Roland Walkes shows two of his paintings featured in the TSH Community Art Show

Since the West Wing at the General campus opened last year, the gallery hallway has become a popular destination for staff and visitors. Numerous exhibitions featuring artwork from local high schools and arts groups have been mounted and enjoyed by all.

Now, the spotlight is on The Scarborough Hospital’s own creativity with a TSH Community Art Show, on display in the art gallery hallway at the General campus until December 3.

This juried exhibition was open to all TSH staff, physicians, volunteers and patients (including clients in TSH’s Art Therapy program) who were encouraged to submit any flat-mounted visual arts form. The pieces on display were chosen by a jury comprised of hospital staff and local artists.

The first-ever event attracted about 36 submissions.

TSH Volunteer Roland Walkes enjoys the gallery and submitted three paintings for the exhibit, two of which were chosen by the selection committee. Roland has been volunteering at the hospital for five years and picked up a paint brush not long after he retired.

"I dabbled in art in my early days at school. It just went by the wayside until I started volunteering at a church downtown," Roland recalls. "The Pine Tree Senior Recreation Centre had an art class in the basement, so I decided to take an art class in 2003 while my wife worked as a secretary upstairs."

Working exclusively with acrylics, Roland says he paints anything from portraits to landscapes, whatever catches his eye.

"I have such a wide variety of pieces; the tough part was choosing only three," he says. "I wanted to bring them all."

To view the exhibit online, click here.