The Year in Review

The Year in Review
2025

Edith Acker

The past year was a meaningful one for me as an artist. I feel I'm making some strides, and have been inspired by new themes and subjects.

The year was also special as I exhibited in a gallery for the first time (though I am no spring chicken, and have been painting in earnest for some years now). The common theme was that of a crossroads, either literal or figurative. In other respects, the three paintings differ greatly.

"The Cherry Chair" portrayed a side of life we tend to understate or even hide: here in a back alley (one of my favourite things as the song goes), my painting highlights this less visible side of daily life.

"Long Island City" displays a literal crossroads, a night cityscape, of a memorable place very near, but quite different from, Manhattan.

"Ookpik" is a work of the imagination, where the owl host introduces us to the Northern forest and the natural but rare phenomenon known as the "sundog".

One of my more recent pieces focused on the demolition of an old neighbourhood building, which I combined with images from my imagination and other locales.

The title is "Unfinished." This may cause some confusion, I agree, but the imp in me insisted on the name.

Nadine Dennis

In 2025, my painting "Metamorphosis" was part of the exhibit, "Keeping Dreams", at The Dignam Gallery at the Women's Art Association. It was inspiring to be there and to explore the history of the association.

I exhibited several paintings at Back Lane Studios in Roncesvalles during the West Toronto Artist's Studio Tour along with four other members of the group. Included here are,"Enchanted", Midnight Sunflower, and Izzy's World.

One of the highlights of 2025 was attending an Artist Retreat in Tuscany with some of the artists of this group led by West Toronto Artist, Cid Palacio. I tried my hand at mixed media, abstract art and really enjoyed the process. Two of my creations are here, "Golden Tapestry" and "Afternoon in The Garden".

Sandy Doan

In spring my husband and I travelled to the Azores for a holiday coinciding with St Cruz Festival.

I always keep a light sketching kit with me for quiet moments.

Annette Gaffney

After nearly nine years, I have finally completed my psychology degree and begun my graduate journey toward becoming an art psychotherapist. This has been a dream of mine since discovering the therapeutic power of art while volunteering at my son’s elementary school a decade ago.

While I appreciate art for its aesthetic beauty, my studies have shown me the profound value of the creative process as a non-verbal tool for well-being.

As I begin my practicum serving our community, my goal is to become a registered art psychotherapist and continue helping others discover their inner strength through art.

Sudipta Ghosh had a busy year in 2025 attending craft fairs:

Uluka launched in 2025 as a way for me to share my deep passion for arts and crafts with a wider community.

Uluka, which means "Barn Owl" in Sanskrit, represents a meaningful new beginning for my creative journey.

Inspired by the morning hues of Niagara Falls and Bridal Veils I painted “The Falls in the Morning”. The frozen landscape, bathed in gentle morning light, exudes a sense of peaceful majesty.

2025 was a happening year for me. Starting from designing my website and giving my business a name. Next I participated in multiple events such as West Toronto Art Tour, Caledon Creative Art Festival, Christmas Market - Toronto Art Crawl and Leslieville.

Rita Hisar

2025 was an exciting year for me.

Some highlights included: participating in:

The Northern Contemporary’s (420 Roncesvalles Ave) All Small Things Exhibit;

The Propeller Gallery’ s (30 Abell St ) Heart Mind Love Exhibit;

My solo exhibit-Feeling Blue at The Coffee Tree Roastery (2412 Bloor St) in June

My exhibit. - Bliss at the Jordan Art Gallery (3836 Main St Jordan ON) in August.

All Small Things Exhibit,
The Propeller Gallery

Heart Mind Love Exhibit,
The Propeller Gallery

Feeling Blue at The Coffee Tree Roastery

Jenny Horsman

Joining the West Toronto Artists at the end of 2024 gave me great impetus for taking my art further throughout the next year.

I spread my wild array of work throughout my garden and home. for the studio tour. Selling, gifting, and exchanging many of my creations was exciting, but it was the conversations about why I create what I do that gave me most energy.

A wonderful exchange with Izumi (Arumi Creations): my mosaic tray for. her bracelets - i wear them all the time - they say fierce and flow in morse code - so perfect for my year!

After the tour I began making more and more mirror mosaic and whimsical hanging pieces as permanent installations for my front garden - a space I always invite everyone in to enjoy.

Seeing one of my huge mirror installations in Northern Contemporary Gallery as part of our group show, with space around it (instead of in an overgrown corner of my garden) supported a growing shift in me: seeing my creating as artistic endeavour, not simply eccentricity!

Now my challenge is to find a new home for this piece and other huge mirrors I am drawn to reimagine!

Participating in our group show at Northern Contemporary emboldened me to submit framed photos of reflections and small mirror mosaics to two more shows at the gallery. I was startled, not only to be accepted, but also to sell quite a few!

Christine Jermyn

Looking back on 2025, one of the most exciting things that happened in my art life was that several of my paintings were displayed digitally on a huge screen in the lobby of a downtown high-rise office building in Toronto. They were part of an ongoing art rotation, and each painting was on display for a week at a time.

The screen is located behind the concierge’s desk as you enter the building. Each time I visited to see my work on this screen I was amazed to see my painting displayed on such a large scale and the impact it created.

Trenna Keating

This year has been about exploring new things. I had the unbelievable experience of going to Italy for an Art Retreat run by Cid Palacio. I was joined by a few other West Toronto Artists.

It was an abstract retreat and that is new to me so I’ve been trying out more abstract things. I’ve had many start, hate it, paint over, try again moments this year but I’m determined to keep with abstract exploration.

Here are a couple of paintings from the retreat.

These long neck ladies are fun little paintings that I enjoy doing when I only have a bit of painting time.

Ileen Kohn

Year 2025 was an active year for me as an artist.

Although I didn’t participate in the Studio Tour, I visited 4 of the artists, Susan Manchester, John Lynch, Trenna Keating and Heather Pegg.

In September I joined Cid Palacio, John Lynch, Nadine Dennis and Trenna Keating in Tuscany, Italy for Cid’s Abstract Painting Retreat.
And it was a treat! For more about the retreat check out the Tuscany section below!

I did participate in the Rosedale Art Fair which is in my neighbourhood. I was able to sell a few pieces including small bird paintings,. I aso sold two larger paintings, one was “Sunset in January," included above.

I also also showed at Gallery 222, Sonndr Cafe, Etobicoke Community Center but no sales there. I look a “Joachim Sorolla" workshop
at the Academy of Realist Art and one of the paintings sold at the Rosedale Art Fair.

I attended the Nutcracker at the end of 2024 with friends and the little girls were so excited as it was their first. Their mother and I took
many photos of them all dressed up and from that I painted two portraits which I was very pleased with, and so were they.

Rudolf Kurz

In 2025 I started using the watercolours and the paper that I inherited many years ago from my late father who painted wild animals.

It was a joyful experience and very different from the detailed surrealist work that I am used to painting. Splashing colour around without any plan I discovered images on the paper that were then brought to life with pen and black ink.

In the end I added fanciful titles: 'Autumn Kill' - 'Don Quixote at the Seashore' - 'Psychedelic Duck'.

John Y. Lynch

“Santiago Nocturne” oil on canvas 12”x9”

In March, I paid my first ever visit to the Iberian Peninsula, including stops in Lisbon and Porto in Portugal, and a side trip to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain.

I didn’t walk to Santiago, maybe another time. But I toured the famous cathedral - top to bottom - even walked across the roof in the pouring rain - scary - and gave thanks for surviving that by attending Evening Mass.

I painted this scene of the cathedral at night…
“Santiago Nocturne” oil on canvas 12”x9”

All these images and more will be featured at the West Toronto Art Tour, June 6-7, 2026 (Site #4)

Back home in Toronto, I made several trips during the summer to the Islands. I painted this scene depicting a busy ferry ride during the ‘golden hour’ of late afternoon.

“Golden Hour Crossing” oil on panel, 16”24”

In September, I was back in Europe, this time in Italy, with stops in Tuscany and Rome.

On arrival at our farm in Tuscany, I was greeted by a grand scene of vineyards on a Tuscan hillside. I knew I would paint it, and did a quick sketch on location, which would later lead to this painting done is studio.

“Harvest” oil on canvas 12”x16”

Susan Manchester

The more I paint, the more fascinated I become with abstract art. And oh how I would like to paint more of it, but 2025 was the year of realism when it came to commissions.

I would love to paint a commissioned work with the instructions: “please paint a mixed media work in abstract using Japanese papers, tissue papers, and acrylic paint with lots of blue and some metallic colours.” Yahoo!

Otherwise I am still drawn to mixed media fantasy.

Winter Cabin 16”x20” mixed media abstract on canvas

Nightshade 18” x24” mixed media fantasy on canvas

Commission: Nevis Watching 16”x20” acrylic on canvas

Lilian O'Meara

Something new I started last year are 4"x4" canvases of varying subjects.

They all have colourful borders and I added beads, wood, pom-poms and all kinds of things to make the paintings fun and interesting.

These sold quite well at the Christmas craft shows I participate in and I also received commissions, especially bird paintings.

I love combining painting, beading, etc and just being creative with these small works of art.

Heather Pegg

Last year, I participated in the West Toronto Artists Studio Tour exhibiting 18 paintings at Baka Gallery Cafe in BWV. I sold one painting during the show but was also commissioned for three paintings. I've included images of two of the commissions. "Beautiful Beginnings" was commissioned for a son's wedding present

Memory Trail" was commissioned to capture the image of a beloved former home. I'm thrilled that these individuals trusted me to create these memories.

I also entered a portrait of my daughter in the national portrait competition called; The Kingston Prize. Although my portrait was not selected as one of the 30 finalists, it is a painting that I am incredibly proud of.

Marilyn Scott

For the 2025 Art Tour, I had the opportunity of showing my work with four other artists at Back Lane Studio off Roncesvalles, an interesting art hub in itself with lots of street traffic and positive enthusiasm.

I focused mainly on animal paintings, sweetly domestic or mysteriously wild. I added just one landscape, an in-your-face depiction of a tree as a woman, just because nature is my first and deepest inspiration, a reflection of ourselves.

I was also in the shows “Crossings” in Leslieville and “North by West” at the Northern Contemporary gallery in Roncey, closer to home and to the wonder that is High Park. Here I included new landscapes: water reflections and wildlife found around a walkway near the pond.

For the 2026 tour, I plan to develop the wildlife theme further and stock my small back yard studio with birds, trees, weeds, inspiration and many ducks. I hope that in exploring nature in texture and paint, the absolute joy it brings will shine through.

Elizabeth H. Tudor

The past year 2025, was a year of both review and change in my art, an opportunity to look back at explored styles and how I have tried to express myself with realistic works in storytelling and imagery, items and memories!

Change has now come about in my inner artist’s need to take my art further into a more expressive, intuitive form. I am exploring abstraction in its many forms and enjoying the journey greatly. I hope to provide the viewers with an opportunity to look inside oneself and feel something not recognized or touched before!

In 2025, I exhibited in shows with the West Toronto Artists, in North by West, and Crossings, as well as All You Can Eat and Feeling Blue at the Northern Contemporary Gallery, and with the Women’s Art Association’s, Keeping Dreams and Small Gems gallery shows.

Tuscany Retreat

Several West Toronto Artists took part in an artists' retreat in Tuscany: Nadine Dennis, Trenna Keating, Ileen Kohn, and John Lynch along with artists from another group.

The retreat was led by Cid Palacio. another West Toronto Artist.

IIeen Kohn brings the experience to life:
"In September I joined Cid Palacio, John Lynch, Nadine Dennis and Trenna Keating in Tuscany, Italy for Cid’s Abstract Painting Retreat. And it was a treat! I learned a lot and because I stayed for 2 weeks, did the program twice. It gave me an insight into how to think in an abstract approach.

The best part of the trip was getting together with like-minded, fun and interesting folk and, of course, the scenery and the great accommodation. The food was great, the wine wonderful and the hosts were lovely. Thanks to Cid for creating an experience which was the highlight of the year. Let’s go back to the wine - ever-flowing, made for some relaxing evenings and conversation!"

John Vlachos

Art is a personal journey into one's own psyche. As artists we are meant to tell the stories no one else can tell. We are meant to express dormant emotions and bring them to life. Good art is honest. Great art is forgiving.

My work is always exploring the deep layers of the unconscious.

Me with my paintings at Leslie Grove Gallery.

Ingrid Whitaker

I had a busy year art wise as I participated in two studio tours, our own West Toronto studio tour and also the Bancroft and Area studio tour. I was also a part of the ArtFest festival in Madoc in August.

This necessitated working on a lot of art. Much of the work that I do consists of paint and collage using birchbark and these works proved very popular.

I have also started to work with painting on glass.