Caledon woman to host her first art show and sale

By Zachary Roman

Caledon artist Lorraine Roberts is feeling like her life has come full circle.

As a child and teenager, Roberts was always painting, drawing, and studying pretty much any kind of visual art you can think of. However, she ended up pursuing a career in music, and following 22 successful years of that, opened up a botanical garden and organic perennial nursery — Plant Paradise Country Gardens.

Plant Paradise, located at 16258 Humber Station Road, is going to be the location of Roberts' first ever art show and sale. It's happening on October 15 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, and there's no charge for admission.

The show will showcase Roberts' pastel painting works.

This past January, Roberts took up pastel painting after viewing some interesting videos about it online. When she tried it herself, she loved it instantly, and has been pastel painting every chance she gets since. 

“I was just drawn to it for some reason,” said Roberts. “I think because of the immediacy of it.”

Her favourite things to paint are botanically-inspired landscapes, and she does pet portrait commissions and landscape commissions too.

Roberts explained pastels are a pure pigment with a binder. You don't have to wait for pastel to dry like you would paint, and you can easily pick up and put down a pastel painting you're working on — which is great for those with busy schedules, Roberts noted.

When a pastel painting is finished, it's framed with glass over it to protect its finish.

Since Roberts has been running Plant Paradise since 2005 with her husband, flowers and nature are a huge influence of hers. She views gardening and her business as an extension of her artistic self, since there's so much connection between the two.

“I feel that… making gardens is very artistic. So, it was just an extension of my art skill,” said Roberts. “Nature, trees, and flowers really are inspirational to me.”

Roberts has created pastel paintings of all sizes, from small ones to her biggest at three feet by two feet.

“I love the luminous quality of soft pastels, which captures the light and colour of the moment with vibrancy,” said Roberts.