Arts and Entertainment

Pair of Headwaters Arts’ artists present new show at Alton Mill Arts Centre

May 1, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Alina Lloyd and Anne Schnurr had more in common as artists than they first realized, which led them to stage a joint show for Headwaters Arts at the Alton Mill Arts Centre.

They titled it “The Dance of Light.” This show opened on April 23 and will run until May 25.

As Alina outlined, they are both members of Headwaters Arts; so, they have known each other within Headwaters for some time. They were in a couple of shows together with other artists in the past.

At one of those shows, she explained, “We were gathered at a reception and our work was hung next to each other. Both pieces showed our interests in similar materials. We started talking about colour, lights and art.”

Just like that, the idea came to them at the same time: “Wouldn’t it be interesting to explore and then do a show together on the same subject!”

“There’s been a lot of synchronicity,” Anne commented. 

The ladies loved how spontaneously the idea of a joint exhibition came about. How Anne put it, “It happened chatting and watching others’ work.”

Anne was living in Guelph but lives in Springmount on the Escarpment now. Alina lives in Orangeville.

They had spent the winter working in their own home studios, just communicating, but once their show was on the walls and they were there, it was “just so nice to be here at the Mill.”

Our telephone interview with Anne Schnurr and Alina Lloyd was taking place while they were actually at the Mill and we were happily interrupted, now and then, by patrons asking them questions.

With truly mutual admiration, Alina loves how Anne describes the colour of winter.

Working up in Grey Country during the winter when there was such a lack of sunlight, Anne perceives the colour in the picture, saying, “When you’re painting – that colour describes into your brain, especially in the seasons … at a colourless time.”

The sumacs were the red torches, the only real colour in the scene, as she observed.

On to Manitoulin Island, where Anne said, “The beauty of painting is you can just change however you want.”

Another great thing too they agreed, during the winter, it is a fairly isolating season. They just stayed in their home studios, to come out in the spring and said, “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the results!”

Alina noted that although they only talked a few times over the winter, one comment people said was what a great pairing of their different approaches to using colour. They have known each other really for just a year.

One of Alina’s takes on light is using it as backlit: “Behind a tree or rock it looks as though the light is coming from the rock. In many other paintings the light is coming from behind.”

Their opening of The Dance of Light exhibit was wonderful for them, opening with music and telling us, “A lot of people came in spite of the winter.” said Alina. “It was really interesting what people have to say about various things in the paintings.”

Like an admission, Anne said, “Even the work that I like and want to keep, I have to let it go. It creates the connection between people. Where else can people go to have the extension, the reaction? It’s great to put it out there in the open where people can talk about art and our art.”

Thoughtfully, came from Alina, “The chaos of these times, just getting back to creating; opening ourselves with music as well is wonderful.”

Their lives counted their years and she remarked, “I didn’t know but we are the same age. Art is something you never retire from.”

She told the Citizen about a couple of visitors, rather young; one is interested in art and she wanted to talk about it.

There were a lot of people coming with youngsters and it was so good to see the kids looking at the paintings – even a baby a few months old looked at the colours, they reported.

Art involves the viewer. Alina said, “Our mental health – everything is affected to the better.”

Moving the ideas between them, that it is so dynamic; the painting stays the same but you change and so your perception changes. Put a painting on the wall and after a couple of years bring your life along with you.

Anne shared memories of colour from when she was a kid.

“When I was laying on the snow, seeing the grey clouds, I think I was born with the gift – I think that’s my pulse in being here; always doing art, projects, murals, everything,” she said.

It is what they definitely have in common and Alina agreed, “I was always painting; my parents noticed and got me art lessons at 11 years [old]. I had my first exhibition at 12 years old.”

What is solid is during COVID-19, they each had the same epiphany: it’s now or never. Each of them decided at virtually the same moment that they would immerse themselves in painting now that they were able to.

A parallel trajectory from very early on in each of their lives. 

Visiting a show like this is important; to get out and see art in a setting that is conducive to it.

Visitors have come from Toronto. Art bridges the generations. Looking at the pieces reminds the viewer of a travel or experience. The paintings elicit this memory from people. They remind one “of a home in your heart.” 

From Alina, “Especially about art, with so much bad news, there is a world where things are positive and nature is beautiful – paying attention to something other than what is.

“We can get back to that inner self, when we’re in the heart space.” 

Art brings hope they declared. Throughout the pandemic’s shutdowns, people thanked them for posting work to give them hope.

These two artists are on-site at Headwaters Art’s The Dance of Light show, over all the weekends from Friday to Sunday until May 25.

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