The Nature of Seeing brings two artists together - Eden Watt and Mikael Sandblom - whose work engages with the landscape in distinct yet complementary ways. One observes and records the visible world, the play of light, water, and terrain, while the other explores the act of perception itself, how vision constructs and transforms what is seen. Together, their works invite viewers to reflect on the space between the outer world and the inner experience of seeing it, where observation becomes awareness.
Exhibit Schedule
Opens: May 2, 2026
Grand Reception: May 2 | 2-4pm
Closes: June 3 at 2pm
Eden Watt
My obsession with producing art that mirrors the wonder of our surroundings began with photography. Some of my work zooms in on the fine details of the very small: butterflies, flowers, hummingbirds and water droplets. More often, I’ve been drawn to the incredible light and colours that emerge from sunrises and stormy skies and highlight our landscapes. In more recent years, I began using camera drones to capture this majestic beauty from above. Aerial views offer a bird’s-eye perspective and patterning that we don’t always see.
For me, producing photographic and digital art does not stop with the initial capture but typically involves transforming the original image in unique and thought-provoking ways through editing, collage, composite, abstraction, painting techniques and mixed media.
Telling stories has also been a passion, whether it’s with public art, imagery, video or the written word (novel: “Vision Speak”). I have also co-produced large scale public art using a variety of techniques, both digital and traditional paint.
Through my artistic pursuits, I hope to cultivate appreciation and community: to encourage a deeper sensitivity to the rhythms, patterns and delicate intricacies that shape our natural world and everyday surroundings.
Biography
Eden is a Canadian photographer who also works with mixed media, digital design and large art projects. After years of experience in the more practical world of software project delivery and management, she is now completely focused on her creative pursuits and businesses (“Future Day” and “Art U Wear”).
Her photography has earned numerous awards, including the annual Canadian Geographic Photography Awards (two-time winner) and the Wasaga Beach Short Film Festival (three-time winner). Eden has also served as a board member for Magic of Children in the Arts and as Chair of the Blue Mountains Foundation for the Arts Photography Show.
Mikael Sandblom
My work explores the idea that our perception of the world is never a finished product, but a constant, shifting theory. We don’t simply record our surroundings; we navigate a continuous flow of sensory information, trying to find patterns and build meaning from moment to moment.
Through layered compositions and unstable surfaces, I create images that refuse to settle into a single interpretation. By using conflicting visual cues, where geometry and organic forms compete for dominance, I invite the viewer into a space where the act of looking is slowed down. These works are designed to be "restless," mirroring the way our minds are always revising what we think we see.
Ultimately, my practice is a study of this internal process. It’s an invitation to catch your own mind in the act of constructing a world, and to experience the moment before a thought becomes a "fact."
Biography
Mikael Sandblom is an artist based in Toronto and Meaford, Ontario. His work explores how we see the world. He uses a mix of painting, 3D modeling, and photography to create images that shift with the viewer’s physical movement or mental focus.
His practice is shaped by a background in architecture and fine art. He holds a Master of Architecture from Dalhousie University, a Diploma in Fine Art from OCAD, and an MBA from the University of Toronto. This training informs his interest in how our minds project patterns and meaning onto our surroundings.
Beyond his studio, Mikael is active in the arts community. He is the past chair of Gallery 1313 and a board member of Collective City. He also writes art criticism for Artoronto.ca
His work is in the collection of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and includes public art commissions in Toronto.
