In the Zone, 48 × 42 in., mixed media. 

The Art of a Turn

By Cara Williams

Winter has its own choreography. A skier drops into a run, weightless for a moment before gravity takes hold; a lone chair drifts quietly overhead, moving through the silence. Even the stillness—trees heavy with snow, the hush of a cold morning—has movement in it. Across the Escarpment and beyond, a remarkable group of artists is capturing that rhythm in paint, turning speed, light, and atmosphere into works that feel alive. Their brushstrokes echo the arc of a turn, the spray of snow, the pulse of winter itself— translating the fleeting motion of real skiers into lasting expressions of energy and emotion.

KELLY VANDERBEEK

Former Olympian, Alpine Skiing World Cup medallist, and sports broadcaster Kelly VanderBeek has always moved through life at speed. Yet on canvas, she finds stillness—a chance to translate experience into feeling. Her work is rooted in reality, yet touched with whimsy: familiar figures and landscapes infused with imagination and emotion.

“For me, everything centres on evoking an emotional connection,” she says. “My life has been lived outdoors, shaped by nature and movement.” Growing up on the Escarpment, Kelly remembers ski racing on the “daunting” hills she once thought were mountains. Those memories remain vivid in her brushstrokes: light, resilient, and full of life.

She paints between the demands of broadcasting and family, selling through Loft Gallery, where her pieces have been quick to find new homes. “I hope viewers feel a spark—an energy, a memory, a connection to something that makes them feel empowered or inspired.” kellyvartist.com

Clockwise from left: Did You See That!, 20 × 24 in., oil on canvas. Playtime, 20 × 20 in., oil on canvas. Above It All, 20 × 20 in., oil and cold wax on canvas.

DEENA DOLAN

A self-taught artist, Deena Dolan has spent more than two decades translating the spirit of the region onto canvas. “I’ve always felt free to explore all mediums, styles, palettes, and subject matter,” she says. “I strive always to keep my work fresh—spilling with vibrant colour, spontaneity, and passion.”

After raising five children, she turned her attention to painting and, soon after, publishing—purchasing a small periodical in 1998 that would evolve into Escarpment Magazine. For more than 20 years, Deena served as the magazine’s cover artist, with each issue presenting a new creative challenge and an opportunity to reflect the beauty, energy, and personality of life along the Escarpment. “Because the magazine was seasonal, each cover needed to reflect the varied aspects of life here,” she explains. “It kept me from becoming a one-trick pony—thankfully.”

Her winter-inspired works have become part of the magazine’s visual legacy: Après (Winter 2009), Last Run (Winter 2016), and Ski Lady (Winter 2017) remain reader favourites, celebrating the joy and nostalgia of snow season in Southern Georgian Bay. More recently, she revisited that world in a commissioned piece capturing local racer Larissa Yurkiw’s World Cup downhill silver-medal run in Cortina, Italy—“one of the most challenging subjects I’ve ever attempted.”

Now retired, Deena has returned more fully to the studio, with the freedom to devote even more time to painting. Through it all, she works with instinct and joy. “I love to mix a dash of mystery with a whole lot of joy,” she says. “I really want the viewer to smile.” deenadolanart.ca

Clockwise from left: Après, 24 × 30 in., watercolour on paper, sold (prints available). Silver Larissa (commission), acrylic on canvas. Ski Lady, 12 × 12 in., acrylic on paper, sold (prints available). Last Run, 16 × 20 in., acrylic on canvas, sold (prints available).

SUZETTE TERRY

Colour, texture, and momentum define Suzette Terry’s vibrant ski scenes. Working in acrylic and collage, her compositions are alive with swift, expressive lines and high-intensity colour. A skier herself, Terry channels the adrenaline of the slopes into every piece.

“I love the thrill of skiing—the rush, the need for speed, the feeling of carving up the hill,” she says. Her connection to the Escarpment runs deep: early trips north in her teens sparked a lifelong passion that continued during the decade she lived in Meaford.

Today Suzette’s work appears in galleries across Ontario, from Marten Arts, to Karger Gallery, and Arts on Queen. She hopes each painting conveys the same pulse that drives her to the hills: “If my paintings can make people feel the crisp air and the movement of snow, then I’ve succeeded.” suzetteterryartist.ca

From left: Punch It, 48 × 48 in., acrylic on canvas. Zoom Zoom, 24 × 24 in., acrylic on canvas.
Into the Great Wide Open, 48 × 48 in., acrylic on canvas.

SYLVIE MERCIER

Montreal-born Sylvie Mercier discovered her gift early—winning her first art prize at sixteen and never looking back. Oil paint is her language; colour and motion, her muse. Her energetic skier portraits and vivid winter landscapes have found audiences across North America and even across the pond, in Europe.

“I always try to have people feel the movement and action of skiing—or simply the magic of the mountain,” she says. Her recent collaboration with Ferréol Skis, transforming skis into painted canvases, bridges sport and art in striking new ways. Now represented at Mountainside Gallery in Collingwood, Sylvie continues to bring warmth and vitality to the coldest season— each brushstroke a reminder of why we chase winter in the first place. sylviemercier-artistepeintre.com

Clockwise from top left: Through the Stillness, 48 × 40 in., oil on canvas. Frozen Flight, 36 × 36 in., oil on canvas.
Tenderness, 20 × 16 in., oil on canvas. Vertical Rush, 36 × 36 in., oil on canvas.

LISA MCSTAY

Originally from Australia, Lisa McStay brings a deep sensitivity to the textures and moods of nature. Now based near the Escarpment, she works primarily in acrylics, layering colour and texture to create pieces that feel alive with movement and atmosphere. “For me, art isn’t just about what you see—it’s also about what you feel,” she explains. “I try to capture the beauty of nature and those emotions that come from being surrounded by it.”

Winter, she says, holds a special pull. “It has this amazing mix of energy and calm—that quiet thrill you get when carving through snow or just standing still in it.” Whether depicting skiers in motion or the stillness of a snowy forest, her paintings explore the balance between excitement and serenity, between movement and presence.

A selection of Lisa’s ski and landscape works is currently on display at Georgian Peaks Club, with more available at lisamcstayart.com. “I hope my paintings bring out that feeling of being fully present and in the zone,” she says, “that sweet spot where skiing feels both exciting and peaceful at the same time.” lisamcstayart.com

Clockwise from left: Eye of the Storm, 36 × 32 in., mixed media. Fresh Air, 40 × 30 in., mixed media. Free Spirit, 20 × 16 in., mixed media.

TED SIVELL

For Ted Sivell, skiing isn’t just a subject—it’s a lifelong companion. His family began trekking from Brampton to the Escarpment when he was barely eight, and he’s been chasing winter ever since. His art, however, takes many forms: paintings, ceramic trophies, even a snowboard sculpture cast in titanium. “I’m an experienced skier, and I’d hope some of that technical knowledge shows up in my work,” he says with characteristic humour. “I’d also hope someone might buy them all so I can keep skiing.”

A realist at heart with a cartoonist’s wit, Ted approaches each project with curiosity and craft—whether it’s claymation dinosaurs for museums or new experiments in lightweight concrete. “There are beautiful days in the winter,” he says simply. “You just have to get outside.” tedsivell.com

Clockwise from left: Schuss Cat, 12 × 12 in., acrylic on board. Super G, 12 × 24 in., acrylic on canvas. Downhill Racer, 12 × 12 in., acrylic on board (a sketch for a possible larger painting). Speed Carving, 12 × 12 in., acrylic on board.

BOB ARRIGO

Loose, impressionistic, and full of freedom, Bob Arrigo’s “Extreme Skiers” series captures the pure exhilaration of motion. Painted exclusively in acrylics and thickeners, his works pulse with colour and texture—the visual echo of carving turns through fresh powder.

“My inspiration is almost always drawn from nature,” he explains. “Outdoors in winter is about as outdoorsy as one could get.” Bob’s creative journey spans nearly five decades—from signmaking and mural work to macramé, trompe-l’oeil, and fine art. Today, his landscapes and skier studies hang in galleries across Canada and the U.S., with Brights Gallery and Crescent Hill Gallery among his long-time supporters.

He hopes his art reminds viewers of “the thrill and excitement of getting out on the slopes… that feeling of flying into freedom while speeding through white.” bobarrigo.com

From left: Powder Hound, 48 × 36 in., acrylic on canvas. Powder Play, 36 × 60 in., acrylic on canvas. High Risk Rider, 60 × 36 in., acrylic on canvas.