Rustic Creations brings unique view of ‘natural’ objects to Blue Roof Farm

Craig Bakay | Apr 11, 2018

Like many of the artists who show at Blue Roof Farm near Verona, Joanne (Bertrim) was talked into it by the gallery’s legendary owner — painter, photographer, filmmaker Kim Ondaatje.

“Kim said ‘you’ve to do this,’” Joanne said. “I’m not really an artist but I like to dabble in all of it.

“I love to create.”

Her works involve a lot of found objects but not really in the way of Picasso or Marcel Duchamp’s objet trouve´. The show is entitled Rustic Creations and owes much to her upbringing on a farm near Stirling, ON.

“I was walking in the wood one day and saw a piece of wood,” she said. “It started then.

“Ever since I was 10 years old, I’ve liked to make things.”

And so, in this show, there are many “things,” like wire trees on barn wood frames, acrylics on old storm windows, grapevine wreathes and acrylics on canvas.

“I like anything that comes from the country,” she said. “I’m a hoarder, but a neat one.

“There’s probably a little bit of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) going on too.”

She said the wire trees are probably more “her” than the wreathes but really she’s not sure what’s going on when she creates.

“I really don’t know why,” she said. “I just like birds and wildflowers, trees — natural things.”

The show is scheduled to run for several more Sundays in April from 2-5 p.m. until further notice.