For Immediate Release: July 15 2011, Barrie. Meet leading local artists at the fall RIDGE WEST Gallery exhibit opening September 30^th, 2011.

Get to know remarkable local artists who will be featured at RIDGE WEST Gallery this fall in an intimate setting that supports local artistic talent. Join featured artists and clients at the fall show launch reception on Friday, September 30^th from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The show will run from September 30^th until December 24^th.

RIDGE WEST Gallery is fast-becoming a destination that brings together experienced collectors with art enthusiasts who appreciate and collect original art reflecting the Simcoe County and Canadian experience. The gallery serves as a forum for emerging and established Canadian artists. This exhibit will feature the work of local artists: Michael Kilburn, Dale Duncan, Lois Green and Miriam Slan.

“My goal is to create a space that will showcase amazing art, and allow visitors both a very personal experience and an education in the arts and culture”, says Ellen Soloy, Curator. “Supporting the local artistic community, the visionaries who interpret the life and nature around us, is our passion. We hope to bring part of our local and Canadian culture into peoples’ homes and surroundings, and to allow people to experience the profound joy and serenity that original art can bring,” says Soloy.

The gallery in an intimate setting that serves as a forum for emerging and established Canadian artists.  Friends and family are invited to visit the RIDGE WEST Gallery to see nature from the artist’s perspective and to find that something special for their home or holiday season gift list. The fall show will run from September 30^th to December 24^th, 2011.

Launch Reception Details:

Hosts:                                    Ellen & Gord Soloy

Date:                                     September 30, 2011

Time:                                     6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location:                         RIDGE WEST Gallery, 953 Ridge Road West, Oro Medonte, ON L0L 2E0

Website:                        www.ridgewest.ca

Gallery Hours:                        Thursday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 pm or by appointment (705.487.8778) begin_of_the_skype_highlighting)) )

Interview Opportunity:            Ellen Soloy, Curator, RIDGE WEST Gallery and artists in attendance

For more information, or to arrange interviews please contact:

Patricia Dent

Inciteful Solutions

Bus: 705-241-9273 or 705-322-8663

Cell: 416-689-2669, patricia@incitefulsolutions.com

About RIDGE WEST Gallery:

RIDGE WEST Gallery is an intimate and emerging destination gallery, nestled in the Oro-Medonte landscape that inspires many of the artists who are featured within its walls. The gallery is committed to fostering appreciation and support for local artists, in a developing community that will nurture the creative soul of this region. Ellen Soloy, the CURATOR for RIDGE WEST brings 18 years of knowledge and experience in the arts, in support of our Canadian grass roots cultural heritage. Adviser to collectors, her work at RIDGE WEST brings inspired art to local residents and visitors in a gallery setting, allowing them to appreciate and enjoy original art. Jewellery, art and sculpture will be showcased for the long time collector, first time buyers, interior designers and specialty retail boutiques.

About the artists:

Michael Kilburn

Born in Ireland, Michael now lives in Barrie, Canada. He began painting seriously in 2000, drawing inspiration for his plein air paintings from their Kawagama Lake cottage in Haliburton, and their second home in Long Cove, Newfoundland, as well as his travels in Ireland, Scotland and France.

Dale Duncan

A resident of Orillia, Dale Duncan’s artworks are inspired by the beautiful and unique nature of the Northern Ontario countryside. Her art is infused with the character of the Canadian landscape, from its hills and lakes, to its bright and charming towns. She uses vibrant colour and light to create paintings with a real sense of place, constantly experimenting with new techniques, media and designs.

Lois Green

Lois Green is engaged in ideas about relationship, the impact of early life experiences on the present moment, and how this can play out in conscious and unconscious ways when relating to self and others. She sees the human form as a vehicle to evoke positive meaning, and embraces ideas which challenge. For her, the nude embodies what we can be at our most vulnerable, exposed, defenseless, humble and innocent.

Miriam Slan

Miriam Slan paints landscapes in an impressionistic style, focusing on the effects of light on objects and the resulting abstract patterns and textures. She is captivated by the vibrancy of colour, the immediacy of expression and the sense of depth that the layering of pastels allows her to achieve. She is inspired by the rural towns and countryside north of Toronto where she spends a great deal of time, working both en plein air and in her studios in Orillia and Toronto.