Latcham Art Centre brings Bewabon Shilling’s nature-inspired works to Stouffville

Latcham Art Centre is set to open of light and air, a new exhibition by Ojibwe artist Bewabon Shilling, whose paintings are inspired by his home community of Rama First Nation on the shores of Lake Couchiching.

Latcham curator Jeff Nye and gallery assistant Molly Steels recently visited Shilling’s studio in Rama to create a short film that will accompany the exhibition.

“Bewabon was very gracious with his time,” Nye said. “He gave us a rare opportunity to interview him in his studio and capture footage as he worked on a plein air painting on his family property. It was incredible to witness how he develops his compositions so intuitively and responds to the landscape in front of him with such decisiveness and skill. The experience was a gift, and we’re thrilled to share it with visitors to the gallery.”

The home studio where Bewabon works was built by his father, renowned Ojibwe artist Arthur Shilling. Bewabon’s deep sense of gratitude to his father is infused into the work he creates in Rama. The paintings on display—including the piece created during Latcham’s studio visit—are part of two related series: one depicting the woods surrounding the Shilling family home and the other capturing the nearby wind-swept fields.

Of light and air showcases Shilling’s signature use of bold colours and expressive brushstrokes in paintings that are alive with the motion and rhythms of nature. Many of the works were painted en plein air, a method of painting outdoors that allows the artist to respond to the invisible aspects of the landscape—shifts in temperature, the effects of wind, and the sounds of nature—and to explore creative ways of translating those experiences into paint. Reflecting on the difference between plein air painting and studio work, Bewabon says, “We’re out of the studio. We’re right with these trees. It’s just so alive.”

The exhibition will launch with an opening reception on September 12 from 7-9 p.m. Bewabon will be in attendance, and the event is free and open to all. The exhibition will run until October 25.

Bewabon will also share his passion for painting with Latcham visitors during a free plein air painting session in Stouffville’s Memorial Park on September 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Latcham invites those interested in painting and chatting alongside one of Canada’s most exciting painters to RSVP on its website.

For more information, visit www.latchamartcentre.ca/exhibitions.

Photo: Bewabon Shilling painting on his property in Rama. (Photo courtesy of Latcham Art Centre)