On the Canvas: Three artists, three media, but a common style DAN BROWN Updated: September 16, 2019

Gordon Harrison – Fall Day at Madawaska River, Collection 17, Ottawa Valley, Ontario

Three artists showing work in different media at Westland Gallery have in common “classic elegance with modern flair,” says the gallery’s associate director.

Painter Gordon Harrison, sculptor Richard Sturgeon and jewelry maker Dawn Paterson are the focus of the show that starts Friday.

“For Harrison, this means iconic Canadian landscapes in bold, unexpected colours,” says associate director Danielle Hoevenaars. “Sturgeon creates contemporary abstract forms grounded in traditional rules of balance and composition. Paterson utilizespure silver in her sophisticated yet avant-garde designs.

“This exhibition will impress all who admire attention to detail, experimental attitudes and strong, attention-grabbing artwork,” she added in a statement.

Hoevenaars said Ottawa’s Harrison evokes the Group of Seven’s expansive vistas. Using broad, loose brush strokes, he plays with autumn colours in this display of paintings from locations that include the Laurentians, the Madawaska River and Newfoundland.

Londoner Sturgeon, who is largely self-taught, “attempts to break down forms into simple elements. He communicates with a calm, confident simplicity ideas about emotion, meditation and our place in the world,” Hoevenaars said. He uses materials such as steel, stainless steel, copper, stone, bronze and wood.

Meanwhile, Paterson takes inspiration from “the culture and architecture of countries she has lived in and visited, including Spain, Mexico, Greece and France.

“When creating her wearable silver sculpture jewelry, Paterson recalls iron gateways and window grates, beautiful basilicas and enchanting ruins, mosaics, beaches and crashing ocean waves,” Hoevenaars said.

Paterson is a graduate of the graphic-design program at Vancouver’s Capilano University.

“Using only high-quality materials, this artist creates stunning designs that merge the unexpected with a sense of easy elegance,” Hoevenaars said.