Art Lending of Ottawa – great art, great artists
By Christiane Kingsley
Art Lending of Ottawa (ALO) invites all art lovers to its Fall Art Show on September 24 at the RA Centre on Riverside Drive.
ALO is a not-for-profit artists’ cooperative established in 1970 with a unique mission – to make high-quality art affordable for more people. To achieve this, it offers artwork not only for sale, but also for rent. For a small fee, our clients can create beautiful change in their own space with new original art every three months. They can experiment with different art styles and even apply the rental fees against the purchase price if they decide to give a forever home to a work of art.
Our patrons, even those new to art collecting, can feel confident of the quality of the art since all of the ALO artists have gone through a jurying process and have been carefully selected. Several of our artists have won prestigious awards, and most have been developing their artistic skills through years of practice or through courses with renowned teachers.
One of these award-winning artists is Anne Remmer Thompson, a watercolour and acrylic painter and teacher. Remmer Thompson was born and brought up in the Glebe where her father was a teacher at Glebe Collegiate. At a young age, she was selected to study art at the National Gallery with tutors who were members of the Group of Seven. Remmer Thompson went on to study art extensively, receive many awards and have numerous successful solo and group shows. Her paintings are in hundreds of public and private collections throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Remmer Thompson has found time to support many local art organizations – she is a past president of the Ottawa Watercolour Society, Art Lending of Ottawa and the Nepean Fine Arts League. She is one of the driving forces behind ALO, where she still wears many hats. Remmer Thompson, now 80, says ALO excited her in 1970 and still does, especially since it allows so many people to enjoy the magic of original art through its rental program.
Linda Bordage is another award-winning artist with a connection to the Glebe even though she was born in New Brunswick. She created a series of paintings of scenes from the Glebe and received prizes for her wonderful work. This very busy artist dedicates a good portion of her time to ensure the running of ALO. She was juried in as an artist member in 2016, was soon named to the board and became president five years ago. She was instrumental in ALO surviving through the pandemic by developing its online business. Now that we have returned to live shows, Bordage continues to astonish us with her energetic support of ALO and her talent for working with people. Despite all this work, Bordage still finds time to enjoy and create high quality art and to teach art to children and new immigrants. Bordage’s art is a testimonial to the artistic variety at ALO – she works in oil, watercolour, acrylic, pastel, alcohol ink and printmaking, and lately she has been creating stunning mosaics. Bordage feels that each medium offers another way to express the subject, the light and unique emotions.
On September 24, do drop by our ALO art show to feel for yourself the magic of Anne Remmer Thompson’s simple, peaceful style, Linda Bordage’s exciting creations and the beauty and originality of artwork created by more than 30 excellent local artists.
If you miss this show, note that ALO will hold another show on Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the same venue.
For information: Website: artlendingofottawa.ca; Facebook:/artlending613; Instagram:/artlending613.
Christiane Kingsley is an award-winning Ottawa artist who has been showing with Art Lending of Ottawa for more than five years.
Art Lending of Ottawa Fall Show
September 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
R.A. Centre
Outaouais Room
2451 Riverside Drive, Ottawa
