“Is it possible that making a painting can save the forest? I don’t know. But I’m trying.” – Kyle Scheurmann (Artist & Activist)
Patagonia Toronto is excited to welcome the Nature-Based Solutions Foundation (NBSF) and environmental activist and Canadian landscape painter, Kyle Scheurmann, for a special evening exploring the intersection of art, activism, and nature conservation through the Art Auction for Old Growth (AAOG)!
For the past 5 years, artists from across Canada have generously donated their paintings, photography, and mixed-media works to AAOG, using their creativity to raise awareness and support for the protection of some of the country’s most endangered ecosystems. Since 2022, more than 50 artists have contributed to the action, raising over $100,000 for NBSF’s work to protect some of Canada’s last remaining old-growth forests and advance Indigenous-led conservation in British Columbia.
Join us for an intimate panel conversation with several featured artists for this year’s auction as they explore the relationship between art and place: What draws artists to the landscapes they portray, how the experience of witnessing environmental change can shape creative work, and how art can help us forge deeper connections with places and inspire us to protect them.
Following the panel, stick around to mingle with artists and art-lovers alike, and enjoy some yummy appetizers and drinks! There will also be a chance to take part in an 'Enter-to-Win' for a Patagonia giveaway, where proceeds from the Enter-to-Win will go towards NBSF and Indigenous Climate Action.
The Art Auction for Old Growth runs September 17-24, 2026. Learn more and register to bid at givergy.ca/aaog.
Instagram: @kylescheurmann
Website: kylescheurmann.com
Kyle Scheurmann, the founder of the “Art Auction for Old Growth”, is a painter and environmentalist represented by Bau-Xi Gallery. He completed his MFA at Emily Carr University in 2018, where he was awarded valedictorian. Since then, Kyle has kept studios in remote, wooded locations to document the incremental approach of climate change while simultaneously working on conservation and activism efforts.
Kyle's practice is centred around systemic and legislative approaches for permanent environmental protection, using his narrative-driven paintings as a means for amplifying the reality on the ground in endangered ecosystems. In addition to his alignment with NBSF, he also founded an environmentally focused residency at the Harvest Moon Learning Centre in Clearwater MB, collaborating with experimental regenerative farmers in order to share holistic approaches to land stewardship as a means for new art making.
Instagram: @finnohara
Website: finnohara.com
Finn O’Hara is a Canadian photographer whose work explores the beauty and complexity of our relationship with nature. He was recently interviewed on the award-winning show Q with Tom Power, where he spoke about his creative process and connection to the Canadian landscape. His photographs are recognized internationally and held in the permanent collections of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, the Scotiabank Fine Art Collection, and the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
Instagram: @cbeamish.studios
Website: www.unitedcontemporary.com
Having established a significant and ongoing artistic relationship with the landscapes of Northern Ontario, Chuck Beamish’s new body of work sees him turn his “en plein air” painting practice to the vastness of the Canadian Rockies and landscapes of British Columbia. Beamish responds to the energetic tension of this monumental landscape, capturing moments of immense power and contrasting stillness within the painted surface.
Drawing upon his profession as an architect, Beamish observes embedded geometries and trajectories while painting in the field, finding compositional order within the immersive enormity of his surroundings. This work alongside the more familiar terrain of Algonquin, exemplifies Beamish’s unquestionable appreciation and awe of the ever-changing Canadian landscape.
Chuck Beamish has a postsecondary education which includes a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Toronto; Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University in New York; Masters of Business Administration from the University of Toronto, and a bachelor of Fine Art, Ontario College of Art & Design, (OCAD University).
Instagram: @juliehimel
Website: www.juliehimel.com
Julie Himel is a visual artist from Toronto newly based in Prince Edward County. As a painter of the natural environment, she explores how immersion shapes both creative process and our sense of connection to place. Himel is known for landscape paintings that evoke the emotions and memories reaching beyond the simple rendering of location. Julie’s work is represented by Foster/White Gallery in Seattle, Washington, Stremmel Gallery in Reno, Nevada, and Elevation Gallery, in Canmore, Alberta. She is a member of the Long Island City Studio Collective, in New York City.
Instagram: @_shawn_evans
Website: shawnevans.art
Shawn Evans attended the Alberta University of the Arts in Calgary, graduating with distinction in 2009 with a BFA in painting. He has since moved to Toronto where he has an active studio practice. He has works in both private and public collections, most notably several works with Air Canada including a large mural scale painting displayed at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
