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Artist inspired by nature and dresses features unique exhibit at Alliston’s Gibson Centre 

April 17, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

A blend of outdoor experiences and dresses inspires artist Sylvia Whitton’s work, now on exhibit at the Gibson Centre in Alliston.

The exhibition, titled “Mantles of Gaia,” features works of art depicting both landscapes and dresses from different eras throughout history.

Sylvia began her art training at the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in Toronto – an experience she thoroughly enjoyed.

“I didn’t think I was going to be an artist until I was finishing high school – I always drew, but I thought I was going to be something else,” Sylvia explained. “By accident, I stepped into a life-drawing room with a model stand and life-drawings. It was a galvanizing moment and I thought, ‘this is where I belong.’ Going into that life-drawing studio, it led me to change my direction and that led me to OCA.” 

She added, “OCA was fantastic – I had fantastic training. They had a Florence program, and I went on the program.”

Sylvia’s journey to Florence led to some lifelong friendships as well as meeting her future husband.

After graduating, the reality of life set in and to earn a living, Sylvia worked as a professional scenic artist for the Canadian Opera Company. It was a position she held for 13 years.

“It was very physical, you had to work with broom brushes,” Sylvia explained.

It was complicated work that required different backgrounds on a large scale.

From there, she went into teaching at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), which was formerly known as the Ontario College of Art. Sylvia recently retired from OCAD after a career of almost 40 years.

“The Mantles of Gaia” exhibit features a series of paintings of both landscapes and dresses.

Sylvia uses a combination of oils and acrylic in her work as well as other objects she uses to create different textures.

“I didn’t have models to work with so I set up the dresses as human figures and I found that was a way I could speak about the things I was thinking of,” Sylvia said of being inspired. “Gaia was a goddess of the earth. They used her as a feminine being, one of motherhood. She looks after us and nurtures us.”

Each painting represents something different and the viewer can interpret what they see. 

“The Mantles of Gaia are the landscapes of the earth I’ve spent so much time in, and they feed that other part of me that wants to translate that into something that has to do with my experiences,” said Sylvia. 

Sylvia’s work has been exhibited and resides in collections around the province and around the world. Her work can be found in Seoul, South Korea or China, at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum and Museum of Fine Art in Kaiping.

“Mantles of Gaia” will be on exhibit at the Gibson Cultural Centre in Alliston until May 23.

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