The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 16, 2007 - 45 Artscene Oakville Beaver · FRIDAY, NOVEMBER16, 2007 Artists earn acclaim for water colours By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour has recognized a pair of local artists with coveted international awards. Joanne Lucas Warren won best painting at the 82nd Open Juried Art Exhibition, while Lesha Kokosky was recognized with the Woolfitt's Award. Simply having their paintings included in the Open Water 2007 Exhibition at the Market Gallery in Toronto is an impressive feat. "The show is open to anyone who wants to enter," said Lucas Warren, who noted American and European artists were among those to send works to be considered for this year's show. "There were about 330 paintings to choose from." Just 52 paintings were selected for the exhibition, and from there, three jurors selected 11 paintings to earn various awards, from best in show to figurative painting to excellence in transparent watercolour with an emphasis on design. Warren was presented with the A.J. Casson Medal for Theatre en Plein Air ­ an award named after Casson, one of the Society's founding members and a member of the Group of Seven. "It's one of the biggest compliments to a water colour painting internationally," said Lucas Warren, a member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour since 2002. "This is the highest honour." And Lucas Warren adds, it's the highest recognition she has received in her career as an artist. "I was just totally surprised," she said. "They assured me it was because it was original and imaginative." Theatre en Plein Air, she says, "was all from my imagination." "When I was painting, I was not thinking about what I was painting," Lucas Warren explained. She believes some of the inspiration for the work came from a trip to Italy, where she and her daughter visited the Renaissance Garden. She painted on wet paper, which meant she had to work fast and time her painting as the paper dried and as the colours blended with LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS: Joanne Lucas Warren and Lesha Kokosky recently won awards at the Open Water 2007 Exhibition in Toronto. each other. "The items in my painting are all fantasy. Those are your best paintings," Lucas Warren added, "When you don't know what you're painting." Along with the A.J. Casson Medal, Lucas Warren counts being inducted into the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour "one of the highlights of my life." "It's kind of like a goal," she added, noting the Society accepts fewer than 10 new members per year. The organization has representatives all over the country, counts the Prince of Whales as one of its honourary members, and Governor General Michael Jean as a patron. Kokosky says that's one of the reasons she feels so honoured to be recognized, not only in the show, but to receive the Woolfitt's Award. "I was very shocked, because I applied for this show and was selected. I think it's a great honour, this show," she said. "I was very surprised to find out I won an award." Kokosky's painting Unwrapping Treasures earned the praise of the three jurors, who selected winners. The Woolfit's Award has no specific guidelines, it simply means the jurors liked Kokosky's painting and found it worthy of recognition. "That painting is for my very, very dear friend Bonnie. She was diagnosed with cancer," Kokosky explained. "She was the kind of person who was so beautiful as an individual, and loveable, and adorable." The painting is called Unwrapping Treasures because Bonnie "absolutely adored objects," Kokosky said. "She would marvel at the smallest things ­ a shell, a butterfly. She was so in love with life." For the painting, Kokosky depicted some of the items Bonnie considered treasures ­ tissue paper, a piece of cloth and more, all painted on a large piece of handmade paper. The two local artist's works continue to hang in the Open Water 2007 exhibition, on at the Market Gallery in Toronto until Nov. 27. The Market Gallery is located in South St. Lawrence Market at 95 Front St. E. To view Joanne Lucas Warren's work, the local artist will be hosting a show on Saturday, Nov. 17 from 1 ­ 5 p.m. at her studio, located at 451 Trafalgar Rd. Why take out when you can TAKE IN? Introducing PC Combo. Perfect after a day of tree trimming, shopping and endless, endless gift wrapping. fortinos.ca