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Laurie McGaw
Portrait Artist & Illustrator
596340 2nd Line West, Mulmur Township
R.R.#2, Shelburne, Ontario L0N 1S6
519.925.5134
E-mail: lauriemcgaw@sympatico.ca
Website: www.lauriemcgaw.com |
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PROFILE Laurie McGaw is well known for her distinctive and lively portraits of
such outstanding Canadians as Oscar Peterson, Peter Gzowski, and Norman
Jewison and for her award-winning children’s books: Polar The
Titanic Bear, nominated for a Governor General’s Award, has sold
over 680,000 copies in five languages. A recent New York Times review
described her illustrations for African Princess as
“stunning”. Laurie was honoured with an award for this book from the
NAACP. To celebrate the Stratford Festival’s 50th season,
The Royal Canadian Mint chose Laurie’s design for a 50-cent silver
coin; three of her new coin designs, including the silver dollar, will
be released in 2007. A graduate of The Ontario College of Art &
Design, and a former instructor there, Laurie continues to teach: she
conducts portrait painting workshops biannually, and teaches master
classes to small groups throughout the year. The focus of her work is
primarily portraiture. Whether in commissioned works, historical
paintings, or in illustrated books, her love is painting people. Laurie
McGaw’s work has been featured in books, magazines, and in private and
corporate collections for over 30 years. Born in Toronto, Laurie and her
husband and two children have lived in their country home near Shelburne
for the past 17 years.
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EXHIBITIONS
2007:
Double Vision; The Canadian Association of Photographers and
Illustrators in
Communication
(CAPIC); Queen Street West, Toronto, Ont.; portrait exhibit
2005: Best of the Best; Headwaters
Arts Festival Annual Juried Show; SGI Centre,
Caledon, Ont.
2004: Portraits in
Performance; solo exhibition; 5 portraits of prominent people in the
performing arts in the Headwaters region; Theatre Orangeville,
Orangeville, Ont.
2003: 25 Year
Retrospective; solo exhibition as part of the Headwaters Studio Tour.
1992-2003: Headwaters Studio
Tour participant; studio
1992: Fourteen Hands;
Shelburne Art Centre, Shelburne, Ont.
1996: Solo exhibition at the
Dufferin County Museum & Archives, Rosemont, Ont.
1996: Kyoto, Japan:
exhibited 8 original paintings from Polar The Titanic Bear
1993: Artist in
Residence; McMichael Canadian Collection, Kleinburg, Ont.,
coinciding with a special
exhibition of the collection’s portraits
1984: CAPIC show; Roy
Thomson Hall, Toronto, Ont.; exhibited Oscar Peterson portrait
1978-1990: exhibited in
various CAPIC shows; some traveled across the country
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AWARDS
2005: NAACP Award for African
Princess
2004: Artist of the Year,
Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association
2004: New York Times Children’s
Books List, Selection, African Princess
2004: Publishers
Marketing Association selection, Publishers Weekly; Avram’s
Gift
2003: Sydney Taylor Notable
Book Award for Avram’s Gift
2002: Certificate of
Recognition, The Dufferin Arts Council; founding member
1999: Red Cedar Award for
Discovering The Iceman
1999: Applied Arts
Magazine, Awards Annual selection, for Journey To Ellis Island
1998: National Jewish Book
Awards, Children’s Picture Book Award nominee (Journey)
1998: Benjamin Franklin
Award, Best Children’s Book for *Something To Remember Me By
1998: Joan Fassler Book
Award*
1998: Parents Choice
Recommended, selection*
1998: Canadian Children’s
Book Centre, “Our Choice”*
1998: Selected as
“Outstanding” by the Parent Council*
1998: American Bookseller
“Pick of the Lists”*
1997: Mr. Christie’s Book
Award for Discovering The Iceman
1997: Information Book
Award, Children’s Literature Roundtables of Canada (Iceman)
1995: Silver Birch Award for
Polar The Titanic Bear
1994: Governor General’s
Award finalist, for Polar The Titanic Bear
1994: Canadian Children’s
Book Award, Ontario Library Association Children’s Services Guild, for
Polar The Titanic Bear
1990: CAPIC Annual
Exhibition, Bronze Award for The Morningside Papers
(portrait of Peter Gzowski)
1985: Civilian Citation,
presented by The Board of Commissioners of Police, City of Toronto (for
assisting the homicide division with portraits of suspects, and victims)
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PORTRAITS
Oscar
Peterson / Jazz pianist, Peter Gzowski / Broadcaster, David Suzuki /
Environmentalist,
Mark DuBois /Tenor, Dan Needles / Playwright, Terry Fox / Hero,
Wayne
Gretzky / Hockey star, Norman Jewison / Director, David Nairn
/Actor,
Director,
Gene DiNovi / Jazz pianist, Dave Young / Jazz bassist, Silken Laumann
/
Olympic
rower, Sharon, Lois & Bram / Children’s entertainers, Bruce
Westwood /
Literary
Agent, Dini Petty / Broadcaster, Doris McCarthy / Artist,
The
Hon. Hugh Sedgwick/Judge, Pat Sedgwick / Fundraiser, The Poulton
children,
Theresa
Mizzi / Therapist, The entire Board of Directors of Imperial Oil,
Dr.
K.MacMillan / Canadian Bible Society, Katelyn Epners / Student,
Neil
Mathieson, CGA /Professional Accountant, Freddie Mathieson, Liz Mathieson /
Adventurer,
Catherine, Joe & Angela Zeimet / Family,
Gordon
Pape / Author, Broadcaster, Robert Thomas Allen / Writer,
Boris
Brott / Conductor, Farley Mowat/Author, Pope John Paul II,
The
Cruickshank children, Erin Gilmour / cover, Toronto Life Magazine,
D’Arcy
McKeough / Executive, Rogers & Hammerstein / Toronto Life
Magazine,
Gillian
Howard / Fundraiser, Claude Taylor / Air Canada Executive,
Charles
Rand / posthumous portrait, Christopher Needler / Executive,
Conrad
Black & Barbara Amiel / Executive, Writer, Bill Lishman /
Environmentalist,
Walter
Bean / Newspaper executive, Susan Butler / Educator, Tamara Hope / Actor,
Dermot
O’Brien / Art Director, Rory ‘Gus’ Sinclair / Musician, Social
Activist,
Contractor,
Major Alexander J. Sinclair / 48th Highlanders of
Canada,
Genevieve
/ Grand-daughter of Carl and Anne Laurier,
Cheryl
Shoji / Newspaper Photo Editor, Ian French / Executive,
Sandra
Leah / Secondary School Principal, Roy Frankel / Executive,
Andrea
Bocelli / Tenor, …and more.
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BOOKS
The
Secrets of Vesuvius, Random
House, Madison Press
Polar
The Titanic Bear,
Little, Brown / Madison Press
The
Illustrated Father Goose,
Little, Brown / Madison Press
Discovering
The Iceman, Scholastic
/ Madison Press
Christmas
With Anne,
McClelland & Stewart
The
Popcorn Tree, Stoddart
Something
To Remember Me By,
The communication Project
Journey
To Ellis Island, Hyperion
/ Madison Press
Inside
The Hindenburg,
McArthur & Company / Madison Press
(Collaboration with Ken Marschall)
To
Be A Princess, Scholastic
/ Madison Press
Joan
Stade’s Story, Joan
Stade, Chicago, Illinois
Avram’s
Gift, MB
Publishing, Maryland
African
Princess, Hyperion
/ Jump At The Sun / Madison Press
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MEDIA
Print
2007: Selected to design new logo for the Town of Shelburne,
Shelburne
Free Press & Economist
1992 to the present: The Orangeville Citizen, various
articles
1992 to the present: The Orangeville Banner, various
articles
Bio.
1996: The Toronto Star
1994: In The Hills Magazine
Misc.
1999: Portrait of Andrea Bocelli, personally presented to him in
Verona, Italy
(Polar The Titanic Bear cards mailed by the Bocelli family
to friends at Christmas)
Radio & TV
2002: CBC TV news: Presented To Be A Princess to Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
1997: 96.3 FM Radio; Interviewed by Catherine Belyea
1994: CBC Radio: Interviewed by Peter Gzowski on Morningside
1992: Rogers Cable TV (portraits:Wayne Gretzky, Rodney
Dangerfield, David Bowie)
1986: CBC TV: Episode of “Street Legal”, as courtroom artist
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SPEAKING
ENGAGEMENTS
2005: “Packaging Your
Imagination”, Victoria College, U of T, sponsored by
The Canadian Society of Children’s Authors Illustrators and
Performers
2000: Tour of the North: Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith, and
Norman Wells
Libraries and schools; supported by the Canada Council
1994 to the present: Many presentations to schoolchildren
throughout Ontario
1994 to the present: presentations/workshops to various local art
groups
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JURIES
2005:
“Artflight”; The Canada Aviation Museum, Ottawa; annual art
exhibition
2000: The Governor General’s Awards, Ottawa (Children’s
Books)
1985: The National Magazine Awards, Toronto
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TEACHING
2005 to
the present: Teaching small master classes in home/studio
1999 to the present: Portrait painting workshops, twice yearly
1993: Artist in Residence, McMichael Canadian Collection
1987-93:The Ontario College of
Art & Design, part-time instructor
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ASSOCIATIONS
Presently listed in the Canadian
Who’s Who
2000-02: Member of The Portrait Society of America
Inc.
2001: Chair, Headwaters Studio Tour; member for 10 years
2000
to the present: Member of The Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association
1996
to the present: Member of CANSCAIP
Canadian Society of Children’s Authors Illustrators and
Performers
1992
to the present: Founding Member of The Dufferin Arts Council
1978
to the present: Founding Member of CAPIC
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WORK HISTORY
1978-to the present:
Freelance artist and illustrator, specializing in portraiture and book
illustration
1977-78:
Illustrator at TDF Artists Ltd., at that time Canada’s
largest
advertising art studio
1974-75:
Layout artist and production coordinator for Chatelaine Magazine
1972-74:
Layout artist at The Canadian Magazine
1970-72:
Layout artist at McGaw-Jordan Ltd. /Artists and
Lithographers
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EDUCATION
1984:
Studied with renowned American portrait painter Daniel Greene,
North Salem, NY
1983:
Studied Art History in Italy; York University program (Toronto)
1975-77:
The Ontario College of Art & Design; graduated with
scholarships-1977
1966-70:
Graduated from a commercial art program, Thistletown Collegiate
Institute
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