Pamela Cockcroft-Lasserre: "These works of oil and stone pigment brushed onto woven plant material are created in the traditional mode, directly from the model. Translating reality and the notion of Sanctuaries into paint demands a scrutiny and involvement that transports the artist to many different levels of awareness. As the membranous layers of paint accumulate, the gaze and ambience of a figure emerge. Then, something ineffable occurs when gaze of viewer and figure coincide, some faint echo of personal Sanctuaries, places of safety, comfort or hiding."

Born and raised in South Africa, Pamela Cockcroft-Lasserre qualified as a teacher, then studied Fine Art at the Byam Shaw School of Drawing and Painting (University of the Arts, London). Subsequently she has taught European Art History and wrote for the Cape Times as Art Critic, still teaches children's art and currently instructs Drawing and Painting at the Ottawa School of Art. Recently was commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada to complete small paintings for didactic purposes in conjunction with the "Renoir's Landscapes" exhibition. Participates regularly in group shows; her work can be found in private collections in Canada, USA, France, South Africa. Rossouw Galleries in Constantia and Hermanus (South Africa) carry her work.

Holly Tingley: "As an identical twin, I am preoccupied with notions of identity as a cultural and psychological phenomenon. Through the medium of paint, I explore the different ways in which individuality is recognized, and valued in contemporary society. I approach this through the doubling of images, the veiling of features, and by allowing the paint to interfere with the portrayal of a subject. Most recently, I have begun to explore the interface between historical ways of representing an individual (traditional portrait painting), and contemporary manifestations of the persona in media culture, specifically on television.

These paintings explore the identity of the human perceiver in today's technologically oriented society. The connection we share with one another is increasingly mediated through technology which abstracts the human aesthetic. My work aspires to uncover the human elements of identity, interconnectedness, and empathy. I am interested in the way that portraiture has changed in the face of technology through notions of the copy, the twin, and the Doppelganger."

Holly Tingley received her Bachelors degree in Fine Art from Mount Allison University in 2002. She has lived and worked as a painter and art teacher in Antigonish NS, Chelsea QC, Ottawa ON, and Victoria BC. In 2004 Holly won the Elizabeth Greenshields Award for painting, and received a Canada Council grant for her work in 2005. She is presently completing her Masters degree in painting at Concordia University in Montreal QC.