2026 Peninsula Hiking Festival

Margarethe Vanderpas is a professionally trained artist whose evocative oil paintings capture the untamed beauty of Canada’s wilderness. Born in the Netherlands and immigrating to Canada at the age of six, she was inspired early on by the works of Rembrandt and Van Gogh. This classical influence is evident in her bold brushwork and emotive use of colour. Margarethe holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in Art History and a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. She taught Fine Art and Mathematics for several years and then ran a graphic design company in London Ontario before dedicating herself fully to painting.

She lives in Lion’s Head on the Bruce Trail, where she works out of her dedicated Gallery/Studio building overlooking Georgian Bay. Each year Margarethe explores new regions on foot and by kayak seeking new inspiration for her work. Margarethe’s artwork has been featured in several publications including, THE ARTISTS OF GEORGIAN BAY BOOK (2024), PARRY SOUND LIFE MAGAZINE (2022), ON THE BAY MAGAZINE (2021), ESCARPMENT MAGAZINE (2020), ARTISTS FOR CONSERVATION BOOK (2019), LAKE SUPERIOR MAGAZINE (2017) and ARABELLA MAGAZINE (2013) among others. Her pieces are part of private and corporate collections throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Donna C. Stewart paints the landscapes and communities of the Saugeen Bruce Peninsula in the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. She is compelled to convey her feelings of wonder, joy and peaceful solitude that her interactions with cherished places can stir. She works primarily in oils and soft pastels from her home studio in Oliphant, ON. and outdoors.

She founded the local group: “Saugeen Bruce Peninsula Plein Air”. Her love for numerous land and water-based activities has deepened her connection to the environment and is a viewpoint she often tries to share in her work.

I am a retired veterinarian who has recently moved to the beautiful Saugeen Peninsula. After a career of 32 years in veterinary medicine, I decided to explore my passion for painting and art in this inspirational area. I am largely self-taught, having taken a few workshops with local artists in Bruce and Grey county.

I like to try different media and have experimented with acrylics, oils and more recently pastels. I have a studio in 100 acres of forest on East Rd., near Miller Lake.

Robin Kingsburgh is a trained astronomer and painter. She has longstanding interests in the intersections of art, science and education. She currently teaches various natural science courses at York University, and splits her time between Toronto and Sauble Beach, where she has a leased-land cottage on the lands of Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation #29, and finds the peaceful landscape an inspiring and motivational setting for her current work. She is grateful to the Chippewas of Saugeen as traditional keepers of the land.

Robin has been an elected member of the Ontario Society of Artists since 2019. She is Past-President of the Colour Research Society of Canada, and a Project Team member of the Colour Literacy Project. Her practice is explorative and process-based: a blend of inspiration from geometry and from geometric motifs and rhythms in the natural world. She employs both painting and mixed media techniques in her work.

A lifelong lover of nature and art, Doris has been painting landscapes since 2012. She started painting with the Yellowknife Watercolour Society, which provided a supportive environment for developing skills in this lively, fluid medium. More recently, she developed a passion for painting with oils, drawn in by bold, impasto, and impressionistic strokes.

In 2023 newly formed Saugeen Bruce Peninsula Plein Air provided a welcoming and supportive venue bringing together artists wishing to paint outdoors and to discover the diverse and exciting landscapes of this area. The learning and camaraderie from participating in this group has been transformative. The unique beauty of each season inspires Doris to capture the varied and ever-changing vistas of the Bruce Peninsula and surrounding Great Lakes region. She is fascinated by the contrasting patterns of light and dark which bring a landscape to life.

In addition to landscapes, Doris enjoys painting florals and life drawing. Through her art, Doris hopes share her appreciation for the natural beauty surrounding us, inspire respect for biodiversity, and encourage preservation of this irreplaceable heritage for future generations. Doris currently resides on the Bruce Peninsula near Wiarton, Ontario.

Sarah McComb-Turbitt, a Marine Biologist turned artist, has dedicated her life to wildlife conservation. Her journey from researching whales and penguins to the vibrant art world has created a unique collision point between the science and art worlds. Since 2019, Sarah has been a member of Artists for Conservation, using her knowledge of animal behaviour to capture the raw beauty of wildlife and the personalities of her subjects in her artwork.

Now returned to Grey-Bruce with her growing family, Sarah creates stunningly realistic works of art from her studio in Owen Sound, ON. Sarah has supported conservation with every painting created since transitioning to artist full-time in 2020.

After a career in education, I retired to South Bruce Peninsula, moving from Halton Hills where I raised my family. The Bruce Trail has always been part of my life, whether it be hiking the northern trails when visiting the cottage, or running the trails close to Halton Hills.

Although moving through the trails is still a pastime, albeit at a slower pace, I am more often found standing still, observing and recording with a paint brush. Plien air painting feeds my interest in art and keeps my mind engaged, all while experiencing the awe of the natural environment.