Glenhyrst's juried show surprises

Montreal-born Karen Cantello is stylistically far removed from most other artists in this show. Cow with Spiked Nose Ring places the cow directly in the face of the spectator, in an engaging and sympathetic frontal encounter. Here is an artist at the top of her game, capable of investing in a benign beast, a rare power and true feeling.

Exhibit opens: Monday, January 1
Artist’s reception: Thursday, January 8, from 5-7pm

Cattle to take over Rotunda Gallery in January

There are a lot of cows in Toronto artist Karen Cantello’s life, and a small herd of them can be viewed for the month of January, at the Rotunda Gallery at Kitchener City Hall.

Cantello’s exhibit, Cattle, is a series of paintings of cattle, which were the subject of earliest art-making activities, Cantello says. She notes while the animals, or more specifically their predecessor, the auroch, may have formed a part of larger rituals and ceremonies, Paleolithic cave paintings recognize and celebrate animals vital to survival.

“For me, the cattle represent the essence of nourishment and ‘nurturement,’ and these paintings are a resumption of our earliest instinct to celebrate them in pigment,” she says. “These compelling individuals bestow great opportunity for projected state of mind; graceful acquiescence, defeated fatalism and, more dramatically, have the power to evoke that jolting moment when seer becomes seen and the subsequent occasion for prolonged, contemplative, mutual consideration. I feel privileged to have a subject that allows me to bring together, in a satisfying way, detailed moments of realism and visceral mark-making.”

Cantello feels a connection to her subjects, but resisted the urge to name the cattle.

“I wanted to allow each observer as much room as possible for their own interpretation, but I just couldn’t bring myself to go on with ‘Cows in Field #52,’” she says. “To my delight, I found the process of naming them added a whole new dimension to the work.”

Cantello was born in Montreal, but currently lives and works in Toronto. Largely self-taught, she has been painting and exhibiting for nearly 15 years, and has been in group exhibits in Brantford, Toronto, Oakville and Ridgetown. This is her first solo exhibit.

"Muna & Tyne" - Ink N Things Award - Honourable Mention

"Garnet" - The Bancroft Times Award - Best Oil\Acrylic