Propeller Art Gallery is pleased to present the solo exhibitions of Ruth Maude in the South Gallery and Frances Patella in the North Gallery

November 13 – December 1, 2024
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 16, 2 – 5pm
Artists Talk: Sunday, December, 1, 2pm
Propeller Art Gallery, Toronto

Artists will be in attendance on Saturdays and Sundays during the exhibition or by appointment.

Ruth Maude, Almost Remembered, 2024, encaustic mixed media on wood panel, 24 x 30 inches

Ruth Maude
A Sense of Place

A ‘sense of place’ is a recurring theme in Ruth Maude’s work—she paints not to document landscapes but to express feelings of belonging, connection and longing.

We experience a sense of place through the deep attachments we form with spaces that matter to us. It’s found in the stillness of nature, the dappled sunlight beneath the trees, or the sound of water lapping against the shore—where moments become memories deeply rooted in place.

These places live in our mind’s eye, where a familiar scent, a certain light, or the sound of leaves underfoot can instantly transport us. A sense of place is more than just a geographic location; it’s the way something stirs deep within, making a place feel like part of our story.

Ruth doesn’t work from reference photos of actual places; she paints intuitively, expressing the places she carries within her. The finished works capture the feeling of place from memory, inviting viewers to reconnect with spaces tied to their own emotions and experiences.

Learn more

Frances Patella, Burn with Blue Tree, 2024, mixed media, on wood panel, 11 x 9 x 2 inches

Frances Patella
Fired Up

Frances Patella’s photo based mixed media work explores time, transience and transformation. Her work depicts the Oak Savannahs of Southern Ontario under prescribed burns. In her new series Fired Up, Frances incorporates three dimensional elements from the environment.

During her childhood in Italy and during repeated visits, fires, ruins and volcanic eruptions sparked her interest. Fire was and is used in many countries to clear fields, control invasive species and to smoke out your enemies in time of war.

Closer to home, The City of Toronto conducts prescribed burns to regenerate the Oak Savannahs. The urban nature of the Golden Horseshoe has squeezed these rare endangered ecosystems into designated areas, including High Park.

Frances is interested in the multiplicity of images that can be experienced in one place. Each individual photo has its own identity, and its integration into the larger scene illustrates the movement through space and time. The work depicts the real world, but also exists in a different reality, or a more fulsome picture of reality.

Learn more

Ruth Maude, Fleeting Moments, 2024, encaustic on wood panel, 30 x 30 inches

About the Artists

Ruth Maude (she/her) is an encaustic artist, blogger, web designer, and instructor based in Toronto, Ontario. She had the privilege of learning encaustic painting from Andrea Bird. Ruth is the founder of All Things Encaustic, a widely-read blog where she offers insights, techniques, and resources to the encaustic community.

An active Board Member and Chair of Marketing and Communications at Propeller Art Gallery, Ruth contributes her expertise and energy to support fellow artists. She is also a key organizer of the Canadian Encaustic Conference, a gathering that fosters connection and learning within the encaustic art world. Ruth’s work is included in the permanent collection of The Museum of Encaustic Art (MoEA) in New Mexico and held in private collections across Canada and the United States. This exhibition marks her third solo show at Propeller Art Gallery.

ruthmaude.com
ruthmaude@gmail.com

Frances Patella, Hawk Hill with Forester & ATV, 2024, mixed media on wood panel, 19 x 15 x 3 inches

Frances Patella was born in Italy, resides in Toronto. Her work has been exhibited in Canada and the U.S. and has received numerous grants for Artists In Education and Mid-Career from the Ontario and Toronto Arts Councils. Her work has won Best In Show and Purchase Awards, is in private and public collections, including the Ontario Archives, and reproduced on magazine and CD covers. Frances received a BFA from York University, a B.ED. from the University of Toronto, studied Visual Arts and French at the University of Western Ontario and drawing and art history in Florence, Italy. She is a Member of the Ontario Society of Artists, and a long-time member of Propeller Art Gallery and former Chair. Frances taught visual arts and analog photography in the TDSB, Cyanotype workshops in schools throughout Southern Ontario, for the Photo Educators Forum in Toronto and the National Gallery of Photography in Ottawa. Frances was a long-time Member of the Board and Chair of Jury and Judges for the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Frances has exhibited in Toronto, New York, Brooklyn, Connecticut, and throughout Ontario, in public and private galleries, art fairs, commercial and artist-run galleries. She continues to be active in the Toronto arts community.

www.francespatella.com
patella@sympatico.ca

Propeller’s 28 Year History: 1996 – 2024

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

Propeller fosters artists’ creative pursuits by hosting curated, juried, and member exhibitions. Additionally, it provides platforms for networking and learning through lectures, workshops, and artist talks.

For more information contact:
Tom Taylor, Director
info@propellerartgallery.com
416-504-7142

Propeller Art Gallery
30 Abell Street
Toronto, ON M6J 0A9
propellerartgallery.com

Facebook @propellerartgallery
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Hours
Wednesday – Saturday, 1 – 5:30pm, Sundays 12 – 4pm, or by appointment

Partially Accessible
propellerartgallery.com/accessibility