RBC Canadian Painting Competition exhibition features five artists from Central Canada among Canada’s top talent

The MacLaren Art Centre will showcase the work of this year’s RBC Canadian Painting Competition semi-finalists from October 17 - 24. Among the artists featured is Melanie Authier of Toronto, Ontario, who won Honourable Mention and a $15,000 prize for her work entitled “Apocalyptic Picnic.”

Four other artists from Central Canada will also be featured in the exhibition including, Kim Dorland of Toronto, Jennifer Lefort of Toronto, Anders Oinonen of Toronto and Ben Pinkney of Toronto.

“We are very proud to support the talent and vision of Canadian artists at the early stages of their career,” said Gay Mitchell, deputy chairman, RBC Wealth Management. “We hope to not only provide an opportunity for emerging artists to have their work recognized at a national level, which is not easily achieved at this point in their careers but to also share their talent and passion with as many Canadians as possible.”

Vancouver artist Arabella Campbell was named the national winner of the 2007 RBC Canadian Painting Competition and awarded a $25,000 prize for her work entitled, Physical Facts Series #6. In addition, Chris Millar of Calgary was awarded a $15,000 honourable mention for his/her work entitled FACEBITOR - The Untimely Transmogrification of the Problem.

The national winner and honourable mentions were selected from 15 semi-finalist paintings from across Canada and were judged by a panel of some of Canada’s finest and most recognizable artists, curators and gallery directors. The RBC Canadian Painting Competition offers the largest cash award disbursement for painting in Canada. For visuals and descriptions of the winning works, please visit: www.rbc.com/paintingcompetition.

The exhibition is touring prominent galleries across Canada including the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, Galerie d’art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen, Université de Moncton, Winnipeg Art Gallery and Emily Carr Institute Art + Design in Vancouver. The exhibition will be at the MacLaren Art Centre from October 17- 24. The gallery is open Monday to Friday 10 am - 5 pm, Saturday 10 am - 4 pm and Sunday noon - 4 pm. Admission is by voluntary donation.

Additional details on the RBC Canadian Painting Competition can be found at: www.rbc.com/paintingcompetition.