Featured Artists, Gayle Dempsey & Jennifer Murphy

Opening Reception: Sunday, June 16, 2019 | 1:30pm to 3:30pm

Gayle Dempsey, a fourth generation Muskokan, is an award-winning artist who feels a deep connection to the spirit of the land, the lakes, the natural beauty and the peace that is Muskoka. Capturing the soul of place in acrylic and oil, Gayle’s work connects with her roots. Loose under-paintings give way to structural details as her passion is revealed.

Jennifer Murphy works primarily in pastel. Currently she is working on a series inspired by a dedication once given to her by Kenneth G. Mills, “To Jennifer, who through the appearance looks to the landscape of beauty.” She is investigating overtones of meaning in this statement by considering the landscape as a thin veil draped over worlds of beauty that shine through it. Her landscapes are based on observation and memory, with a focus on mountains, water, and sky. She frequently includes a bear in her drawings as a symbol of introspection and strength.

Artists’ Group Statement

Our work is based on the landscape as a way to convey meaning, beauty, feeling, and healing. We both begin with, and regularly return to observation-based work to show our respect for the land and its beauty. We also engage the landscape as metaphor, finding meaning in light, shape, colour and sound. In this way the landscape becomes our starting point to paint beyond it’s physical appearance to express the meaning we find there. We are both aware of the artist’s responsibility for what she brings into a viewer’s experience. Our intention is to share our appreciation for the beauty that we see and we hope to enhance the viewer’s appreciation of the earth, deepening his or her respect for it.