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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 19 ,2 02 1 | 20 egarots ysae rof stenibac tsom rednu stiF bd25 - noitarepo teiuQ ssalg dna ,esnir ,deeps ,thgil ,lamron ,yvaeh - selcyc hsaw 6 teksab erawrevlis htiw yticapac gnittes ecalp 6 .noisrev potretnuoc a yrT ?rehsawhsid ezis-lluf a rof ecaps oN BDW126WDD - NWOHS LEDOM .sreliart ro segattoc ,snehctik llams rof tcefrep si rehsawhsiD potretnuoC s'ybnaD 7491 ECNIS moc.ybnaD ta srehsawhsid fo enil lluf s'ybnaD eeS Oakville artist Kate Land hopes her work in- spires people to see and ap- preciate the power of im- perfection. Her "wonky and whim- sical" paintings of older buildings and storefronts that ooze character emerge after a search of her favou- rite muse -- New York City. "I love capturing little things like the way sunlight plays against stonework or the shadows cast by a fire escape. I enjoy bringing beauty to a scene that many commuters might just rush past on a busy day," said Land, whose annual show at Sovereign House opens Aug. 21. Her wish is that the viewer is enticed to pause, look closer and perhaps wonder about what might be happening behind the façade; the quiet beauty be- yond the chipped paint, the droopy awning or the emp- ty café seats, just waiting for a sliver of sunlight or an artist's paintbrush to bring it to life, she said. As someone with facial differences, she is always thinking about how she faces the world, Land has said. "As an artist, I like to re- present my own conflicted feelings while celebrating beauty that is not found in a shiny skyscraper, but rath- er humble family business- es -- not often beautiful, but always essential." She loves bringing light to some of the dark corners of New York, the city she was first introduced to on a family trip in 2002. "It was a trip to cheer me up after jaw surgery, so I was recovering from that and New York was recover- ing from 9/11. There was a wounded energy to the city, but there was also a strength that I found in- credibly empowering. I wanted to capture that feel- ing for myself and painting was my way of doing this." This year, her exhibit will include both old and new paintings but she is particularly "excited" about her latest piece, a mixed-media collage to commemorate the 20th an- niversary of 9/11. "I cut out thousands of tissue paper hearts, one for each person killed in the towers. The fact that this work is a collage is differ- ent for me, but I feel like the theme is similar in that I'm trying to show the pain and vulnerability behind these once towering structures." Land's show will run Saturday, Aug. 21, Sunday, Aug. 22, Wednesday, Aug. 25, Saturday, Aug. 28, Sun- day, Aug. 29 and Wednes- day, Sept. 1, from 1 to 4 p.m. on each of those days. Sovereign House is lo- cated at 7 West River St. A portion of her pro- ceeds will be donated to AboutFace Canada, an or- ganization which helped her as she was growing up to connect with others who shared similar experiences and made her feel less alone in the world, she said. "They are doing such important work to help im- prove the lives of the more than two-million Canadi- ans living with facial differ- ences. I think, for a long time, I tried to pretend that my facial differences didn't exist. But now I've realized that I need to do something, however small, to help peo- ple everywhere try to see the person beyond the dif- ference." CAPTURING THE BEAUTY BEHIND THE IMPERFECT Artist Kate Land with a selection of her whimsical paintings. Amy Land photo KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com WHAT'S ON ARTIST TO SHOWCASE WORK AT SOVEREIGN HOUSE STARTING AUG. 21