OPENING RECEPTION

January 24 | 7:00pm - 9:00pm

IN-PERSON EXHIBITION

Hallway Gallery | January 13  - January 26
White Studio | January 24 - January 26

ONLINE GALLERY CLOSES IN

WHY DO YOU CREATE?

  • See Past Shows
  • Why Do You Create? 2025 Juried Exhibition provides artists with an opportunity to reflect on the motivations and significance behind their creative practices. This exhibition also served as a platform for Ontario artists to present their work alongside their peers, while offering art enthusiasts the chance to discover the exceptional talent within the visual arts community.

    This year’s show features a carefully curated collection of 50 works, selected by jurors: Sue Archibald, Jo Yetter, and Daniella Williams. Each piece offers a unique perspective on the exhibition theme, revealing the personal stories that inspire the artists’ expression.

    We invite you to explore this inspiring exhibition, connect with the artists’ visions, and celebrate the diverse and dynamic creativity within Ontario’s visual arts landscape.

    VAM JURORS 2025

    Daniella Williams

    Daniella Williams is a Toronto-based figurative painter whose work captures intimate, unpolished moments of daily life. Through expressive brushwork and a warm palette, she explores themes of intimacy, vulnerability, and voyeurism, blending personal memories with art history influences. Williams’ work, exhibited across North America, blurs the line between public and private, inviting viewers to reflect on the act of looking. Educated at the University of Guelph and New York Academy of Art, she continues expanding her practice and fascination with the human form.

    SEE WEBSITE

    Sue Archibald

     Sue Archibald, a graduate of the University of Guelph with specializations in painting, drawing, and printmaking, has expanded her studies at institutions like Grant McEwen School of Design, the Toronto School of Art, and the Haliburton School of Fine Arts. A member of the Society of Canadian Artists (2024) and the Ontario Society of Artists (2020), she was recognized as an Established Artist finalist for the Marty Awards in 2018 and 2019, winning in 2019. In 2023, Sue curated eight unique exhibitions for Summer and Grace Gallery. Her works are displayed in private and international collections across North America and Europe. 

    SEE WEBSITE

    Jo Yetter

    Jo Yetter is a cross-disciplinary artist whose practice centers on reciprocity with materials and language. Working with text, care, propagation, printmaking, objects, and place, Jo’s work embodies stillness, gathering, and nurturing, reflecting a unique, un/a-gendered form of mothering shared with inanimate beings. Rooted in care as maintenance and nourishment, Jo completed their MFA at York University, where they were awarded the CGS Master’s Scholarship.

    SEE WEBSITE

    Gallery

    The Pond in Winter

    Julian Toh
    2023
    12 x 18 in
    Fine Art Giclee Print

    Melody for Today

    Arthur Sciberras
    2024
    20 x 24 in
    Arylic on Canvas

    Edgar

    Mark Sterling
    2024
    9 x 12 in
    Watercolour on cold pressed paper

    Auden (Fallen Angels)

    Jane Garcia
    2023
    8.25 x 13.5 x 8.25 in
    white clay, enamels

    Woman with the Hoop Earing

    Veronika Benjamin
    2024
    24 × 20 in
    Acrylic on canvas

    Mr. Grant

    Connie Lee
    2024
    30 x 24 in
    Oil on canvas

    Blue boat

    Sungmi Kong
    2023
    30 x 42 in
    Pigments, stone powder on Hanji-paper

    Transient Transport

    Grace Vali
    2024
    18 x 24 in
    Oil on Canvas

    Echos of Me

    Mirjana Conte
    2024
    42 x 42 in
    Acrylic on Canvas

    The Pond in Winter

    Julian Toh
    2023
    12 x 18 in
    Fine Art Giclee Print

    I create through photography as a form of storytelling. My love for this art form comes from being able to communicate visually and to tell a story words simply cannot. Utilizing various photographic techniques, I capture seemingly ordinary moments and transform them into moments I refer to as “beauty in the everyday”. This photo, I feel, captures that very essence as it conveys the beauty and textures of a half frozen pond with the emotions and atmosphere of early winter.

    Melody for Today

    Arthur Sciberras
    2024
    20 x 24 in
    Arylic on Canvas

    This painting began as a celebration of the beauty and joy of music—a tribute to the transformative power of melody and rhythm. It evolved into a reflection on one of music’s deeper role: its ability to transcend tragedy and endure even in the face of catastrophe. Set against today’s backdrop of places ravaged by conflict, where nuclear doctrines are rewritten and chaos reigns, the painting captures the delicate balance between music’s ability to uplift and the harsh realities of contemporary strife. In this fusion of joy and despair, the piece stands as both a tribute to the enduring power of art and a call for awareness of the world’s ongoing struggles.

    Edgar

    Mark Sterling
    2024
    9 x 12 in
    Watercolour on cold pressed paper

    Artist Statement: “Edgar” by Mark Sterling

    Born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1956, I live in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood with my wife Colleen. I am more or less retired from careers in architecture, urban design and planning, and from teaching in those fields at the Universities of Toronto and Waterloo.

    I consider myself to be a draughtsman rather than a painter. I am primarily interested in the topography of the human face as a subject for scrutiny. I generally explore this through portraits of people I love and/or admire.

    I spend a considerable time examining photographs of my subjects, which I make myself when possible. Initially, I prepare detailed black and white drawings, which I consider to be maps – usually with a sharp 2H pencil. I consider this stage to be a “constructed” moment. When it seems appropriate, I “freeze” the process here, with the addition of some details in a softer pencil.

    A number of watercolour washes over the drawing with a wet-on-dry technique allow me to explore elective affinities of line, colour and tone.

    From time to time, I work in landscape and still life and for a certain period during the Covid 19 pandemic I painted only fish.

    Edgar, the subject of my submission, is a lovely man, who I see almost every day, who was kind enough to let me make his portrait. I enjoyed spending time with his image while making the drawing and seeing his reaction when I showed him the finished work.

    Instagram: acronym111

    Auden (Fallen Angels)

    Jane Garcia
    2023
    8.25 x 13.5 x 8.25 in
    white clay, enamels

    I was born with an undeniable compulsion to create, but for the last decade, I’ve found myself musing about the strange reasons people make the dreadful decisions they do. This piece, ‘Auden’, depicts a Fallen Angel. We don’t know what happened to him or why, but we can all empathize with that pointy-sharp moment of failure where shock, grief, regret and reality all set in. In Auden we also see, in his powerful form and the control in his horizontal posture, a refusal to collapse. This is but a suspended heartbeat before the strength and resilience of the human spirit will pull him back up to meet his consequences and press onward in his journey.

    Woman with the Hoop Earing

    Veronika Benjamin
    2024
    24 × 20 in
    Acrylic on canvas

    As a woman of mixed race and cultures, I struggle to reclaim that part of me that Colonial teaching has taught me to devalue. This piece is a continuation of a series of works that while they don’t look like me represent aspects of myself. The expression, the wanting to look different and yet be accepted and valued enough to give back to society.

    Mr. Grant

    Connie Lee
    2024
    30 x 24 in
    Oil on canvas

    My work lies in the discovery of individuality. Everyone has essential character, which I will express through my honest observation. I will paint how I see, and it will be inevitable for my own personality to become imprinted in the final work. Therefore, my finished work is a synthesis of the subject’s unique individuality and my own spirit. I find an enormous joy in capturing interesting personalities in the flowy richness of oil colors, employing traditional art principles.

    Blue boat

    Sungmi Kong
    2023
    30 x 42 in
    Pigments, stone powder on Hanji-paper

    Sungmi Kong’s artwork explores the interplay between tradition and modernity, drawing on a rich heritage of traditional Korean art techniques while incorporating contemporary themes and techniques. she draw inspiration from everyday life, human relationships, and the emotional resonance of nature, and seek to connect the past and present through my art.

    All of the pieces she creates reflect a deep respect for cultural narratives, but my approach is deeply personal and adaptive. These reinterpretations aim to evoke relationships from a bygone era while also inviting reflection on contemporary issues of Asian identity, connection, and resilience while living in Canada.

    Her creative process involves careful layering, combining traditional Korean brushwork with experimental textures and media. All of her materials are materials that can be safely returned to nature, and her work’s themes are rooted in Buddhist sensibilities and processes of self-reflection. she often incorporates important symbolic elements across time and cultures, ensuring that her work is deeply rooted in Korean traditions while also resonating universally.

    www.kongsungmi.com

    For her, art is a journey of healing and storytelling. It is a medium through which she connects with her heritage and share moments of joy, struggle, and triumph. She hopes her work creates conversation, encouraging viewers to find their own stories in my work and reflect on the beauty and complexity of life.

    Through her work, she seeks to create art that honors the past, envisions new possibilities, and speaks to our shared humanity across generations and borders.

    Transient Transport

    Grace Vali
    2024
    18 x 24 in
    Oil on Canvas

    Transient Transport explores notions of magnificence in everyday routines by depicting the average commuter. This is achieved through ethereal repeated figures as the seated subject is soothed into a daydream by the movement of the train. I often find inspiration in the quiet and mundane moments as seen in the work. The figure’s thoughts encroach around the train space throughout the journey in the form of selves and the outdoor nature. Synthesizing reality with a surrealist dream like state is a concept frequently explored in my work. The atmosphere evoked by the blue tones begins metamorphosing into the local colour to provide contrast between the daydream-like sequence and real life. Despite the robotic nature of a commute, the structure of an everyday ritual can be a designated time for reflecting on creative endeavours and provide time to pause in a quiet moment. These transient routines can provide reassurance in an uncertain world where I am fortunate to live in a society that upholds this mundanity.

    Echos of Me

    Mirjana Conte
    2024
    42 x 42 in
    Acrylic on Canvas

    I create to break through — break through expectations imposed on me by others, break through the expectations I’ve placed on myself, break through the fears that hold me back, and break through the life I sometimes struggle to conform to. These constraints feel as real as the ground beneath me, making it hard to breathe, think, or see clearly. Finding the courage to let the vulnerable, imperfect parts of myself emerge is a life-long challenge. The act of breaking through is almost like a scream. It has to be. To push through all that noise. It is both an act of desperation and an act of hope at the same time.

    This painting reflects my journey to uncover my authentic self, peeling back years of conditioning and self-imposed limitations. It captures the raw, unrefined emotions that come with questioning, resisting, and embracing imperfection. It is deeply personal yet also undeniably universal.

    As an artist based in Maple, ON, my work explores themes of fragility, vulnerability, and resilience. Through rich layers of paint, dynamic textures, and subtle shifts in color, I seek to create movement and evoke emotion. My creative process celebrates imperfections, embracing “mistakes” and “unfinished” elements as a testament to our search for authenticity in an increasingly staged world. My art invites viewers to see strength in vulnerability, to find meaning in brokenness and to enjoy the beauty of flaws in both art and life.