Featured Artist - Barbara Young

"I work in acrylics and do collage. My work has a very graphic quality. I prefer abstracting images of people and animals. I also do still life of fruit with an abstract theme. The colors are bold and exaggerated, but I also do pen and ink drawings which may be incorporated into collage."

Barbara Young studied Graphic & Package Design at Humber College and worked as graphic artist for 20 years. She has taken painting classes at Cambridge Centre for the Arts & Dundas Valley School of Art, and participated in various juried shows. Her paintings are currently on exhibit at Gran.

Featured Artist - Cinnamon Tree

Cinnamon Tree combines the unique personalities of six individuals, resulting in songs that range from piano driven ballads to dark, ambient-noise drenched pieces and the odd pop punk anthem, written just for Jane Hung, the band's keyboardist/guitarist. The wide range of music written by Cinnamon Tree makes it difficult to label the band, or draw comparisons to others. The band's musical influences include Cat Power and Tom Waits.

What separates Cinnamon Tree from other bands is their vocal collages and rich harmonies. These are the threads that tie Cinnamon Tree together and are provided by vocalists Kristen Carter and Christina Gurton, who are as different as they are similar.

With a classical and musical theatre background and an interest in industrial/metal/ genres, Kristen epitomizes the range of the band's musical style.

Likewise, Christina follows no musical rules, happy to dance to both Lady Gaga and Ani Difranco. Christina credits Madonna and Sinead O'Connor for teaching her how to sing.

Guitarist Shane Oatman is the founder of Cinnamon Tree and one of the primary songwriters in the band. He enjoys coming up with the out-of-the-box song ideas and chord progressions that add to the musical range of Cinnamon Tree, much to the dismay of bassist Ivan Latendresse, whose punk-influenced playing adds an extra dimension to the band.

Rounding out the band are Zoltan and Liz Neff, Cinnamon Tree's drummer and violinist.

Cinnamon Tree has started playing shows in the tri-cities area and outside. Show-goers can expect to see a wide variety of music, with the occasional musical interlude. And as with any successful new recipe, the audience determines whether or not it works. In the case of Cinnamon Tree, it appears that the recipe has been successful in creating something unique which it is difficult to label.

For more about Cinnamon Tree and to preview their music, see their MySpace and Facebook pages.

Featured Artist - Valerie Chvedovski

Valeri Chvedovski graduated from Odessa's school of fine arts in the Ukraine. There he developed his skills painting with oil and watercolor. Most of his works include landscapes and portraiture, although some of the recent pieces are very abstract.

In 1992, my family and I left the Ukraine for Canada, where we settled in Kitchener. Many of my recent paintings were inspired by Canada's countryside. I enjoy painting portraits of my friends and co-workers. I am often asked to re-create portraits from an old black and white photographs.

Presently, I am a member of Kitchener-Waterloo Society of Artists. My paintings are exhibited in Double T Gallery, Iris Gallery, Waterloo Community Art Center and MacDonald Stewart Art Center.

For more of Valeri's paintings, see his website execulink.com/~valerach

Featured Artist - Alain Guillou

"My goal as a photographer is to create a body of abstract works through colour, line, and shade. Because the abstract photographs are of real-life locations, they can be viewed as puzzles. Satisfaction is gained from decoding the images and leaving the viewer in the state of interpretations."

Alain Guillou sees the world through different eyes - those that have not been distracted by our fast moving modern world. At a young age, Guillou discovered photography. His quest for the perfect image is unending. He travels the globe, driven by a vigorous determination to capture the beauty that he sees and a profound respect for architecture. As a free artist he is unpredictable; his French background and his ability to see a different world through his lenses make his photography unique. He grew up in Normandy and got his education in engineering. He is a self-taught photographer.

He exhibits his work at his studio in Cambridge, at regional show and other juried art shows.

For more of Alain's work, see his website aguillou.com

Featured Artist - Kat Mortensen

Kat Mortensen is an English Literature graduate from the University of Toronto. After years of working in teaching and clerical jobs that never quite fit, she is at last unleashing the many voices in her head.

Her work to date has appeared in "Cahoots Magazine", "The Daily Gleaner", and "The National Post". Her blog, Poetikat's Invisible Keepsakes, is a favourite with many who appreciate good poetry that appeals on different levels. Even those who "don't like" poetry, keep coming back to read hers.

She lives in Kitchener, Ontario in a cozy pre-war home with her husband Kevin, their cats and an assembly of well-fed, backyard creatures.

Kat's poetry is an eclectic mix that utilizes both classical forms and a kind of "stream-of-consciousness" approach. She touches on her own humanity and that of the world, through narrative and observational pieces. She frequently writes in a serious vein, but tinges of humour are ever-present.

She has recently published her first collection, "shadowstalking" with Pandora Press.

For more of Kat's work, see her website hyggedigter.blogspot.com

Featured Artist - Jennifer Depencier

Jennifer Depencier's love of art was fostered from a young age while growing up in the northern town of Sudbury, Ontario. It was here that she was given the freedom to explore the nature of the area and its bountiful lakes and forests. She has worked with many different forms and mediums, but has favoured acrylics in recent years.

Although she loves painting landscapes and still life, she has recently discovered her passion for painting urban landscapes, in particular the village of Hespeler where she and her family have lived for the past ten years.

Whether it is a wilting sunflower, fallen leaves or an abandoned factory, Jennifer feels the need to capture the essence of the space on canvas.

Jennifer's work has been in various juried shows, the Mayors Celebration of the Arts, Grand Cafe, Sunrise Gallery Hamilton and is currently on display at Phidon Pens in Galt.



For more of Jennifer's work, see her website jenniferdepencier.fotopic.net

Featured Artist - Adam Fowler

I've been drawing since I was about 5 years old, sketching Disney characters and Pokemon, now I have found a deep aspiration for Photography. I plan on going further with my Photography in the future, in hopes to Photography concerts and live shows in particular.

I enjoy taking pictures at concerts, I believe that the outcome of your photos from a concert are all up in the air at the moment when the photo is taken. When you go home and look through them, they either turn out exactly how you wanted but better, or not even close to what your vision was. It ties both of my true loves together, music and photography.

Featured Artist - The Rest

The Rest have always used the band as an outlet for all sorts of creative explorations. Band-related side projects provide excellent excuses for pulling mountains of paint onto ping-pong table canvases, immersion in guilt-free, time-consuming, essential (possibly existential) distractions. Before long, these activities unknowingly morphed to form a factory; frenetic assembly line album construction sessions, t-shirt manufacturing frenzies, and night shift Alfred Hitchcock montage obsessions.

In the past year The Rest have seen their album Everyone All At Once garner a multitude of glowing, positive reviews. Everyone All At Once has found a home internationally with Something In Construction Records, and following the worldwide record release in March, the band is looking forward to the opportunities that will surely come with the additional exposure. However, for The Rest, creating music that they love is the ultimate goal.

The Rest's newest release is Cried Wolf, a combination book and EP project. Cried Wolf goes beyond the standard four song release to include a narrative account of the adult adventures of the boy who cried wolf, complete with surreal illustrations drawn by the band's good friend MLXNDRSC.



For more information about the Rest, check out their many links:

Website | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Amie St | iTunes | Zunior.com | InSound

Featured Artist - Diane Attwell Palfrey

Diane Attwell Palfrey was born in Toronto and has lived in Cambridge for the past twenty years. She is a poet and prose writer.

Diane is a member of the Cambridge Writers Collective and has poetry published by the Waterloo-Wellington CAA, Serengeti Press, Craigleigh Press, Hammered Out, The Ontario Poetry Society, Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve/RARE, & Ascent Aspirations Magazine.

Diane was also the 1st place winner in the adult category for both the 2009 and 2010 Cambridge Arts Festival Poetry Contests. Here is her winning poem:

In the Throes of Perdition
(one earthquake survivor’s story)
by Diane Attwell Palfrey

A hungry earth engluts —her mouth a cobra lily bearing down. Ten days after the sate he rises from rubble hymned out, his native skin floured white. Crowds hail Emmanuel and swarm to touch his body searching for wounds. Delivering the gospel he recalls the tang of uric water turned to wine, the sounds crashing in and out like dream fits, sirens muffled, talk of pyres and Hebrew voices whisper chaos to a mind delirious from lacking. Haunts by an apostle’s song; a prayer that Father would send an eagle with sustenance further torments the wanting. Believing life succumbed on a goodly Friday he concedes to the probability that he is now a ghost confused until his mother’s voice is heard outside the tomb. And for a few seconds of aftermath there are no miracles, tragedies or kleptocrats, just transcendence and the barren snub of a harpy’s wing.

Featured Artist - Miss Lizzie's Art & Design

Artist Bio

Elizabeth Gosse is self-taught emerging artists who studied Politics and Cultural Studies at Trent University. Elizabeth is influenced by writings by Richard Florida and Herbert Marcuse, artists such as Yves Klein, and social projects such as Post Secrets. She strives to break the traditional gallery rules by creating touchable artworks. Using acrylic paints and various mediums, she is able to create bold designs, colourful artworks that express the beauty of emotions, the world, and landscapes around us in an abstract way.

Artist Statement

Life is about creating yourself – a phrase which not only do I live my life passionately by but also what influences my artwork. I am a painter of many mediums and many subjects but I strive to achieve one thing with my artwork and that is to have fun. I strive to make the visual arts fun and accessible to everyone, most recently creating touchable artworks. Walking through art galleries in Europe I was influences by the interactive installations and had a strong desire to apply them to paintings. Working with various mediums and materials I am working on evolving touchable interactive art. It is a goal to create artwork in which people can experience with not only their sight, but with their sense of touch as well. The sense of touch is imperative in everyday reaction, but denied so often within the visual arts. My goal is to break this conventional rule.

For more information about Elizabeth, see her website misslizzies.blogspot.com.

Featured Artist - Harlequinn Hoops

Jennifer Fleming is a Registered Massage Therapist during the week and a hoop dancer on the weekends. She hand-makes mini, adult, and child sized hula hoops.

Don't miss Jennifer's demonstration of hula hoop tricks at 7 pm in the workshop area.

MANDYLAND: NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU

MANDYLAND: NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU
By Mandy Richardson for Echo Weekly
May 27 - June 2, 2010

Mark your calendars, folks, because it’s about to go down NYC style in the only place that matters: C to the mutherflippin’ Bridge, yo! It’s time to prepare yourself for a night of graffiti, hip hop, drum n' bass, and topless hotties, because on Friday, June 4, Spun Turtle Productions and Mandyland Promotions are bringing you the First Annual Street Dreams Graffiti Art Show.

This much anticipated event, featuring renowned New York graffiti artists Ski and 2esae of Ur New York and exclusive artwork from the infamous Destroy and Rebuild NYC, takes place on Friday June 4 from 7-11:30pm at the Nutty Parrot at 30 Water Street in Cambridge. The cost is $10 for a ticket in advance, or $15 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at The Nutty Parrot, Underground Gallery, streetdreamsgraffiti@gmail.com, or by joining the Facebook event page, Street Dreams Graffiti Art Show.

The night will include DJ’s Victim and Jay Pilon; topless beauties ready to be tagged by both local and NYC graffiti artists; exclusive artwork and t-shirts by UR New York and Destroy and Rebuild NYC, Stick ‘Em Up Wall Graphics by Sensu, and artwork by Spun Turtle, Ean Kools, Justin Taylor, REOR and Dave Hoover.

This is a 19–plus event sponsored by the Nutty Parrot, Spun Turtle Productions, Stick 'Em Up Wall Graphics and Underground Gallery. Come support local artists while experiencing the notorious NYC vibe, and be part of the future we’re creating for our city’s artists and their craft.

And if that’s just not enough kickassness for you, then join us again on Saturday, June 5 from 10 am-10 pm for the Cambridge Arts Festival at Cambridge City Hall at 50 Dickson Street. This annual event has been going strong since 1995 and its mission is “to ensure that all local artists have the opportunity to display their art forms in a pleasant location to be viewed by members of their own community.” The festival makes room for artists of all disciplines, including writers, painters, photographers, dancers, buskers, drum circles, musicians, singers and actors.

Here’s some of what and who you can look forward to on Saturday: Kandy Cakes, The Grand Bakery, and more to spoil your taste buds; Helene Weaver, Dave Menary, and more for us literary enthusiasts; Twegen, Nervous Wrecked, Two Crown King, and more to get your music fix; Diamond Martial Arts, Fire Spinners and more to entertain you. Harlequinn Hoops, Angela Werstine, WTF Photography, and more give your artistic eye some pampering. And of course that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

So after your night at the NYC-inspired Street Dreams Graffiti Art Show, mosey back downtown when you wake up for a beautiful day of sun, fun, music and performances, as well as a hearty dose of the visual, literary and culinary arts at the Cambridge Arts Festival. With free admission, free parking and free water that day, you just can’t go wrong. Add in a graffiti wall to be painted by our artists as you watch, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for the most kickass weekend of 2010, hands down.

What’s more, you can expect to see all the artists from the Street Dreams Graffiti Art Show at the Cambridge Arts Festival because when it comes to celebrating our artists, Cambridge has got it goin’ on.

If you are an independent business owner and/or a visual or media artist and would like to be featured in an upcoming Mandyland column, or have an art related event to promote, shoot me an email at herhappyhighness@gmail.com and let me know what’s up. Past columns and everything else Mandy related can be found on my blog, Her Happy Highness.

Featured Artist - Ean Kools

"Hey check it out: my art is at the Groove Kitchen all month long / Street Dreams Graff art show at the Nutty Parrot June 4 / the Cambridge Arts Festival June 5 10am-10pm / and listen for me on Mandyland radio Friday 10-12 100.3 fm"

Ean Kools is the multi-talented chair of the Cambridge Arts Festival, now serving his second term in that position. A graphic designer by trade, Ean is the force behind this Festival's branding, and that of many area businesses.

On canvas, Ean works mainly with acrylic, ink, and spray paint. His style can be classified as portraiture, surrealism, abstraction, and graffiti. Each piece is an expression of a time, place, or emotion.

Recently Ean has also experimented with Tapecasting. George, our 2010 mascot (pictured right) is a tapecast of Ean himself.

Ean's work is currently on display at the Groove Kitchen and in his own gallery - The Underground Gallery (in Hespler). You can also watch Ean create live at tomorrow night's Street Dreams Graffiti Art Show and in our Aerosol Art Area at the Festival.

You can read more about Ean in this Waterloo Region Record article

Featured Artist - Tania Hanscom

I live and work in Cambridge Ontario with my husband Jeff and two lovely children Jacob and Miranda. Through my work, I have had some great opportunities to work with art and people who love art.

Acrylic paint is my Medium. I am currently focusing on trees in landscape but enjoy painting interior still life and portraiture as well.

Tania will also be hosting an Origami workshop at the Festival.