Step away from the panoramic and take a closer look at the familiar in this new exhibition by Bonnie Hastings and Wanda Haayen. From the bold, intricate details of a flower petal to a garden caught in late afternoon light, their work reflects the quiet beauty of small moments
Exhibit Schedule
Opens: April 4, 2026
Grand Reception: April 11 | 2-4pm
Closes: April 29 at 2pm
Bonnie Hastings
As far back as I can remember, the intricacy of flowers and the beauty of the botanical world has fascinated me. The forests and wild gardens around my childhood home in Owen Sound, Ontario, nurtured my innate curiosity for the natural world. Those forms of flora and fauna delight and inspire me to this day.
I started painting in 2011, after taking a beginners watercolour course from Marian Anderson at the Southampton Art School. The natural flow of water and pigment felt as organic as the flowers I love to paint.
Most of my works are done on watercolour paper and adhered to either canvas or board. They are finished with cold wax or varnish which preserves them, without a need for protective glass.
I paint nature, up close, peeling back petals or zooming in on a ladybug. It’s the little things, the details in nature that we often miss, that for me, hold the most enchantment.
I hope my collection in this show allows you to appreciate the beauty in nature that I see.
Take a deep breath, pause while, and most importantly, look closely.
Artist Background
A native of Owen Sound, Bonnie has worked in Ontario and Quebec as teacher, medical assistant and mother and now enjoys retirement in Southampton, Ontario. She attended Stratford Teacher’s College and Waterloo University. Taking a watercolour course with Marian Anderson in 2011 at the Southampton Art School set her on the journey as an artist. Periodically she hangs in a number of gallery shows in Ontario and online and is a long-time artist at Southampton Art Gallery.
Wanda Haayen
I draw and paint what I love to see. Something usually grabs my attention: colours and light, the unusual shape of a building, a glimpse into a disappearing way of life. These are the intimate snapshots that inspire me. While some landscape painters depict the panoramic view, my paintings display a more personal perspective, inviting a ‘closer look’ at familiar scenes.
Artist Background
Working ‘en plein air’ when the weather co-operates, or in her Eugenia studio, Wanda Haayen’s art is a love story about gardens, agricultural and village life and the calming presence of nature.
Wanda Haayen is an Associate of the Ontario College of Art where she focused on drawing, painting and printmaking. Later in life she studied painting at the Haliburton School of Art and Design, switching from mostly water-based media to oils. Wanda has attended other artists’ workshops, most notably with Figurative Painter, Brian Smith, and the Canadian Impressionist Painter, John David Anderson, in Canada, Italy and France.
Over the years she has exhibited work in a number of venues, including The Button Factory in Waterloo, The Tom Thomson Art Gallery, The Durham Art Gallery, Local Colour in Flesherton, The Mutchmor Gallery, Providence Bay, The Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, Paint Ontario in Grand Bend and The Gallery at L. E. Shore.
