Propeller Art Gallery is pleased to present exhibitions by Loree Ovens and Tracy Thomson

September 30 – October 18, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 3, 2 – 5pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, October 18, 2pm
propellerartgallery.com

Wandering Glimmers
Loree Ovens

I have always focused on creating uplifting works in hopes of generating more meaningful connections. With this body of work, I challenged myself to work on concepts around personal boundaries, energy and my own sense of peace.

Wandering Glimmers is a collection of fleeting moments of peace or joy found through daily living. Coined by clinical social worker Deb Dana, “glimmers” are micro-moments of everyday experiences that give the feeling of connection, calm and happiness. Glimmers are everywhere, and everyone experiences them differently.

They are quiet, serendipitous and often unpredictable. These moments can drift in and out of your day naturally. It could be as simple as holding a warm cup of tea, watching sunlight reflected on a window or witnessing a random act of kindness. Glimmers help ground you by shifting your perspective and bringing you to the present. This quiet mindfulness practice speaks of resilience and of not losing your sense of wonder and curiosity in difficult times.

Finding light when you least expect it.

Loree Ovens grew up in Ontario and then moved to Prince Edward Island to study Fashion Technique and Design for one year at Holland College. Ovens returned to Ontario and received an arts diploma at Sheridan College, School of Craft and Design, majoring in fabrics and was an alumnus of the Harbourfront Craft Studios in textiles. She later continued her education with a BFA in Printmaking from OCADU and various jewelry/metalsmithing courses at institutions including George Brown and Central Technical School.

Ovens has shown in national and international exhibitions in Canada, Japan, the United States, Taiwan, Australia and Scotland. Her work is part of both private and public collections, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, National Bank, Art Gallery of New South Wales, SGC International and Richardson Wealth Toronto. Ovens has had several solo exhibitions at David Kaye Gallery and Open Studio. She is represented by Propeller Art Gallery, Craft Ontario, Guildworks, and Open Studio. She also shares her expertise through teaching at ARTiculations, Open Studio, the Japanese Paper Place, and other venues across the city. Ovens resides with her partner in downtown Toronto.

ALL THE LIVING THINGS
Tracy Thomson

This body of work reflects not only the natural elements but human as well. Considering the obvious…You can’t have one without the other!

We are—all of us, predator and prey alike. Intertwined in a constant dance of celebration, survival, curiosity, love, envy, hate, danger, destruction and unpredictable consequence.

All of this and more, enters my work. Thankfully, not all at once; rather, it sneaks in, unbeknownst to me, as I build my reconstructions—images magically appear! My subconscious thoughts become visibly apparent.

Sometimes I think… Ewww, I should take that out, it’s too disturbing…but now I take nothing out. If it appears, it’s meant to be. I let the chips fall where they may because…that’s life!

“In nature, nothing exists alone…All the life of the planet is interrelated of necessity” ~Rachel Carson

Tracy Thomson (she/her), AOCA, CSPWC, OSA, is a mixed-media painter whose current main focus is exploring life’s mysterious, visceral beauty through reconstructed painted materials.

At the end of a 2-year Fine Art study at OCA, she won the Nora E. Vaughn Award for excellence in Drawing and Painting. In her final year, she switched to the Experimental Art Dept. and graduated. So began an inspirational exploratory journey into large-scale biomorphic abstract expressionism.

Today, with constant inspiration from her love and concern for the natural world, as well as the current fractured political environment, the resulting work is at once a dour testimonial and magical thinking. Often rendered in neon colour, one gets a sense of otherworldly environs.

Images tend to ‘arrive’ into the compositions as though sent from the subconscious, creating an atmosphere fraught with tension, a bit of humour and a sense of wonder.

Currently, a member of Propeller Art Gallery in Toronto, with numerous group and solo shows, outdoor large-scale wall murals, and various shows and galleries dating back to 1982! Her work is in private collections in Canada, the US, Italy and the Netherlands. Thomson’s illustration design work can be found in Children’s Lit with HarperCollins, Stoddart and Penguin Random House.

Artists Empowering Artists since 1996

Propeller Art Gallery is an artist-run co-operative and exhibition space in Toronto’s Queen West Art + Design District that supports innovative, sustainable programming.

Propeller was established in August 1996 by a small group of recent graduates from the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). Their mission was to create an affordable community art gallery for emerging Canadian artists, offering a professional exhibition venue and necessary support in career building. Propeller continues to uphold this today, supporting artists from emerging to established through a dynamic approach to arts programming, a venue for exhibiting art, and education through member-assisted learning and collaboration.

Propeller Art Gallery
30 Abell Street
Toronto, ON M6J 0A9
ph: 416.504.7142
info@propellerartgallery.com
propellerartgallery.com

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Saturday: 1 – 5:30pm
Sunday: 12 – 4pm

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