The first gallery to house the collection was Rodman Hall Art Gallery in St. Catharines, Ontario, and they held the inaugural exhibition in 1992. To start the collection, donations were solicited from current members. From then on it became a condition of membership that each new member donate one of their paintings. In 1993 the CSPWC/SCPA began to acquire by donations the works of its early members to enhance the depth of the collection. It is an expanding collection with 82 paintings in 1992 at the first exhibition, 154 paintings in 1997, 260 paintings in 2002, to 309 in Jan. 2006. A dynamic and evolving history of the art of watercolour painting in Canada.
The CSPWC/SCPA Diploma Collection, housed at the Art Gallery of Peelsince 1995 in Brampton (Peel), currently contains over 335 watercolour paintings (May 2009). In 2002, when there were 260 watercolour paintings, the collections' estimated value was $ 350,000 to $ 375,000, Sept. 30, 2002.
The Art Gallery of Peel holds an exhibition from the collection at least once in every five years:
- New Works from the CSPWC Diploma Collection, 1997-2000 (2003)
- a selection (2001)
- and its’ inaugural exhibit (1997).
I am constantly impressed by the ability of CSPWC members to push the boundaries of the medium’s potential. David Somers, Curator, Art Gallery of Peel
The Art Gallery of Peel is part of the Peel Heritage Complex in Brampton, Ontario. The complex is built around the former Peel County Courthouse, the Registry Office and the Jail. The Courthouse, recognized as a provincial heritage structure, was the home of the County government for 100 years, and still provides meeting and office space. The County Jail, an imposing structure of limestone walls and barred windows, was used as a jail as recently as 1977. Today clanking cell doors have given way to innovative exhibits, and the adjoining new art gallery exhibits contemporary Canadian art and showcases local artists.
The Gallery has a growing collection, of modern and historic Canadian art and houses the Diploma Collection of the Canadian Society of Painters in Water Colour.
The Gallery is located at 9 Wellington St. East in downtown Brampton, 40 minutes northwest of Toronto.
This collection can be viewed by prior arrangement with the curator or archivist of the Art Gallery of Peel. A full-colour brochure was printed in the summer of 2000, by gift-in-kind donation, to promote the collection. A slide show of the early portion of the collection is available for rent.
To arrange for an exhibition at your gallery, contact: E-mail:info@cspwc.com
Exhibitions curated from the collection have been seen at :
- Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton: Nov 5, 2003 to Jan 18, 2004.
- University of Waterloo: Feb. 1999
- Art Gallery of Peel, Brampton: Mar/Apr. 1997
- Lindsay Art Gallery, Victoria, 1997
- Brockville Art Center, Brockville, 1995
- Cornwall Regional Art Gallery, Cornwall, 1995
- Rodman Hall Art Gallery, St. Catharines: Mar. 1992
- Canadian Waters, John B. Aird Gallery, Toronto, Ontario (2002)
- A Brush with History, 75th Anniversary Exhibit, Art Gallery of Mississauga (Peel), Ontario (2000)
- and as our submission to the IV Bienal Internacional de la Acuarela (4th International Watercolor Biennial Exhibition), Museo Nacional de la Acuarela, Coyoacán, Mexico (2000).
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| Paintings from the Collection |
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| Ona Alisauskas |
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| Chuck Burns |
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| Brent Laycock |
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| Tom Ward |
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| Art Gallery of Peel |