ON

JC Lee is a Norfolk County/Hamilton, Ontario artist creating contemporary textured paintings of landscapes and nature with hints of fantasy!

His passion for art started during his childhood in Malaysia where he learned the basics of painting using watercolour.  After a long hiatus from painting as other life pursuits including moving to Canada became a priority, JC’s passion for art was rekindled by the beauty of the varied landscapes and wildlife in Norfolk County, Ontario while vacationing in Turkey Point.  He now splits his creative time between his Turkey Point cottage and Hamilton home, where he lives with his husband and two dogs while maintaining a tech job in the IT industry.

JC taught himself techniques of oil and mixed media painting.  He paints with a distinct personal style, creating a combination of textures with a variety of mixed media, especially mica powder, and blending with richly coloured oil paints to capture his inspirations, infusing them with emotion and magic on the canvas.  His artworks paint stories in the vein of Magical Realism – rooted in realism but enchanted with fantastical elements and perspectives.  

Artist Statement

“I draw inspiration from the diverse Canadian landscapes and natural environments, then combine my own life experiences and feelings to create stories through my paintings with a touch of fantasy.

My artworks are set in reality but I intensify magical elements in nature through juxtaposition of colours, textures, patterns, composition and perspectives.  I bring my detail oriented personality into my paintings, as a result, my work often feature highly defined textured foreground for an almost 3D effect and a detailed background. Transformative play of light, symbolism and metaphors are also recurring components of my paintings. Due to the variety of textured and shimmering media, many of my paintings are best appreciated in person.”

Please note tickets are not required to attend this opening reception as this is a drop in event. 

Visit JC Lee’s website at www.jclcreations.ca

Follow JC Lee on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/jclCreationsByJCLee

Instagram: instagram.com/jc.lee.artist/

News

Lighthouse Festival invites you to join us in celebrating the mixed media work of artist Jen Lados

Posted on February 3, 2025

Please join us as we unveil the mixed media work of Norfolk County artist Jen Lados that will hang in the long bar for the 2025 season at Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover. Champagne and light refreshments will be served and Jen’s artwork will be for sale.

When: Sunday, February 9th | 2 PM to 4 PM

Where: Lighthouse Festival Theatre – Long Bar | 247 Main Street, Port Dover ON

Jen Lados’ artistic journey is one of passion, play, and self-expression, deeply rooted in her Norfolk County (Delhi) upbringing. From an early age, she embraced creativity, honing her skills and growing into a key member of the local arts community. With a unique and self-taught approach to art, Jen’s work reflects a love for play, experimentation and exploration. Her multi-layered canvases, rich in texture and color, often blend mixed media like pastels, paint, ink, fabric, and resin, which allows her to create complex, playful, and thought-provoking pieces. Inspired by nature, storytelling, and pop culture. Whether displayed in local exhibitions or internationally, Jen’s artwork invites viewers into her vibrant, imaginative world, capturing ordinary objects, landscapes and simple pleasures that surround her. Her multi-layered canvases are often infused with humorous elements and playful images allowing the viewer to join in her abstract, sophisticated yet childlike exploration of life and the world in which we live.

“Looking Out My Back Door” – Mixed media paintings on canvas

Jen’s series, which began in 2020, emerged from a deeply challenging time. As the world faced the onset of Covid-19, she was also facing her mother’s terminal illness. During this period, Jen found it nearly impossible to focus on her art in the way she once had, resorting instead to the act of simply making marks, pouring ink, mixing colors, and tearing up magazines. The process was cathartic, though often frustrating, as she covered and painted over canvases repeatedly. Beneath these layers are many stories.

After the Covid lockdown, Jen found an unexpected spark of inspiration when she saw the image of an owl and peacock emerging from the chaotic ink stains on her canvas. Drawing from her vast collection of ephemera, vintage books, magazines, and clip art, she began cutting, collecting, and assembling new works. What started as an intuitive response to the mess around her soon became a reflection of the world she was seeing through her own windows—both literally and figuratively.

In this series, Jen found solace and joy amidst the darkness and uncertainty of the times. The works, infused with elements of music, pop culture, and vintage glamour, not only convey her personal journey of renewal and hope but also aim to bring humor, comfort, and connection to others. She hopes that viewers will smile, feel seen, and be reminded that they are not alone in the face of life’s challenges.

Please note tickets are not required to attend this opening reception as this is a drop in event. 

Visit Jen Lados’ website at www.jenlados.ca

Follow Jen Lados on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLados

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenlados/

News

Women take SLT stage for comedy The Savannah Sipping Society

Posted on March 2, 2024

Women bring to life a charming and relatable play that’s Simcoe Little Theatre’s second production of the season.  

February 21, 2024

Simcoe Reformer

By Postmedia Staff

The Savannah Sipping Society, a comedy written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, and directed by Sarah Finch, opens on March 7. 

The cast includes Roselle Slaght as Randa Covington, a perfectionist and workaholic who is struggling to cope with a surprise career derailment; Anna Reu as Dot Hangler, who is reeling from her husband’s recent demise and the loss of their plans for an idyllic retirement; Nancy Gibb as the earthy and boisterous Marlafaye Mosley, a good ol’ Texas gal who has blasted into Savannah in the wake of losing her tom-cattin’ husband to a 23-year-old dental hygienist; and Melinda Campbell as Jinx Jenkins, a spunky ball of fire who offers her services as a much-needed life coach for these women. 

Actors Melinda Campbell (left), Anna Reu, Nancy Gibbs and Roselle Slaght are featured in The Savannah Sipping Society, Simcoe Little Theatre’s second production of the 2023-24 season. The comedy runs from March 7 to 17. Contributed.

Together, these middle-aged women successfully bond and find the confidence to jumpstart their new lives. 

Gibbs said being part of the production has been an “absolute joy.” 

“The camaraderie among the cast and crew is palpable and I believe the audiences will be drawn to the heartwarming story and unforgettable characters.” 

Stage manager Susan LaBone said “even from early rehearsals, the energy and enthusiasm surrounding The Savannah Sipping Society has been incredible.” 

Tickets for the production start at $24 and can be purchased online at simcoelittletheatre.org or by calling 519-583-0505. The play runs from March 7 to 17 at Simcoe Little Theatre, 33 Talbot St. North in Simcoe.  

Simcoe Little Theatre is a non-profit community theatre dedicated to providing quality theatrical productions and fostering a love for the performing arts for more than 60 years. 

News

Lighthouse Theatre to showcase musician’s printmaking

Posted on February 15, 2024

Broadsides and Penny Dreadfuls is a printmaking show of artist and musician Ian Bell’s works.

February 14, 2024

Simcoe Reformer

By Brian Thompson

Local folk musician and songwriter Ian Bell is about to showcase another side of his artistic talents.

Broadside Ballads and Penny Dreadfuls is a printmaking show with a musical theme incorporating songs Bell has written.

The artist employed antique wooden and metal type, wood engravings and linocuts, and a 118-year-old printing press to create artworks inspired by the broadsides and street literature of the early 1800s.

“These prints are in the style of the song sheets that were hawked on the streets by ballad sellers in the 19th century, crated with hand-set type and illustrated with (my) wood engravings and linocuts,” said Bell. “Some were printed on (my) 1906 Pearl printing press; others were done on a 70-year-old Nolan proof press.”

Additionally, some songs are presented in tiny, hand-stitched chapbooks known as Penny Dreadfuls.

Bell notes that most of the equipment and type was rescued from newspaper offices that changed printing technology in the 1970s, along with items found at yard sales and flea markets.

A selection of printing artifacts will be included in the exhibit of artworks.

Broadsides and Penny Dreadfuls opens with a reception at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre, 247 Main Street in Port Dover.

The show will run throughout 2024 at the theatre.

News

BROADSIDE BALLADS & PENNY DREADFULS – Lighthouse Festival presents Ian Bell’s Printmaking Show & Opening Reception

Posted on February 10, 2024

Ian Bell’s Printmaking Show Opens at Port Dover’s Lighthouse Festival Theatre on February 18th

Port Dover, ON – February 10, 2024 – Using a 1906 printing press and a collection of antique wooden and metal type, local artist Ian Bell combines old technology with his own wood engravings and linocuts to create new artworks inspired by the broadsides and street literature of the early 1800s. These are now on exhibit at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover.

The show takes music as its main theme, and features illustrated “broadsides” of songs written by Ian. (Who is also well known as a folk musician and songwriter) These works are in the style of the song sheets that were hawked on the streets by ballad sellers in the 19th century – with hand-set lead type, and are illustrated with Ian’s wood engravings. Some were printed on Ian’s 1906 “Pearl” printing press; others were done on a 70 year-old Nolan proof press.

In addition to the broadsides, some songs are presented in tiny hand-stitched chapbooks (“Penny Dreadfuls”) – also printed with handset type and woodcut illustrations. The show also includes other musically themed linocuts and wood engravings.

Art Gives New Life to Old Technology

Much of the type and equipment used in the printing of Broadside Ballads & Penny Dreadfuls has come from the dark corners of local weekly newspaper offices who moved on from letterpress technology in the 1970s. The 1906 Pearl press and drawers of 19th century wooden type were rescued from the Cayuga printshop of the Haldimand Advocate (now the Haldimand Press) just days before the building was demolished in 2022. Other type, borders, and useful pieces of printing equipment were generously supplied by the Port Dover Maple Leaf. Still more has come from yard sales, barns, and flea markets across southwestern Ontario. A few examples will be on display along with the art.

The Printmaking Show opens with a reception on February 18th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Lighthouse Festival Theatre, located at 247 Main Street in Port Dover. It will remain at the theatre throughout the 2024 season.

For more information on Ian Bell’s artwork, please visit his website at www.ianbellart.com.

Media Contact

For media inquiries, cast interviews and further information, please contact:

Don Kearney-Bourque,
Marketing & Communications Manager
Simcoe Little Theatre & Lighthouse Festival
don@lighthousetheatre.com
Direct: (226) 290-0070
Cell: (289) 541-7410

News

Art Open House – The Artwork of Cristina Zanella

Posted on February 28, 2023
Cristina Zanella Open House
Cristina Zanella Open House

Lighthouse Festival invites you to join us in celebrating
the work of Port Dover artist Cristina Zanella

Join us as we unveil Cristina’s new art pieces that will hang in the theatre’s long bar for the 2023 summer season at Lighthouse Festival. The Open House will take place on Sunday, March 1st, 2023 from 1 PM to 3 PM in the Long Bar on the 2nd floor of the theatre.

Cristina Zanella is a Port Dover-based artist who, for several years, was the art curator at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre. Her paintings have been exhibited in galleries in Toronto, Halifax, Brantford, Sarnia and various communities throughout Southern Ontario. 

She received her B.F.A from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Zanella has been the recipient of various awards including the Hazel Race Award for the Norfolk Visual Arts competition and the Peoples’ Choice Award at the Glenhyrst Gallery in Brantford.

Please note tickets are not required to attend this open house. This is a drop in event.

We hope you will join us, 

The Lighthouse Team