Cynthia Koelsch
With a father as a landscape watercolor artist and a mother as a potter, I had the joy of working alongside two very creative individuals from an early age, so it seemed a natural choice to study art.
I attended the University of Toronto for academics and art history and Sheridan College in Oakville for studio art. After graduating, I entered the world of commercial art, working as an illustrator for children’s books and magazines. Simultaneously, I continued my love of watercolor and acrylic painting, accepting art commissions and exhibiting when and where possible, either by invitation or at juried shows.
Having recently retired from a teaching position at Sheridan College, I now enjoy devoted time to painting in Niagara-on-the-Lake and in Georgian Bay
In addition to Ontario art exhibitions, I have had wonderful opportunities to organize and conduct workshops and exhibitions overseas, in the south of France and in Tuscany, Italy.
Given my earlier career as an illustrator for children’s books and magazines, my challenge is to capture those moments of child-like joy and awe-inspiring beauty we are afforded as we journey through our life experiences. My experiences in Niagara-on-the-Lake and Georgian Bay have provided many of those great moments of inspiration.
I have long admired the works of Paul Peel, Jean FrancoisMillet and the powerful impact that Renoir and impressionism brought to the art world. Within that context, it is my hope to capture a moment of joy, peace, beauty or whimsy in the “everyday” around us; that “je ne said quo” that finds us stopping to take moment and really study, and appreciate the people and things around us.