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4 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, July 22, 2009 Abstract artwork a summer attraction SNOW Continued from front page was $90,000 with actual expenditure of $30,976 as there were only 21 snow events that year. As this snow clearing program is deemed to be a noncore service, provided by the municpality, it was decided to debate the future of the program during the 2010 budget deliberations. The service was cancelled at this time due to budgetary restraints and difficulty in getting tenders. A tender was issued by the municipality in the spring for a three-year snow removal program program covering 2009 to 2011. The low bidder, D & F Snow Removal, was not recommended for the contract as its level of service to the municpality in the past was unsatisfactory. The next lowest bidder submitted a bid for only the Bowmanville and Courtice section of the contract. The only other bidder submitted its bid without the accompanying bid deposit, so it was rejected as non-com- pliant. The prices on this bid were significantly higher than the other two bids. Councillors had to decide last Monday, whether to issue another tender for the Newcastle and surrounding area portion of the contract, or defer the program for the remainder of the year. Through the 2010 budget deliberation, council will decide whether to reinstate the program for the 2010/2011 season. photo by A. Harley Local abstract artist Pauline Stephenson. By Sue Weigand There's a small but sweet summer exhibit of abstract paintings by local artist Pauline Stephenson that's worth taking a peak at if you're in downtown Bowmanville. The free exhibit runs for the full two months of July and August, so there's still plenty of time to drop by the town hall to view the works. And with just seven pieces, it need not be a time-consuming venture. Hanging in the foyer to the left of the entrance, through the white doors that lead to Council Chambers, are the series of medium-sized untitled works. Through a pleasing juxtaposition of blues and orange-browns, Stephenson's use of colour suggests an exploration of earth and sky. Rectangular spaces define areas of dark and light. A few of the abstracts hint at the form of a building; one suggests a landscape, while another is map-like. The shapes are dominated by earth tones and sky blues, done in big strokes and painted in what Stephenson calls "the ultra friendly medium of fluid acrylics on paper and canvas." Originally from England, Stephenson started painting about 30 years ago. She lived in Orono before moving to Newcastle last year. She belongs to a group of artists from Markham called Synergy, which has upcoming shows in Scarborough in September and in The Beaches after Christmas. "We all paint in the same medium," she says. Well known for years for her intimate water colours, Stephenson says she needed to grow as an artist and change her painting format. "You get to a certain point with water colours where you need to rely on something that's not an image, that's out of your imagination. But it's hard to do that with water colours. You can't put big, bold strokes down. The best medium for that is acrylic." The artist says that at any given time, she always has a few paintings on the go. She says she is looking forward to visiting her daughter, who lives in Bermuda. While there, she says she hopes to find inspiration from the island's buildings. "I do have some thoughts in my mind on a series of paintings," she says. "I take a lot of shots of buildings, and make abstract shapes from them." Stephenson's work is represented in private collections in England, New York, Canada and the Middle East. She has had showings at the McKay Art Centre in Unionville, the Algonquin Visitors Centre, and the Visual Arts Centre of Bowmanville, among others. The Clarington Gallery is located in the Municipal Administrative Centre, 40 Temperance St., Bowmanville. The exhibition may be viewed during regular business hours 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Admission is free.