Cornelia Svela | Cornelia Svela

Posted by Cornelia Svela on Jan 29, 2024 in Gallery

I Am A Rock

“I am a rock, I am an island”
– Simon & Garfunkel

The Elliot Lake rock off of Spruce Beach in my hometown of Elliot Lake, Ontario, has become an icon for the city. Anyone who has grown up in this mining town will know it well since Spruce Beach was one of the major hangouts on a hot summer’s day.

I still make a point of swimming out to the rock every summer. An achievement I continue to be proud to check off! The rock is beyond the area patrolled by the lifeguards so there are warnings that to swim there—you do so at your own risk!

Since the famous rock has been photographed, painted, and graphically stylized countless times, it was not a priority of mine until I was approached by a fellow Elliot Laker to take that on. They were looking for something different!

I’m very happy with the result!

This particular painting is a fall image. There will be 4 more paintings added to this series…

winter, summer, and spring, plus a wide landscape image including the beach itself in the foreground.

So stay tuned! This is only the beginning!

There are several options if you are interested in purchasing:

1.) The original canvas is available for purchase (12″ x 12″)

2.) It is also available as a framed print under glass with a 3″ white mat board and a black wood frame – finished size 19″ x 19″,

3.) A mounted canvas reproduction (12″ x 12″), with or without a recessed wood black frame (13″ x 13″).

Contact me at csvela87@gmail.com if you’re interested.

Posted by Cornelia Svela on Jun 27, 2023 in Gallery

Land Ho!

Some of you may recognize this spot on Dunlop Lake, just north of Elliot Lake. My kayak is pointed in the direction of a gorgeous island that happens to be a designated provincial government campsite. You can pitch a tent and spend the night camping under the stars! I never have… yet.

This is another painting in a series I’m producing now for the Elliot Lake Arts on the Trail 2023, this September 30. I’ve wanted to display my artwork here since I moved back to my hometown of Elliot Lake, and this year it will finally happen!

Posted by Cornelia Svela on Jun 27, 2023 in Gallery

Peaceful Bay

An ideal escape for me on any given day is to be out on a lake in my kayak.

We are lucky to have a ton of bays just like this one on any of the hundreds of lakes that surround us here in Northern Ontario. Throw in a beaver dam, a cluster of water lilies, a turtle sitting on a rock, or a rotting tree trunk plus some grasses swaying in the wind and you’ve got yourself a peaceful bay just like this one to drift into. And here you can just take a deep breath and float for a while.

As for the painting… there’s a lot of contrast going on here. I had a lot of fun with the strong colors and the looser brushstrokes toward the bottom of the painting.

Posted by Cornelia Svela on Jun 27, 2023 in Gallery

The Breakwater

You might look at this painting and think…it’s just a piles of rocks! But this pile of rocks was intentionally placed in this location to serve as a breakwater on Lake Huron, one of our amazing “Great Lakes” in Ontario.

Everyone needs some type of breakwater as we go through our lives. That wall of strength that we resort to during times of rough waters. The wall of strength that holds back the rough waters with the strong winds and waves that keep bashing in, and provide that calm protected space where we can find shelter.

It’s the largest painting I’ve completed to date! It seemed a little daunting to begin with but once I got the bigger brushes out it seemed to paint itself. A lesson to myself…don’t let “size” get in the way!

Posted by Cornelia Svela on Apr 22, 2023 in Gallery

Oh, Buoy!

Seeing these bright-colored buoys on the water makes me smile!

They make me long for endless warm lazy summer days on the water… days that seem too far off on yet another gray spring day in Northern Ontario. The ice is still melting. The lakes will warm up. It all takes time.

Boaters, cottagers, fishermen, and just about anyone who spends time on or near the water are familiar with these buoys.

These buoys serve an important purpose though. Anchored to something under the water they are a marker, connected to a waterline perhaps, a mooring site, or a danger point to be avoided.

For me, they are a beacon of warmer weather to come, and oh, boy, I’ll be ready!

I Am A Rock

Land Ho!

Peaceful Bay

The Breakwater

Oh, Buoy!

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