Local artists find therapy in art, reveal raw pasts in new GPAC exhibition
A new exhibition at the Golden Prairie Arts Council is showcasing more than paint on canvas — it’s revealing the personal journeys of two local artists who have turned to art as a path to healing, growth and self-expression.
Susie Stewart and Denis Rheault are displaying their works in the One Day at a Time with Growth exhibit. Both artists work with acrylic paints on canvas, but in very different styles.
Stewart has been waiting two years for this exhibition. When it came time to plan it, she had the idea to help a friend get their work out there, so she called Rheault to see if he had pieces to submit.
“The idea behind it is if you’re not growing, you’re dying,” said Rheault. “It’s about the continued spiritual and intellectual and physical wellbeing.”
For him, the exhibit holds deeper meaning — one of strength in sobriety. Rheault had been sober for about eight years when he first picked up a paintbrush. He taught himself to work with paints during COVID and quickly realized the therapeutic benefits of what he calls a “positive habit.”
“It allows me to express things that had been suppressed for so long by chemicals and not leading a sober life,” he said. “Maybe there are certain truths that I can portray on canvas that I maybe have never been able to or maybe never conceived of as a person with a clouded way of thinking.”
Rheault calls his paintings “absolutely abstract.” Whether that’s an abstract painting style or an abstract way of thinking, none of his work is plain or simple. Sometimes he expresses political thoughts and reactions on canvas, and sometimes he recreates a photo he’s taken — though not in an easily discernible way.
His pieces in the exhibition show landscapes, places and a few quiet statements. Their relation to the theme may be hidden, but it’s there nonetheless.
“In a very basic sense, the creation of the piece is a statement of the continuation of the growth of the artist and possibly the growth of the person looking at the painting,” he said. “The person looking at it, whatever they conceive it to be, that’s ultimately what’s most important.”
Stewart’s style isn’t abstract, but it isn’t realism either. She paints real things — whether that’s a real bird or a real feeling — in a style she describes as bohemian. She grew up loving to draw, then made her way into painting. After practicing the hobby on and off for years, she got more serious and has since created many pieces.
“It just helps me mentally so much,” she said. “I need to do it for my mental health. It keeps me amused and creative and focused.”
Whatever Stewart is feeling ends up on her canvas. Her works are full of colour, emotion and vibrant patterns. She draws inspiration from her past, music and emotions — and once even punched through a canvas to create a personal statement piece for her home. She also collects natural materials like twigs to incorporate into her work.
“Nothing’s perfect,” she said. “It’s not meant to be.”
One of her pieces in the exhibition is not for sale. It’s a deeply personal work that responds to past trauma, including relentless bullying that made her question who she was. A painting of all kinds of different breasts, the piece is an homage to loving yourself the way you are.
Whatever the subject, Stewart’s work remains cheerful — even when the themes are not.
Also showing at GPAC this month is the Flash Photographic Festival. Celebrating 10 years in 2025, the festival expanded this year to include rural galleries, with GPAC among them.
The Flash Photographic Festival began in 2014 to promote Manitoban photographers — both amateur and professional — over the course of a month. This year’s show is the largest yet, featuring more than 175 artists in 56 venues across the province.
The photos on display at GPAC are “aimed at inspiring anyone with a camera to capture images that remind them of something important.” All of them were taken on mobile phones.
Melissa Froebe of GPAC said the photos show a lot of variety.
“It’s a chance to support our local artists to partake in a greater exhibit,” she said.
Five local artists submitted three photos each, including Bev McLean and Kelly Rothwell.
“[The festival] unites artists together,” said Froebe. “The festival has a commitment to diversity, and we want to show that in Carman. We have a small town, and we need to show that we’re diversified as well. Artists are just as important here as in the big city.”
Both exhibitions will remain on display at GPAC until the end of the month.
