Spring Awakening: A Celebration of Local Vision 2025

​Pazan Gallery proudly presents our Spring 2025 exhibition featuring extraordinary local talents across diverse mediums.

Our newly renovated gallery space in Port Credit provides the perfect backdrop for this exceptional showcase of artistic vision. "Spring Awakening" brings together five remarkable artists whose work spans painting, photography, and glass art, creating a vibrant dialogue between different creative approaches.

Featured Artists
Stella Jurgen
When life gives you lemons, you make a painting—and that's exactly what Stella Jurgen did. A Canadian contemporary artist living in Tillsonburg, Ontario, Stella's vibrant work reflects her multicultural background, having been born in Buenos Aires to a Portuguese father and Italian mother.

Stella's journey to becoming an established artist is as colorful as her paintings. After moving to Canada in 1985 with her family, she initially pursued music alongside her sister Marcela as a teen pop duo in Europe. The transition to a new country was challenging, but as Stella herself says, "Eventually, she bloomed."

Her creative talents extend beyond canvas—she's a recognized illustrator, graphic designer, and entrepreneur who founded 17 Designs with her husband. Her community contributions include murals at the Oxford County Library branches and a permanent art installation at the Tillsonburg Town Centre.
Her featured work "Lemonade" perfectly captures her philosophy: "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

Mario Angel
At 75 years young, Mario Angel brings six decades of artistic experience to our exhibition. Beginning his journey at the Academy of Fine Arts in Medellin, Colombia, Mario's work has evolved through various techniques including watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting.

After relocating to Canada and briefly pausing his artistic career, Mario returned to his passion with renewed vigor, quickly establishing himself in the Canadian art scene and garnering numerous awards at juried exhibitions.

His current series, "Cosmic Conspiracy: In Unity," explores the profound connections between humans, animals, and the cosmos through bold colors and figurative abstraction. Mario's acrylic canvases invite viewers to contemplate the invisible threads binding all living beings, creating narratives that speak to our shared experiences.

"Every being is part of a grand cosmic tapestry," Mario explains, highlighting the universal themes of struggle, joy, survival, and companionship that resonate throughout his work.

Carolyn Daniels
Carolyn Daniels brings a fresh perspective to visual art through her innovative mixed media pieces. Her work often incorporates found objects and textural elements that invite viewers to experience art beyond the purely visual sense.

Carolyn's backgrounds in both fine arts and environmental science inform her creative practice, resulting in pieces that often comment on humanity's relationship with the natural world. Her methodical approach combines precise technical skill with intuitive expression.

Elysia Prokopetz
Our exhibition showcases the mesmerizing glass art of Elysia Prokopetz, whose work transforms this ancient medium into contemporary masterpieces. Elysia's signature style involves layering translucent colors to create depth and movement that shifts with changing light conditions.

Her technical mastery of both hot and cold glass techniques allows her to create pieces ranging from delicate vessels to architectural installations. For "Spring Awakening," Elysia presents a series inspired by seasonal transitions, capturing the ephemeral quality of spring light through her luminous creations.

Marcelo Pazan
As both gallery owner and featured photographer, Marcelo Pazan brings his unique vision to "Spring Awakening." His photographic work captures fleeting moments of beauty in unexpected places, often focusing on the intersection of natural and urban environments.

Marcelo's recent series explores the changing landscape of Port Credit, documenting both its historical character and ongoing transformation. His careful attention to composition and light reveals the extraordinary within the seemingly ordinary.

The Renovated Space
Visitors to "Spring Awakening" will be among the first to experience our newly renovated gallery space. The thoughtful redesign features improved lighting systems that enhance the viewing experience, flexible exhibition areas to accommodate diverse artistic media, and comfortable spaces for contemplation and conversation.

The renovation reflects our ongoing commitment to providing the ideal environment for experiencing art in all its forms.

"Spring Awakening: A Celebration of Local Vision" runs through March 30, 2025.