The Stories that
Bind Us

Gillian McLellan is a mixed-media illustrator who explores colour and textures through a combination of pencil crayons, gouache, ink, watercolour and more. Her artworks are inspired by the landscape around her, and by her experiences as an anxious and sensitive child, who is now a teacher of anxious and sensitive students. Gillian believes in strength in softness, and strives to create work that expresses gentleness, calmness and whimsy.

McLellan studied illustration at the Kingston and Ottawa Schools of Art, the Ontario College of Art and Design and the Emily Carr University of Art and Design. The relationship between art and community is important to her, and she enjoys participating as an artist in events that celebrate communities across South-Eastern Ontario.

Steph Schofield is an acrylic painter exploring colourful, contemporary, Canadian landscapes. Her illustrative style captures small town Ontario. Her Muskoka scenes depict a ‘modest’ Muskoka experience, all references are from public access beaches, parks and roadsides. She lives in Muskoka, ON with her wife, dog & cat.

Saundarya Ganesh, also known as Sammy, is a visual artist based in Canada. Originally from India, her work sits at the intersection of design, history, and the natural world. With an academic foundation in textile design and further studies in graphic design and illustration, Sammy’s practice is a synthesis of rigorous technical discipline and painterly expression.

Her style is deeply driven by storytelling, bridging the gap between traditional illustration and fine art. By weaving together a designer’s eye for pattern with an atmospheric love for light, she creates compositions that feel both timeless and contemporary. This aesthetic is informed by the classical forms of the Renaissance and the soft brilliance of Impressionism—influences that manifest in her detailed botanical studies and paintings of historical subjects.

Sammy’s work often explores the "unspoken stories" of people and the intricate details of the organic world. Her background in textiles remains a constant thread in her art, visible in the tactile quality of her acrylics and the delicate, rhythmic layering of her watercolors.

Tamara Holman graduated with a BFA in Drawing and Painting at OCAD U and remained in Toronto dabbling in the world of fine art, illustration, and some classical animation for a time before discovering her second passion, working with children. She earned a diploma in Early Childhood Education in 2015 and has spent the bulk of the last eleven years working in the early learning environment. Her experiences as an ECE and being a mother of two children, ages seven and nine, has inspired the subject matter of her illustrations.

“The biggest impact OCAD had on my approach to drawing is that it is not just about the end-product; it’s about process. Humanity is not always meant to be immaculately represented; sometimes it’s a mess that looks like rough, textured lines, smears, or off centred scuffs on a page. In this way, drawing and life are inseparable. I feel this whether I am sketching with a pencil and paper, working on a comic strip in Procreate, or watching a toddler freely make marks on a surface. It’s the desire to capture life and all its beautiful imperfections that keeps me growing as an artist.”.

Nancy Yang is a software engineer based in Toronto who came to bookbinding through OCAD U's School of Continuing Studies in 2024. Trained in precision and structure, she found in bookbinding a tactile counterpart to her digital work, a craft where logic and beauty meet at the fold.

As the course progressed, Nancy worked across a range of historic binding structures—accordion folds, pamphlet stitch, German long stitch, Coptic sewing, concertina, and laced cord bindings—treating each technique as a language of artistic expression with the printed typeface as its basic syllable.

Found materials, pages from literary journals, art magazines, and ribbons from cosmetics packaging are inventively woven into her bookbinding projects. By thoughtfully selecting, cutting, and binding magazine spreads as the folds of the bound books, she invites viewers to interpret the unexpected combinations of images and text as they fall into place.

For Nancy, bookbinding is an act of attentiveness - to material, to tradition, and to the quiet persistence of the handmade in an age of screens.

Mary Li Lim is inspired by travel, languages, and nature. Based in Toronto, her work is influenced by cultural exchange and everyday experience to connect across cultures.

Her practice focuses on creativity, community, and the essence of everyday life, expressed through illustration and layered compositions. She blends digital and traditional methods; mainly working in Procreate with layered drawings, textured brushes, and soft and vibrant colors to render depth and warmth.

Ville d'Étoile (City of Stars), is inspired by Lim’s solo travels in Japan and Europe. The story follows a young artist and highlights creativity, kindness, and hope, showing how patience and dedication support personal growth and community. The shooting star symbolizes possibility, encouraging children to believe in their talents and find joy in art, nature, and connection.

Mary Li’s goal is to encourage curiosity, cultural awareness, and connection through storytelling and illustration for all ages.

Megan Ganter-Romaniuk is a Hamilton-based visual artist, Drawing has been her passion since she was a child. The outdoors and travel are a notable influence on her work. Through her art, she expresses a passion for nature and animals. Megan was a Youth Artist in Residence at Re-Create Art Studio in 2021 and has received awards in the Arts of August Showcase at Living Rock. Megan loves to encourage youth and children to explore their creative side and imagination.