New additions to the Cloyne Studio Tour

Jul 22, 2010

Artists Gaile and Trevor Bethell at their studio

The Cloyne Studio Tour has been a mainstay in the arts scene in the north when it was founded years ago by Cloyne artists Carla Miedema and the late Ursula Ossenberg.

Joining Carla on the tour this year for the first time were Gaile and Trevor Bethell, long-time cottagers on Kashwakamak Lake whose brand new studio, completed just a year ago, allowed them the perfect venue to show their work.

The Bethells have been married for 48 years and make their permanent home in Richmond Hill. They are both retired teachers and have been involved in the arts, Gaile as a painter and Trevor as a photographer, for decades.

Gaile was educated at Acadia University in Nova Scotia and is a member of the Richmond Group of Artists and the East Central Ontario Art Association. Since retiring in 1997 she has “been able to really focus on her work.” Gaile paints in acrylics, and her whimsical landscapes have a folk artist touch. Her subjects include the scenery surrounding their cottage, split rail fences and buildings she has discovered in their travels. In her own words, she is an interpreter of the visual beauty she finds in the natural environment and is always striving to “capture the play of light and shadow, and the rhythms and music found in the land”. One work, “Reflections”, captures a wilderness scene and took her two years to complete. Sometimes it is her husband Trevor's works that have inspired her paintings like “ Autumn Scene”, and “Birch Reflection”.

Of particular charm are her paintings of trees, which are often done in groupings of three and have a magical, surreal quality reminiscent of the landscapes found in the works of Marc Chagall.

Trevor' s work on the other hand leans more towards realism, though his landscapes shot in early morning light can have an impressionistic feel to them. Trevor received a certificate in photography from the New York Institute of Photography and has been taking photographs seriously since the 1970s. He is currently a member of the Don Mills Camera Club. His favorite subjects include birds, especially those he comes across in the Florida Everglades where he and Gaile spend their winters. Egrets and herons are a passionate subject and in one photo he captures a brown pelican in mid-flight diving headlong into the ocean. Landscapes of Nova Scotia and eastern Ontario are other favorites. His fall photographs capture the deep autumn landscapes in vivid and vibrant colour.

Composition and lighting are Trevor's primary concerns. “I like to show people places they can go to visit so I'm always aiming for realism and I try to make as few changes to the photos after the shot is taken.”

For both Trevor and Gaile, the natural world is an ongoing inspiration and continues to bring them together in their goals to produce works that both challenge and inspire them. In Gaile's own words, the subjects they most love are the ones that “continue to turn us on.”

The Bethells will be displaying their work at the Cloyne Showcase, August 6 to 8. To visit their home studio call them at 613-336-8691