Our current exhibit ‘Mirage’ dissolves reality and allows imagination to soar! This abstract art exhibit invites you to explore a kaleidoscope of shapes, colours, and textures, where the boundaries between the tangible and the elusive blur. We are excited to introduce you to the artists behind the artwork. These artists use their skills to show feelings and stories. 

Read on to learn more about all our artists:

Rina Kazavchinski

Q: What does Mirage mean to you?

A: 'Mirage' is a celebration of the enigmatic nature of art, a testament to the infinite possibilities of human expression, and a reminder that within the realm of abstraction, every observer finds a personal, intimate connection.

Q: How does your mental health and emotions impact your art?

A: As a deeply emotional painter, I draw inspiration from my personal experiences, whether they are positive or negative emotions. Art serves as my means of self-expression and a way to release these emotions. Frequently, some of my most exceptional creations emerge from the challenges I face in life.

Q:What are your favourite tools to work with?

A: The majority of my artworks are created exclusively using palette knives and specialized painting wedges. This distinctive approach sets my work apart due to its unconventional nature. The process itself establishes a unique connection between me and the painting, enabling me to apply substantial layers of paint, resulting in a rich texture. Furthermore, I have the flexibility to adjust the intensity of my palette strokes, leading to a diverse range of effects. Employing palette knives and other specialized tools yields a sumptuous textural quality, giving the artwork a three-dimensional quality. I find immense satisfaction in paint that protrudes from the canvas, as it offers a highly tactile experience when touched.

Q:Are there any previous milestones that you have been excited about?

A: I am very proud of these milestones: Exhibiting my work at the Winter and Spring 2022 One of A Kind Show,  Canada's largest artisan fair, marking my biggest exhibition to date. Selling sold over two hundred original paintings and an impressive array of digital illustrations to collectors across North America as well as Columbia. 
Having my artwork prominently featured on the sets of Season 2 & 3 of "Sort Of," a popular television series aired on CBC Gem and HBO Max.

Kirk Sutherland

Q: What does Mirage mean to you? How do your pieces reflect this?

A: By definition a mirage is an optical illusion caused by an atmospheric condition. I believe that this whole dimension is an illusion, and everyone depicts and experiences it uniquely. My paintings function from the same standpoint; they are planes of illusionary depth, much like a mirage.    

Q: What is your favourite part of the creative process?

A: I would guess the actual fabrication and execution of using materials while being in a position of flux, which in a sense is the entire art-making process.

Q: How did your post secondary experience at OCADU shape your work?

A: Attending OCADU affected me in a very profound way. In fact, it was seminally vital and shaped who I am and the artist that I would become. Everyday I was in the presence of and instructed by the masters of 20th Century Canadian art. Trailblazers like Gordon Rayner, Graham Coughtry, Robert Hedrick as well as Paul Sloggett, Dan Solomon and Jim Tiley.  For 2 years I had the honour to study under the great internationally known colourist Francois Thepot, who generously taught and reinforced the importance of colour theory and creative expression.   

Q: When you are teaching, what are some things you hope to highlight to your students? Is there a message or theme you want to leave them with?

A: It is vitally and seminally important that my students gain an understanding of the learning goal that I set and within that reality they learn something about themselves in the process. 

In every lesson I reinforce the notion that illusionary depth is the single most important principal within a composition. I also on a daily basis remind my students that there is nothing practical about art and that it functions on a completely different level.  Like true unconditional love, art has no logical reason to exist. It holds no practical function in the material world. Its existence is based on a necessary and instinctive set of conditions where there is no pure function. It dwells in the realm of pure desire. 

Antonia Furlano

Q: What does Mirage mean to you? 

A: Mirage to me is a sense of illusion, something intangible. I believe it actually relates a lot to my work because my style reflects a sense of horizon mirage. As if you know something is there in the distance but what each viewer sees is completely different from one to the next. 

Q: As someone who has had many creative channels, including hair styling and home staging, how has this influenced your artistic style?

A: Because I have always been in creative roles, where it is essential to keep up with what is on trend, I tend to mirror that in my art. In my day-to-day as a designer, I see colour, textures and styles that come and go, and I love to paint using the same mentality. I like to make art that I believe will fit well with someone who is similar to me and likes to follow the latest trends and design styles. 

Q: You spoke about music being an inspirational part of your creation process, please expand on how you incorporate the music into your art; Do you have a specific genre you like to listen to as you’re creating?

A: I love music. My genres are a wide variety. From the classics that I would listen to as a kid, acoustic covers, 90s hip hop, reggae and Euro dance. Happy songs, sad songs. In a past life, I think I was a musician. Music is a big part of the creative process for me, and it really depends on the mood I am in that day. I title my work after song lyrics I was listening to at the time I was working on that specific piece. 

Q: When creating, are there certain colour palettes you lean towards?

A: I do love contemporary art, so I find that I am drawn to more neutral colours. I try to envision the space that my piece might be hanging in. Although I choose more monochrome colours, I do love to add a lot of texture to create depth and shadows within my art. I am a very tactile person, so I try to create art that not only is visually stimulating, but also makes you want to reach out and touch it. 

Veronica Blanco

Q: What does Mirage mean to you?



A: Mirage, in my work, represents the interplay between art and nature. It symbolizes the illusionary and ever-changing beauty of the natural world and it also signifies the transformative power of creativity, as I blend my impressions from Australia and Canada to create a unique visual experience.




Q: We love that your work incorporates elements of nature and foliage, what tools do you use to achieve this look?



A: I incorporated elements of nature and foliage into my artwork. My tools include layering washes of colour, which form the foundation of my pieces. Additionally, I utilize organic stencils made from leaves and branches I've collected during my hikes. These stencils introduce organic patterns and textures, creating a seamless connection between my art and the natural environment. 



Q: What was the inspiration behind the colour palette you have chosen for this collection?



A: The colour palette for my collection is inspired by my recent trip to Australia and the stunning natural landscapes I encountered there. The captivating hues of an Australian sunrise served as the primary source of inspiration. These colours are intertwined with my experiences in Canadian landscapes, particularly the rich tapestry of foliage like twigs, pinecones, and maple leaves. The chosen palette represents a fusion of Australian and Canadian influences, symbolizing my cross-cultural artistic journey.



Q: You said that you were recently on a trip to Australia, how did this impact your style and creative process?

A: My recent trip to Australia had a profound impact on my artistic style and creative process. It provided me with fresh inspiration from the striking natural landscapes of Australia. The experience allowed me to infuse my work with the colours and compositions of these new surroundings. The Australian landscapes influenced the vibrant colour palette of my collection, and the compositions were drawn from my experiences in Australia. Upon returning to Canada, I merged these Australian inspirations with the rich tapestry of the Canadian landscape, resulting in a unique fusion of artistic styles that captures the essence of both countries.

Deepti Saxena

Q: What does Mirage mean to you?

A: Mirage is an opportunity to share a common platform and a common theme with a group of extraordinarily talented artists. It’s hard to find a common theme in any group show and my abstract art is very much blending with the theme of the show. 

Q: What do you hope to express to your audience?

A: My technique is very unique and my abstract art is inspired by the Indian historical monuments and a mix of Indo-Canadian culture. I am sure that visitors will find my artwork unique and interesting. 

Q: As someone who has had a life-long artistic journey, how do you feel you’ve grown through your art?

A: Certainly a significant growth, I had an opportunity to exhibit across Canada and on a few occasions internationally - US and India. Because of the unique artwork and the number of shows I have done, I have gained 1000+ organic art lovers who look forward to seeing my new artwork, which I will always be grateful for.

Q: How would you say your cultural heritage influences your art?

A: My current series “Unconditional Love” still pays homage to my Indian roots as I continue to resurrect the historical and architectural impact of these mid-century Indian monuments in my compositions. Now, I approach these beloved monuments purely from memory, where their haunting shapes rise unexpectedly in the form of domes, doors, and Indian traditional patterns as abstract forms in layered and textured compositions. In my works, black charcoal drawings meld with gold patterns deftly reveal the enchanting secrets of Indian history.

Stephen Lecker

Q: What does Mirage mean to you? 

A: A mirage is something that you can’t really see and with my art, I don’t start out with a specific vision in mind. The art evolves as I go.

Q: What are the tools you use to create your work?

A: Palette knives, acrylic paint, canvases, paint brushes, found objects to create texture

Q: What are your external sources of inspiration? How do you channel them to create your work?

A:My family, professional life and my eclectic love for music all inform my art. 

Q: You said that you have just started to create recently, what did you do before then and how did this inspire you to start creating?

A:Painting is my first major foray into art. 

Viktoriia Rusetska

Q: What does Mirage mean to you? 

A: Mirage for me is an indefinite space where an image can emerge. The kind of meanings a perceiver would give to these images is a display of individuality.

Evoking feelings is one of art's supreme purposes, thus it's implied that a person lives some emotions when interacting with art. Eventually, in each piece of art, an individual sees something of one's own. I present my work as something to ignite a viewer's personal experience, based on one's cultural background and develop by the means of emotional intelligence tools.

Q: How does your background in psychotherapy influence your artwork?

A: As a psychologist by origin, I reveal and develop concepts of mental and emotional science in my art. In my works, I am focusing on principal emphasis concerning the boundaries which are both limiting and supporting us, captured in a dynamic of a lifetime flow.

The boundaries develop from the practice of interaction between a person and an environment. They emerge as a subject-object interrelation is established. The ongoing engagement is constantly supplied with an impulse to alter the boundaries. Psychological boundaries display the features of a dynamic structure, as something always in motion.

We tend to maintain the integrity of our boundaries because our identity is held within them. At the same time, we strive to expand our boundaries to increase the surface area for intercourse with the surrounding reality. Trying to keep the balance between stability and expansion we face resistance, we accumulate energy and expend resources, we experience tension and we do starve for repose. Furthermore, we analyze, scale and make conclusions, about what makes a common life cycle. Subsequently, we repeat the same mistakes and bet it’s natural, as far as self-awareness is also important in navigating our interpersonal and environmental relationships.

Q: Is there a message or feeling you hope to convey to your audience through your work?

A: I anticipate my audience to recognize in my works some mental and emotional snapshots of a sometimes-elusive bridge from situation to action. I implement the method of returning the line sand layers to their literal meaning after being used in a figurative one.

Q: What is your creative process like? Do you typically start with a vision or message intended?

A: A painting on canvas as a flat surface can be perceived as a metaphor of reduction and simplification in an attempt to record something, existing on invisible levels. Stratification helps to see the components, naming the parts leads to understanding the whole picture, and reflection becomes the basis of self-awareness. I offer my viewer to see something that can be distorted if expressed in words.

Come and experience Mirage firsthand. Our Mirage Exhibit will be available for viewing at Twist from Tuesday to Friday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm and Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, from now until December 16th! 

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