July 7, 2010
Immediate Release
Three Oakville photographers Bill Smith, Gary van Eijk and Les Lengyel stage their first group show In the Shadow of the GTA Greenbelt in Sovereign House’s North Wing from Saturday July 17 to July 28.
“This exhibit is the result of a lot of hard work,” said Bill Smith. “We all love the great outdoors and I first floated the idea of the GTA Greenbelt being a possible subject because I have a long fascination for the region around Greater Toronto through my love of hiking sections of the Bruce Trail.”
The exhibit explores different aspects of the GTA Greenbelt from its farming heritage, buffer between rural and suburban lands, environmental sanctuary and a destination for outdoor activities. While protected by the Ontario Government, the region is still under pressure from suburban development and from open pit gravel mining.
Bill is the co-founder and vice president of the Oakville Camera Club and 2009 Oakville Arts Awards Finalist. He has been interested in photography as an art form for over ten years. Self taught he prefers the darkroom to Photoshop making handmade silver gelatin prints and has sold pieces in the New Leaders of Sunnybrook Foundation charity art auctions in 2007 and 2008 as well as exhibiting at Oakville Town Hall during Capture Oakville 2009.
Gary has long been interested in photography stemming back to his days as a yearbook photographer in high school. Self taught he currently has focused on architecture and landscape photography in his career as a Landscape Designer. Most recently, he has placed second in the two categories of "Solace" and "Streetscapes" in Capture Oakville 2009.
Les has a lifelong passion for photography and he currently has an exhibit of Oakville night photography on display at the Trafalgar Rd and Dundas St. William’s Fresh Cafe. Les won Capture Oakville 2008 Grand Prize with the winning print “This is the End.” Recently he has been involved in photography projects for Audi Canada, Mercedes-Benz Oakville, and the Oakville Community Foundation.
Art on the Bluffs has been the major fundraising effort for the Bronte Historical Society over the past 13 years. The mixture of art, history and a wonderful lakeside setting has made Sovereign House a favourite destination for both artists and visitors.
Sovereign House is operated by the Bronte Historical Society as a heritage display centre and is located at 7 West River Street in Bronte Village Oakville, Ontario. Gallery Hours are Saturday and Sunday 1-4 PM and Wednesday 1-4 PM.
For further information please visit brontehistoricalsociety.ca on Sovereign House and for the exhibit: gtagreenbeltexhibit.blogspot.com
