Art for All: The 2025 Art Sale

A Jamali Rad (they/them) is a writer and artist. They have published three full-length books of poetry: for love and autonomy (Talon Books, 2016), still (Talon Books, 2021), and WHAT I WANT (Model Press, 2022). Their latest book is No Signal No Noise (Talon Books, 2024). They are the co-founder of the journal About a Bicycle and the small poetry publisher House House Press.

Aaron Parent’s education:

• University of Windsor, BA (Hons) Communication Studies/Political Science
• University of Nevada Reno, Graphics Design Certificate
• Kennesaw State University, Graphics Design & Animation Certificate
• Ohio University, Digital Media Transformation & Innovation Graduate Certificate
• Troy University, Strategic Communication Graduate Degree
• Humber Polytechnic, Radio Broadcasting Certificate

Theme/concepts:
Showcasing Canada’s amazing wildlife, coast to coast, with a focus on birds.

Alana is a Windsor based artist who has a passion for finding the beauty in the everyday. Alana’s paintings and drawings are unique in that they portray ordinary objects and moments in a hip and whimsical way, giving them a fresh and playful perspective. Alana’s art is a celebration of finding beauty in the mundane, reminding us to take a moment to appreciate the little things in life.

Alana works primarily in waterbased marker on watercolour paper as well as on large scale canvases with acrylic paint.

Alejandro Tamayo (Medellín, 1973) is a Colombian/Canadian visual artist, writer, and arts administrator. Alejandro completed a practice-based doctorate in Visual Arts at York University, and is also a graduate from the Master in Fine and Visual Arts from the National University of Colombia, and the Graduate Program in Digital Technologies from Concordia University. His work has been exhibited individually and collectively in Canada and abroad, including Colombia, the US, Spain, Mexico, Finland, Argentina, and Czech Republic.

His work springs from a curiosity about the mystery of existence and the various systems and practices that account for it —and give it some order—, whether they are linguistic symbols; numbers, physics and mathematics; or paintings, sculptures and art in general. His working method usually involves the recollection of found objects and materials, and a combination of random walks on the street with studio practice.

Alexandria Masse (she/her) (b. 2000) is an artist who works with textiles and fibres to construct soft sculptures and wearable art. Masse holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles/Fashion with a Minor in Art History from NSCAD University. She was born and raised in Wawiiatanong (“Windsor, ON, Canada”). After graduating, she received the Fluevog Emerging Artist Grant and used it to build Abigail, the massive 10-foot-wide crochet spider sculpture. Since then, she has participated in multiple residencies, the most recent one being the RBC Emerging Artist Residency at AWE. All the while, she was building an online presence and showing her work to millions of people around the world.

Masse is fascinated by how a material can be manipulated and uses sewing, knitting and crochet to make whimsical sculptures. She channels the subconscious through her work by taking in her lived experiences and using that drive to create work that flows dimensionally. She is inspired by subject matter ranging from being a second-generation immigrant to the insects in her backyard. She establishes connections between childhood memories and relates them to present-day experiences.

I have graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Tirana, Albania. I have lived in Windsor, Ontario since 2000. My work is abstract. I express myself through composition of shapes, lines and colors.

An appreciation for details, texture and transparent harmonious colour has become the central focus of my work. Intentionally ambiguous, my richly layered abstract paintings describe a dreamy sense of the familiar. The imagery I create often suggests organic forms, water, wind or landscape. They are allusions to the physical world yet are paintings of sensation and imagination.

I am a fine artist based in Windsor, Ontario, and a graduate of Fanshawe College’s Fine Arts Program (2018). My work focuses on recycling and upcycling found and discarded materials, transforming them into compositions that challenge ideas of waste, value, and renewal.

The central theme in my practice is environmental awareness through material reuse. Each object I collect carries a history — scratches, stains, and textures that speak to its previous life. These qualities guide my process and influence the visual outcome of each piece. I aim to give these materials a second or third life, using them to create paintings and mixed-media works that serve as both environmental reflections and aesthetic explorations.

Conceptually, my fine art practice examines the relationship between consumption, transformation, and sustainability. By working with what already exists, I invite viewers to reconsider the materials that surround them and recognize the creative potential hidden within the discarded.

Barret Melanson is an acrylic painter living in Windsor, Ontario. He has dropped out of secondary education twice due to incompatibility between his mental state and the social world. What has always persisted in his life is dedication and love for artistic expression. The artworks submitted are created with the intention to foster a moment of peace. “Stop to smell the roses”.

Caregiver for individuals with special needs, Amherstburg ON.

Graduated centuries ago from UofW fine arts in printmaking. Currently reside and work out of my studio- home in Walkerville.

My watercolours portray the simple beauty of Essex County.

I am a self taught watercolour artist, now living in Windsor. I began using watercolours in Woodstock, ON and moved to Windsor 4 years ago. I spent some years enjoying pottery before taking up watercolours, due to lack of space. I was thrilled with how simple and clean painting in watercolours was and never looked back.
I use my own photographs for reference from my day to day experiences. Sometimes from my travels and often from right around home.
I have been commissioned to paint everything from pets and people to homes, cottages, vehicles and even elephants, once. But, what I love most is painting a beautiful landscape that I have taken a photo of and trying to capture that beauty on a piece of paper that I can share with others and I become part of it!

Christopher McNamara is a video, sound and photo-based artist who lives in Ann Arbor Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. He has his BA and MA from the University of Windsor. He has exhibited and performed his work extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe. In the fall of 2004 his work was included in Shrinking Cities at Kunst Werke in Berlin and most recently he presented a solo exhibition at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, ON and at the Thames Art Gallery in Chatham, ON. He is the recipient of numerous grants, awards and fellowships including the OAC Media Arts Grant (2008, 2010, 2012) and the Joan Chalmers Fellowship (2015). His video, Establishing Shots premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2007 and screened at numerous other festivals. His latest film, “Immaterial Los Angeles” premiered at The Ann Arbor Film Festival in 2020.

His festival appearances as a musician and mulit-media artist include Mutek in Montreal, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and Spark Festival of New Electronic Music at the University of Minnesota. Last year he released an LP entitled Shorelights on Barcelona label Subwax.

McNamara teaches video, animation, sound design and digital media in the Department of Film, Television and Media at the University of Michigan.

The skies above have been my lifelong source of peace and illumination. I have been collecting snapshots of sunrises, sunsets and marvelous cloud formations in between, since I was a child old enough to operate my own disc camera. I have an extensive and growing archive, adding pictures with my phone when I’m on the go.
When High school years brought science and astronomy into my life, the night skies began to fascinate me. Deep space objects like galaxies and nebulas made their way into my treasury thanks to NASA, and the large telescopes like Hubble and James Webb.
My parents have proudly maintained that I began drawing what I saw at four years of age. It was natural for me to build toward an art career by studying Fine Arts at Georgian College, Barrie, Ontario. While there, I practiced working with many materials, including chalk pastels and oil paints. I found these translated my imagery to paper and canvas very well.
I moved to Windsor over twenty five years ago, continuing to build my collection of reference and inspiration images and raise a family. When my daughter developed an allergic response to oil paint, I started a new journey to learn the ways of acrylic paint. I find cloudscapes and sunset hues very challenging to capture with this new medium, but equally rewarding when I can recreate what I see and attain the result I have worked for.
Not long after finding round canvas, sparks of ideas for night sky images came to mind. They give the feeling of looking through a telescope. With the addition of gold iridescent Acrylic paint, I can enhance the brighter elements of the compositions, such as the edges of clouds and stars. This reveals a wonderful glow to the finished painting when displayed on a wall that receives light from an outside window.
Painting supports my overall health and sense of wellness. I see that my work delivers some of the same benefits to each viewer in their own fascinating way. It spurs me on to keep creating tangible, refined pieces of the sky that can leave a legacy of wonder.

His festival appearances as a musician and mulit-media artist include Mutek in Montreal, the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and Spark Festival of New Electronic Music at the University of Minnesota. Last year he released an LP entitled Shorelights on Barcelona label Subwax.

McNamara teaches video, animation, sound design and digital media in the Department of Film, Television and Media at the University of Michigan.

I studied Visual and Digital Arts and Film and Television production at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto and am currently based in Windsor, Ontario.
My artworks focus on capturing real life through everyday moments, memories, and people and the intimacy and beauty found in the mundane. I also like to explore queer love, connection, and intimacy in my art.

Self Taught born and raised in Windsor. My media varies, mostly mixed media with an emphasis on watercolour. These works are primarily portraits portraying strong women with a variety of floral motifs and accents that I attribute to the duality of life and death

A profound appreciation for life and devout faith in God are immediately discernible in painter Dennis K. Smith’s landscapes, portraits, and music themed works.
Smith, who was born in 1949 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, is known for his expressive brushstrokes and ability to find inspiration for paintings even in the humblest scenes. He works to capture the story within his subjects in the hope of evoking a conversation in which art has the power to awaken within us.
His distinctive style of painting results in works that come alive through sensitive and rhythmically applied brushwork and vivid choreographed passages of colour and movement. For over sixty years, Dennis has been visually vocalizing not only his story but also those who find themselves connected by the subject matter that is depicted. Art for Dennis must have reason for its creation. If his artistic approach and intent could be characterized in vocal styling terminology, he would consider himself a “crooner.” an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental depiction of his chosen subjects. It has been noted that his work generates simplicity and quietness that causes one to pause and connect.

He is the Co-founder and president of The Artists of Colour and a long-standing member of the Association of Representative Artists. Dennis conducts workshops as well as open classes at his Lasalle studio.

1130 Minto Ave. LaSalle ON. N9J 3H8 | 519-734-9039 | [email protected] www.dksstudiogallery.com

Emily Conlon is a multidisciplinary artist based in Windsor, Ontario. She holds an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Saskatchewan and a BFA Honours in Visual Arts from the University of Windsor. Emily has exhibited across Canada and internationally. Her work has most recently been featured in online exhibitions at John B. Aird Gallery (Toronto, ON) and Site:Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY). In 2025, Emily received the Best of Paper Award at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair.

Emily’s practice is motivated by a desire to document personal experiences within natural spaces to serve as a form of remembrance and preservation. She interprets her surroundings similarly to how one recalls memories – non-linear, fragmented, concealed, and sometimes reduced to shapes and patterns. Her work aims to translate states of decay and impermanence into something tangible and reimagined.

Emily primarily works with printmaking and drawing, mediums that allow her process to be intuitive and take shape as a form of note-taking and personal reflection. The physicality of printmaking and the act of embedding an image into a surface allows her to transform these fleeting experiences into something tactile and permanent. Repetition and pattern allow Emily to tie her work to bodily rhythms such as steps, breaths, or heart beats, further connecting the subject matter to the passage of time and the human experience. Emily’s work engages with a push and pull between presence and absence. While placing importance on what is seen, she also acknowledges what is missing or eroded. Negative space and absence of imagery allow space for the viewers to shape their own narratives.

By honing in on overlooked pockets of natural spaces and intangible moments and viewing them through the lens of memory, Emily aims to garner closer relationships between the viewer and their surroundings and create a visual language that has the capacity to generate new narratives beyond initial encounters.

As a lifelong jewelry and fashion enthusiast, I am a Jewelry Designer based in Windsor, building my own brand. With over eight years of experience, I combine artistic creativity with engineering precision to create designs that evolve from sketch to 3D model and are brought to life through silversmithing, assembly, and alternative techniques. After earning my engineering degree, I furthered my studies in jewelry design at Tehran University ACECR, Pars University of Art, and Idea Art Institute.

Alongside my independent work, I also collaborate with ACT as a Costume Coordinator and Jewelry Designer. Beyond jewelry, I am also a civil engineer and pianist, sharing my passion for the arts through teaching at WPACC at Sho Art Studio and Brava Academy of Music.

The presented collection, titled What Colour Are You Today?!, currently features five necklaces inspired by the works of four world-renowned painters, each representing a distinct art genre. Every piece is thoughtfully designed to capture the mood and atmosphere of its corresponding painting through a mirrored color palette. The collection is envisioned to expand to 111 unique designs. Each necklace is entirely handcrafted from scratch using wood and stainless steel, meticulously hand-painted, detailed with precision, and expertly assembled.

Helena MacKenzie lives in Windsor, Ontario. Her work with recycled textiles condenses the narratives implicit in discarded clothing into intricate expressions of joy and community

Jenny Sabourin is a visual artist, mother, and educator living and working in London, Ontario, Canada since 2005. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Her artistic practice is deeply inspired by her surroundings, particularly her garden and time spent in nature. Sabourin’s work often explores organic subjects, with a keen interest in the interplay of light and shadow and their effect on shapes and colors. Her background in photography influences her explorations of depth of field and focus in her paintings, inviting viewers to discover overlooked details in everyday life. She employs a variety of mediums, including acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and airbrushing, constantly seeking new techniques to express the ephemeral.

Jenny Sabourin is a visual artist, mother, and educator living and working in London, Ontario, Canada since 2005. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Her artistic practice is deeply inspired by her surroundings, particularly her garden and time spent in nature. Sabourin’s work often explores organic subjects, with a keen interest in the interplay of light and shadow and their effect on shapes and colors. Her background in photography influences her explorations of depth of field and focus in her paintings, inviting viewers to discover overlooked details in everyday life. She employs a variety of mediums, including acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and airbrushing, constantly seeking new techniques to express the ephemeral.

Jenny Sabourin is a visual artist, mother, and educator living and working in London, Ontario, Canada since 2005. She holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Her artistic practice is deeply inspired by her surroundings, particularly her garden and time spent in nature. Sabourin’s work often explores organic subjects, with a keen interest in the interplay of light and shadow and their effect on shapes and colors. Her background in photography influences her explorations of depth of field and focus in her paintings, inviting viewers to discover overlooked details in everyday life. She employs a variety of mediums, including acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, and airbrushing, constantly seeking new techniques to express the ephemeral.

Lupita resides in Windsor, Ontario and has been both dedicated and passionate in creating unique Art & Photography from a very young age. As a photographer she loves creating images that are a combination of her visual arts & photography skills to spark interest and motivate a viewer to pause for a moment to examine her images.  Her demeanor behind the lens brings out the best in her models and her portrait subjects.

As an active member in multiple Arts & Photography groups in the community, she has participated in an extensive number of exhibitions. Taken several workshops both locally and in the US.

She has been commissioned to do several private works, photographing Art Exhibitions, Windsor Art Gallery activities, Theatre Performances, Product photography, Decor events & Portraits. She embraces continuous life-long learning in her photographic journey.  Lupita loves being creative, innovative & original in her photography.

Michele Goulette (Canada) is an artist and filmmaker born in Windsor, Ontario in 1954. Her work explores the idea of a collective unconscious, where the particular transforms into the universal.

Soheila Esfahani is a visual artist based in Waterloo, ON and Assistant Professor at Western University. Esfahani grew up in Tehran, Iran, and moved to Canada in 1992. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Western University and her BA in Fine Arts from University of Waterloo. Esfahani’s practice questions displacement, dissemination, and reinsertion of culture by re-contextualizing culturally specific ornamentation and various collected souvenir type objects. She navigates the terrains of cultural translation by exploring ornamentation as a form of “portable culture” that can be carried across cultures and nations.

Her Work aims to destabilize the origin of culture and reconstruct Homi Bhabha’s “the third space of in-betweeness”: a site of cultural translation, where locations of cultures are negotiated, and new narratives are adapted and hybridized. Esfahani’s work simultaneously emphasizes and disrupts familiar collected objects in order to dissolve traditional boundaries between cultures. Her work has been exhibited across Canada and internationally and her coin design for the Royal Canadian Mint’s Celebrating Canada’s Diversity Collection was released in limited mintage gold and silver coins in 2024.