www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, January 10, 2014 | 12 Artist inspired by nature and 16th century Québec by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Works by Louise Laroche are rooted in the ancient culture of 16th century Québec. The resident artist at Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre describes using colour, shape and texture in her pieces to emanate peacefulness, balance, harmony and a sense of timelessness that has been inspired by nature and her surroundings. Noting how the people, places and things she captures aren't an "exact representation," but rather a "suggestion" of them, she describes how her prints, Variations on a Bowl, are meant to be symbolic of who we are as people. The artist, who makes her home in Brampton, said she likes the simplicity of the shape and how it can let your mind wander and see different things. Variations on a Bowl is among a number of Laroche's works that include totems and collages, currently on display at Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre. The solo exhibit Offerings runs until Jan. 12. Laroche, who studied Fine Arts at Laval University and has been painting for the last 25 years, said she got her first taste of printmaking at Joshua Creek 23 years ago. At that time, she took a class and was so It's (the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre) a little oasis and the best-kept secret in Oakville. Louise Laroche artist Artist Louise Laroche stands in front of a portion of her exhibit, Variations on a Bowl, which is part of her solo exhibit, Offerings, now on at the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre. | photo by Stacey Newman - special to the Beaver inspired, she set to work and hasn't looked back since. Some of the works she's created over the years, she added, are also currently on display at the Towne Square Gallery in Oakville and the Oeno Gallery in Bloomfield, Ont. The artist also teaches printmaking at a number of French schools as part of the Ontario Arts Council's artists in education program. She said she hopes people will not only drop by to enjoy the exhibit, but discover what a special place Joshua Creek truly is. "It's a little oasis and the best-kept secret in Oakville," she said, adding how important it has been in her development as an artist. For more information, visit www.joshuacreekarts.com.