PERIVALE—The annual unveiling of internationally renowned Island artist Ivan Wheale at Perivale Gallery is a rite of spring that should never be missed. This season’s collection ranged from the familiar quiet solitude of a sunny glen to the power and majesty of crashing waves. At each turn of the viewer’s gaze one steps from anticipating motion and sound to reflecting on the quiet and treasured moments of peace.
Mr. Wheale, 90, has been painting for nearly all of his life, and his painting class workshops remain one of the hardest classes for aspiring artists to make the shortlist. “It’s kind of a community on its own,” laughs the artist. His depictions of the majesty of the North Channel are legendary both for their realism and the power of nature captured within.
While his scenes of rock, trees and water of his Georgian Bay period would probably be the most familiar to art patrons around the globe, Mr. Wheale’s consummate skill with oil and brush renders a variety of subjects in this latest collection entitled ‘The Art of Passion and Place.’
The Expositor inadvertently misled one eager art connoisseur with a photo used to illustrate a story highlighting the upcoming exhibition. That photo came from our archives of a previous Ivan Wheale collection.
“I had a call from a buyer just about the minute that story hit the stands,” said Perivale Gallery owner Shannon McMullan. “They wanted to buy the painting right then.” Unfortunately, the prospective buyer had to be told that painting had long been sold. On the bright side, another painting in the current collection evokes much the same vibe as the one depicted, although perhaps with a bit more detail.
“To be honest, by the time I had finished that piece I didn’t want to see another tiny pebble in my life,” laughed Mr. Wheale. Fortunately, that feeling passed to the benefit of this year’s collection.
Little Current artist Cliff Jewell was among the friends and students of Mr. Wheale’s who stopped by for the reception on Saturday. “Ivan really was an inspiration for my work,” admitted Mr. Jewell, who follows the same “realism” style adopted and developed by Mr. Wheale. These day, Mr. Jewell acts as an assistant in Mr. Wheale’s classes.
“He is a wonderful and patient teacher,” said Petra Wall, another of his students who stopped in to see the new collection and catch up with the latest news. “He is so kind with his gentle suggestions.”
Having a painting be sold before it could even get into the gallery door is nothing new for Mr. Wheale. He recalled a time in his earlier career when he was bringing a painting into a Toronto gallery. “It was a triptych, three panels that were bolted together, it was the biggest painting I had ever done at that time, maybe even the biggest ever, it was 18 feet long,” he said. “Jean (Mr. Wheale’s late wife) and I were carrying it into the gallery in Toronto when a man stopped us and asked if it was for sale. I said ‘yes, but it is just one of three parts.’ The guy went into the gallery and bought it on the spot.”
Perivale Gallery is listed on TripAdvisor as one of Ontario’s top galleries, as Ms. McMullan proudly points out. A quick view of that site on her phone shows Perivale as the top gallery in Ontario. “Look who’s second,” she quips—spoiler, it’s the McMichael Gallery.
Each year, Ms. McMullan, like her mother Sharon before her, scours the country for some of the finest art to be had from both established and up-and-coming artists. She notes a major difference between most artists and Mr. Wheale when they come to the gallery.
“They want to see where and how their own work is being hung, it’s a normal thing,” she said. “But when Ivan comes into the gallery, he always makes a point of going around to see all of the new works we have on display.”
Perivale Gallery’s 2025 hours are: open weekends 10 am to 5 pm (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) May 16-June 13, or by appointment, then open daily 10 am to 5 pm until September 14.
