The Marianne van Silfhout Gallery at St. Lawrence College is pleased to present “Under Gentle Winds,” retrospective exhibition by well-known Canadian artists, Alan and Audrey M. Bain. The exhibition will be on view until March 25, 2022. This is a virtual exhibition. Enter the exhibition and view the 3D Gallery.

The exhibition includes 45 paintings by Alan and Audrey, who have worked, travelled, and painted as a couple for the 62 years of their marriage. “Under Gentle Winds” is a loving, reflective re-acquaintance with their journey as artists.

Audrey’s paintings portray the stories that buildings and places tell, and Alan’s feature the silent serenity of Canada’s vast boreal regions, lands he loved and walked as a geologist. The exhibition brings their talents together and speaks to the need for respect and the protection of the environment in Canada.

For Alan and Audrey, being able to exhibit their works after two years of lockdowns is a great opportunity to connect with the arts community again. “We’ve both been feeling isolated and were so happy when we were contacted by the gallery with this chance to show our works,” Allan said. “It’s restimulated us both to reconnect with our art and I’ve since painted seven new works, with an eighth on the way.”

About the Artists

As partners, Alan and Audrey have pursued an active arts career. Together, they operate Winddrift Studio and Gallery. They have taken part in numerous exhibitions, both solo and group, and have won many prestigious awards. In 2020 both Alan and Audrey were elected to the Cornwall Arts Hall of Fame. Both Alan and Audrey are elected members of the Society of Canadian Artists and have participated in SCA exhibitions. Alan and Audrey lived until recently in Ingleside but have since moved to a community north of Toronto to be near their family.

Audrey is a “plein air” painter in oils and acrylics. Her works are varied and reflect her response to family ties, social concerns, scenes of nature, images of rural Ontario, and the Canadian landscape.

Originally from the Maritimes, Audrey earned a two-year scholarship to the Nova Scotia College of Art in 1954-55. Audrey graduated in 1982 from St. Lawrence College, Cornwall, with a diploma in Visual and Creative Arts (with distinction). She served for ten years as Gallery Director for the Cornwall Regional Art Gallery. Audrey taught leisure classes in oil painting for St. Lawrence College, Cornwall.

Alan Bain specializes with paintings from the boreal forest regions of Canada: a vast silent northern landscape. As a geologist Alan has spent many years roaming the northlands of Canada. In 1998 and 2019, he was invited to place a watercolour in the 3rd and 13th International Biennial Exhibition of Watercolour in Mexico City. Alan taught watercolour classes at St. Lawrence College, Brockville.  Alan has developed a technique for – and a workshop – “Painting Watercolours on Hard Surfaces.” He is also the author of the book, The Kimberlite Adventure.

The Marianne van Silfhout Gallery is a state-of-the-art community art gallery located at the front atrium of the Brockville campus and is the focus of the visual arts for Brockville and the surrounding region.

Creation of the gallery was made possible by a major half-million dollar bequest from the estate of Marianne van Silfhout, a graduate of the Fine Art program at St. Lawrence College, as well as numerous donors to the St. Lawrence College Alumni & Development Office. Behind this gift is Marianne’s belief that wilderness adventure, education, and art are inextricably bound together in an experience of enduring value and benefit to humanity. The bequest also funds bursaries for both part-time and full-time Fine Arts students at St. Lawrence College.

St. Lawrence College is an integral part of the economic life and social fabric of Eastern Ontario, with campuses in Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall. St. Lawrence College consistently ranks as one of Ontario’s leading community colleges, preparing students for the global economy with relevant, practical, and experiential learning opportunities. Offering over 100 full-time programs, St. Lawrence College is a close-knit community of 10,000 full-time students and more than 100,000 alumni.