Artist Biographies
Guido Borelli
Well known for his romantic impressions of the Italian landscapes, seaside villages, cities and towns, houses, and villas, Guido Borelli describes himself as “a true lover of nature and of everything gentle. My landscapes and houses combine reality and imagination.”
Inspired by the verdant agriculture, the clear blue skies, and the bounty of the vineyards, Borelli has always wanted to paint the famous wine regions of western Canada. Varying the play of shadow and light, his dramatic oil paintings bring the region’s vineyards, flowers, trees, clouds, and beautiful buildings to life.
Classically trained at Academia Albertina, in Turin, Italy, Guido has exhibited widely in prestigious international venues. Today, his work is highly acclaimed and is in collections worldwide, including those of Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, Michael D. Eisner, Arnold Palmer, Carol Burnett, Lee Iacocca, Henry Kissinger, and Oprah Winfrey, to name just a few.
Santo de Vita
With his airy brush style and free brush strokes, British Columbia artist Santo de Vita portrays the open skies and vast landscapes of the Okanagan’s wine country to perfection.
A self-taught artist, de Vita’s fascination for the old masters drew him to study their work early in his career. As a result he has painted at length during extensive travels in France and Italy. de Vita’s work is found in several private collections in Europe and North America.
Fred Fieber
In capturing the essence of the Okanagan wine country, Fred Fieber’s paintings show a particular talent for illustrating the region’s year-round beauty.
Fieber’s art reflects the influence of Hopper, Rothko, Turner, and the landscape impressionists. “I love working from pastels, I find them incredibly versatile, the almost instant reward of the first strike of colour on the paper,” explains Fieber.
Fieber has completed hundreds of commissions. His clients include Royal Mail, Readers Digest, Radio Times, Sunday Times, and international publisher Bentley Publishing, and his works are in private collections in the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.
John M. Horton F.C.A., C.S.M.A.
"Properly Painted & Technically Accurate..."
These words were used to describe the first paintings accepted by the Royal Society of Marine Artists on behalf of John M. Horton. This inspired the young artist to pursue the path of many fine British marine artists. With a life-long passion for the sea and naval service behind him, Horton painted his beloved subject. As a keen sailor living in the famous port of Poole in the U.K., his subject matter was always at hand. Supported and encouraged by his artist friend Vic Barber, Horton's style developed and matured.
On arriving in Canada in 1964 it was not long before his works were being SOLD through Vancouver's finest galleries. The atmosphere and history of Canada's West Coast seemed to provide the perfect ground for his skill to flourish. The hard working tugs and fishing fleet appealed to him and to this day professional mariners from these industries treasure his work. Though John continues to paint the modern scene that we see around us, he is equally capable of losing himself in the colourful historyof the West Coast. His first love is creating canvases that depict the exploits of the early explorers and record day to day life in our ports as they knew it. Horton handles the changing moods of high noon to sunset and the enchantment of a scene bathed in moonlight. From a full Atlantic gale with a naval corvette bearing the full misery of its lot, to a graceful liner in peace, Horton is often called "a mariner's artist". He is never more happy than when a professional mariner makes favourable comments; to him this is the true test of his work. Asked what drives him, Horton explains that he attempts to evoke an atmosphere to recreate or revive a memory that transports viewers to a place they have been or a place they would like to be. A true mariner at heart, Horton assists the Canadian Lifeboat Institution and his own vessel, Artist's Life , is on call to perform marine rescues.
