Art Galleries

Krysia Bower is a multi-faceted artist who creates large woodblock prints and transforms antique Muskoka Cottage windows into works of art.

The property on which Krysia and her husband live in Muskoka inspires her paintings and multi-media installations and go on to form part of the landscape in the gardens and woodland trails.

Her methods are unusual and the results are striking.  She uses a router to carve out designs on large sheets of plywood, applies inks and acrylics to the surface, and pulls off prints in brilliant colours.  Her technique of applying all of the colours at once, before printing, results in vibrant, one-of-a-kind works or art.

Cut mirrors and coloured glass beads on panes of glass in the form of stylized flowers play with reflected light on windows and French doors.  These confections, suitable for both indoor and outdoor areas, delight the eyes as you pass them by.  So many of the old cottages are disappearing because of renovations.  Krysia has been salvaging what is left of these old, old windows and doors and giving them new life for people to enjoy for many more years to come.

For more information, visit their website

The Tree Museum is located on a 200-acre woodland lot that combines the pleasure of a walk in the woods with the surprise of contemporary site-specific sculpture. It is 2.2 kilometers from Doe Lake Rd to the centre of the site, and about 1 kilometer to the first sculpture. You park your car in the field as you turn in off Doe Lake Road. The installations are permanent, and the site is open year round. This is a self-directed tour with signs and information to help you enjoy the experience. Please wear hiking boots/runners – this is a walk in the woods, with rock climbing.

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Bonnie Bews was born in 1967 and raised in Queensville, a rural farm community in Southern Ontario, Canada. There she developed her imagination and keen sense of observation. During 1986 -1988 Bonnie attended Georgian College of applied Arts and Technology, Barrie, Ontario. She graduated receiving a 2nd year scholarship in creative arts. In 1990 Bonnie backpacked to Australia and throughout Europe. While sketching in a piazza in Germany, she was approached by artist, Rudolf Schmid. This prominent Bavarian Glass painter showed an interest in Bews’ style of work and offered her an apprenticeship at his studio.  Bonnie accepted this unique opportunity and returned to Germany in 1992 to discover a whole new medium including Hinterglas. Bonnie now resides in Muskoka, ON, where she continues to create stunning works from her studio and gallery.

You can find Bonnie’s work at The Arts at the Albion in Gravenhurst, and The Framing Place in Huntsville.

For more information, visit their website

Steps from downtown Bracebridge, Heron’s Nest Studio Gallery is home to visual artist, Wendie Donabie. Working with a variety of mediums – acrylic, oil, watercolour, Chinese and acrylic inks, as well as mixed media, her style tends towards realism. The intimate, 2-room gallery also features stained glass by Maureen Haines (Log Cabin Glass Studio), artisan designed furniture by Conel O’Regan (Happenstance Design) and paintings by Micheal Zaworsky (Micheal Zarowsky Fine Art). Wendie, Conel and Maureen are also members of the Arts at the Albion Cooperative Gallery in Gravenhurst.

Wendie’s artistry reflects her love of nature and concern for the environment. The sight of a windblown Jack Pine, the twisted weave of tree roots in the forest, wildlife in their natural habitat, a brilliant sunset or sunrise over a placid lake, a cascade of rushing water over giant boulders; these are some of the emotional triggers that inspire Wendie Donabie’s work. That visceral response, when goose pimples rise on her skin and her breath comes in short gasps are signs of her muse enticing her back to the easel to share the story of her experience with the world. To that end a portion of sales of all paintings goes directly to Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary to support their rehabilitation work in Muskoka.

In 2014 Wendie was honoured to receive the Muskoka YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Arts, Culture and Creative Energy.

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Muskoka runs deep in Lynda’s soul

With her studio located in Bracebridge, Lynda is a fifth generation Muskokan, her family received land grants from the Crown in the mid 1800’s and have been located in the region ever since.

She attributes her love and fascination with light and colour to both her grandmother and mother, who made beautiful quilts and nurtured summer gardens full of luscious texture and vibrant hues. Together they encouraged Lynda as she explored and developed her creative talent.

Lynda enjoys nothing more, than playing with a new medium or subject matter. This “fun” side of art is promoted by Lynda in the classes that she teaches. She wants her students to have “fun” with their creative side.

Lynda works in a variety of media and has continued to study art throughout her life. Her first formal training was with noted landscape painter Robert Emerson Everett, a family friend. Lynda has herself become a teacher in her field teaching a variety of courses in the art field. She instructs at the Muskoka Summer Art School as well as privately at her studio.

In addition to her painting, Lynda has worked as an interior decorator, using her eye for placement, colour and harmony assisting home and cottage owners. She was co-owner of a successful Christmas and Gift Shop and in 1995 she was a founding director of the Muskoka School of the Arts. Lynda is an award winning real estate Broker with Royal LePage Lakes of Muskoka where she uses her knowledge and passion for Muskoka to assist her clients.

Watershed Wonders at Muskoka Discovery Centre, Gravenhurst – The original artwork in this show are Lynda Lynn’s attempt to express through her medium of paint – the understanding that Dr. Norman Yan tries to express in his – science writing. It’s well worth the visit to experience Watershed Wonders, i.e. the interactive displays, importance, and beauty of the minuscule living world of our lakes.

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The Algonquin Art Centre is a world-class art gallery showcasing some of Canada’s foremost wilderness and wildlife artists. Located on the shores of Found Lake in beautiful Algonquin Park, the Centre is built upon a long tradition of artists in Canada’s wilderness parks – from Tom Thomson to Michael Dumas – and organizes annual exhibits that explore this connection. The Centre grounds feature a gallery, boutique gift shop, and art studio offering art classes and programs for all ages and skill levels.

Open June – Mid October

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Born Birrell Josef Mendelson on July 30th, 1944 in Toronto, Canada, Mr. Joe is a great Canadian original who has established himself as a consummate multi-media artist.

A self-taught guitarist since age eleven, Mr. Joe’s musical career spans four decades; he is a prolific songwriter and a recognized guitar master.

In 1975, Mr. Joe rescued some derelict paints from the garbage, and tried painting just to see what it was like. A distinct style soon evolved. Today, Mendelson Joe’s painting’s are internationally recognized as outstanding, unique, examples of contemporary Canadian art.

His work is housed at the Art Bank (a government-owned art collection), and in numerous private and corporate collections worldwide.

In March 2000 Mendelson Joe realized his longtime dream and exited the city of Toronto. He now resides in a log cabin surrounded by forest in the Almaguin Highlands.

For more information, visit their website

Welcome to the only year round art studio in Muskoka offering classes and workshops for all ages and artistic levels! Let The Cat Go supports local Muskoka artists who teach in the studio as well as show in the gallery where you can buy original one of a kind art.

For more information, visit their website

Greatly influenced by her Muskoka environs and her love of nature, Margo’s watercolour paintings are serene yet radiate vitality both in colour and movement. Floral focus is inspired by her love of gardening.

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Catherine is a self- taught artist who works with the ancient medium of egg tempera. She has developed a sophisticated style that represents the Muskoka Landscape with a truthfulness for the common place themes and a passion for the extraordinary in the vast forest landscape and the elements of nature.

A member of the Muskoka Autumn Studio tour for 19 years and a member of Artists of the Limberlost Open Studio Weekend

Open  Tues.-Wed. 10-4pm June-Sept. or by arrangement

For more information, visit her website

Eclipse Art Gallery is focused on the Canadian Artist and showcases their work to a wide audience at Deerhurst Resort in Muskoka. They gallery strives to maintain a high standard of art work that truly expresses the landscape and rugged character that is Muskoka. With a select group of recognized artists as well as new faces, Eclipse Art Gallery balances an array of different art works to entice all art lovers.

For more information, visit their website

Original artwork created by over 40 artists inspired by the gardens and displayed in an outdoor Muskoka garden gallery.

From sculptures to wall hangings, jewellery to bird feeders and ironwork to stonecarving; all displayed in the gorgeous Muskoka gardens of Jon and Suzann Partridge.

For more information, visit their website

Come in and view original works of art from all over North America and Europe! Muskoka Fine Art Gallery celebrates the works and talents of living Canadian and International Artists.  Original oils and acrylic paint celebrates colour on canvas and birch boards which are displayed on the walls of The Gallery.  We are proud to bring beauty and enjoyment into the homes and hearts of our discerning patrons.  Muskoka Fine Art Gallery offers a solid cross-section of work created by both emerging and internationally renowned contemporary artists.

Ours is a rewarding business that emanates from sharing the love of beautiful artistic creations.  We counsel our patrons to purchase art simply because when they look at the piece, they feel good about it.  We encourage them to take art home to see how it looks in their own environment.  We take pride in our no-charge consultation services which often involve visits to our client’s homes to help determine fit or to offer advice on placement.

Visiting Art Galleries and the decision to purchase art has to be for personal enjoyment and any appreciation in value should be considered an unexpected bonus.
An enjoyable and sincere gallery experience awaits you at… Muskoka Fine Art Gallery.

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In real life, I am an introvert. In the studio, I can examine people’s physical and social circumstances without the distraction of their actual presence, giving discarded images new life while exploring the confluence of abstraction and figuration.

Hours: By appointment

Welcome to Muskoka’s hottest new artist collective. Featuring twenty of Muskoka’s best artists from the Gravenhurst area who have come together to form an amazing new creative hive, right in the heart of town.

Housed in the historic Albion Hotel: Gravenhurst’s most recognizable building, Arts at the Albion invites you to experience the energy and passion housed within these old walls.

For more information, visit their website

The Chapel Gallery is an art gallery in Bracebridge that features renowned exhibits throughout the year.

Housed in a reconstruction of the first Presbyterian Church in Bracebridge, the Chapel Gallery hosts exhibitions of art and craft by local Muskoka as well as provincial artists. Exhibitions are selected by the Gallery Committee and change every three to four weeks.

For more information, visit their website

The Muskoka Lakes Museum’s own Art Gallery is named the Catto Gallery in honour of the museum’s founder, Marion Catto. This space is used to host a new art show each month from June to October, featuring local artists.

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As a child, Wendy Moses could be found in the boathouse Saturday mornings on Lake Rosseau, enjoying art classes with her grandmother, Alexandra Luke – a member of the Painters Eleven. Her love of art led her to picturesque Partridge Lane, located a few kilometers outside of Bracebridge, where, in 1998, she opened the Alexandra Luke Gallery, named in honour of her grandmother. Wendy paints with watercolour, acrylic and oil. Her subjects are mostly flowers and scenes of nature that shy away from realism into abstraction. She is also a photographer with a keen eye and good sense of composition. Gallery open by appointment or chance.

For more information, visit their website

Watercolour & Acrylic Paintings. Landscapes & Historical. Studio and Gallery is open most days throughout the year.

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The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery is an inspiring and dramatic mural collection featuring over 80 world-class reproductions of famous artwork by Tom Thomson and Canada’s renown Group of Seven artists.

The Gallery is a free public art experience that is designed to engage the community, residents, visitors and tourists alike. The murals are hand painted by select mural artists from across Canada, and are displayed on the exterior walls of businesses and public buildings throughout the Huntsville, Lake of Bays, and Algonquin Park region.

The public is encouraged to view the works at their own leisure through self guided tours. This year round attraction makes for an educational, fun and fascinating adventure for the whole family.

This outdoor gallery is a fun take on a driving tour. Most of the murals are in downtown Huntsville and can be explored on foot. You will then want to hop in your vehicle to explore the rest of the murals in surrounding communities and in Algonquin Park. Happy exploring!

For more information, visit their website

Irene Peel is of Metis heritage and resides in Gravenhurst, Ontario. Irene has been involved in artistic crafts all of her life. At the age of 7 she made crepe flowers and sold them door to door and has not looked back since. Irene first moved to Gravenhurst in 1974 and soon opened a store selling art and craft supplies and taught numerous crafts on a private basis for some time. Upon obtaining her Masters in cake decorating and her patissier’s license she taught at Georgian College for a number of years. She then diversified into an outstanding career in real estate. Soon after retirement she returned to her first love, artistic crafts. She discovered a 100 year old gourd woven with pine needles exhibited in a museum and became entranced with this art. After painstaking research she found that the art actually dated back to ancient times. She then developed her own style and technique into her current creations.

For more information, visit their website

As an artist, I enjoy creating original works of art using both innovative and traditional techniques, with a special love for colour and texture. Most of my paintings are created intuitively, and I often use acrylic mediums to build layers of colour to play within the texture. It is this intuitive creative process that enables me to release emotion and wonder and to express myself visually, when words won’t suffice, and when too much careful planning interferes with the creative outflow. If I have an idea that must include planning, then I leave room for discovery and invention.

In my life, I find that I am happiest and more in tune with myself when I am freely able to create; hence, art gives life back to me, and gives me purpose.

Part of that purpose is using art to tell stories visually that others can interpret from similar life experiences. Meaning is in the mind of the artist, as well as with the one viewing the painting.

I am continually inspired by the beauty of the nature that surrounds me within Muskoka.

Visit Vine Art Studio by appointment, and for advertised open studio events.

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Since Pat moved to Muskoka in 2002, she has been compelled to create works in encaustic, printmaking, acrylic and oil. Her art has won many awards and is proudly displayed in galleries and art shows.

Visit Pat’s portfolio on her website to see her beautiful pieces and to make inquiries.

For more information, visit their website