Even though Lorraine Roberts has not been painting with soft pastels very long, her art hangs in private and corporate collections. Many of Lorraine’s pastel paintings have been juried into art exhibitions across Canada and the USA. She has been featured twice in the newspaper, The Caledon Citizen (2022) and in 2023.

Life comes full circle for the Caledon artist, Lorraine Roberts. She is following her dream of sharing the beauty of nature through her paintings. “Every moment, live life in awe and be open to the possibilities. Take nothing for granted and live your dream.”

Lorraine Roberts creates landscape and botanically inspired soft pastel, impressionistic paintings. The luminous quality of soft pastels captures the beauty of the moment with vibrancy.  “There is inspiration everywhere. Living in the rolling hills of Caledon, Ontario surrounded by trees, ponds, rivers and gardens, I’m inspired by the ever-changing light and colour that nature provides.”

Lorraine is a member of the Pastel Artists of Canada, Associate Member of The Pastel Society of America, Headwaters Arts, Piedmont Pastel Society, Red Rocks Pastel Society and the Pastel Society of the West Coast.

Since early childhood Lorraine has always expressed herself with artistic endeavors: pottery, stained glass, papier mache, copper enameling, mono-printing, batik, pyrography, music, photography, and garden design. Drawing and painting in all different styles and mediums from pen and ink, charcoal, acrylic, oil, watercolour and soft pastels. Lorraine has studied pastel painting with Jeanne Rosier Smith, Karen Margulis, Marla Baggetta and Albert Handell.

In her late teens, she was creating large, abstract, 3 dimensional, papier mache, acrylic paintings that were rented to corporations through Arts Etobicoke (Ontario). At the end of high school, she received an Award of Excellence in Art Scholarship. In her early 20’s she was teaching adults painting and drawing at night school.

She was an accomplished flutist and composer for over 20 years. Music led to meeting her talented husband, Robert at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Together they (AKA Rousseau & Carlton) performed at thousands of events and recorded 4 instrumental music CDs that feature flute and guitar with an acoustic ensemble.

Moving to rural Caledon, Ontario in 1999 had sparked an interest in gardening which eventually led to the creation of Plant Paradise Country Gardens, an award-winning organic perennial nursery and 24 acre botanical garden.

Lorraine is the author and photographer of two gardening books: A Recipe for Continuous Bloom (sold out) and Spectacular Plant Combinations for the Perennial Garden.

When not painting Lorraine can be found enjoying nature’s beauty. “The journey continues…follow your dreams”

Exhibitions & Shows

• Summer in Paradise was juried into the group exhibition: The Headwaters Arts 27th Annual Fall Festival Show & Sale, in Alton Ontario Sept. 13th – Oct. 1, 2023
• Southwest Florida Pastel Society 2023 National Juried Online Show Sept. 16th – Oct.1st, 2023 with the painting, Cascades.
• Solo Art Show & Sale at Plant Paradise Country Gardens September 23rd, 2023.
• Solo exhibition in the Headwaters Restaurant at the Millcroft Inn (October 2 – December 4, 2023)
• Three of Lorraine’s pastel paintings (In a Dream, The Bluebells have Arrived and Journey Through Rocks)
  have been accepted into the exhibition, As the Story Goes at the Headwaters Arts Gallery, located in the Alton Mill Arts Centre (Ontario), August 9th until September 10th, 2023.
• The painting, Over the Hills and Beyond, was a finalist in the Shades of Red 2023 International Juried Show hosted by the Camelback Gallery in Arizona, USA.
• The painting, In a Dream, was accepted into the prestigious Northwest Pastel Society’s 37th International Open Show, May 1st – June 30th 2023.
• Two of Lorraine’s pastel paintings, Wildflowers at Sunset and The Bluebells have Arrived, were juried into the Red Rocks Pastel Society of Nevada’s 2023 Juried Online Exhibition.
• Lorraine’s pastel painting,  All Paths Lead to Water was juried into the Pastel Artists of Canada’s Purely Pastel 33rd Annual Open Exhibition at Neilson Park Creative Centre in Toronto June 1 to June 17, 2023. This exhibition features pastel paintings from artists across Canada and internationally.
• Lorraine was juried into the Pelham Art Festival in 2023.
• Kinetic Force was accepted into the Newmarket Juried Art Show April 18-29, 2023
• The pastel paintings, Wildflower Melody and Over the Hills and Beyond were juried into the Headwaters Art Gallery Show – Wild and Free – March 22 until April 23, 2023.
• The pastel painting, Wildflowers at Sunset, was juried into the Headwaters Art Gallery Show (Alton Mill) – Dark into Light – February 15 until March 19, 2023
• The pastel painting, Sandbanks was  juried into the Pastel Society of the West Coast’s Online Show – MOOS (beginning March 1, 2023)
• The Poppy Field and Sandbanks pastel paintings were juried into the 2023 10th Annual Online Juried Exhibition for the Pastel Artists of Canada
• The Poppy Field pastel painting was juried into the EXPRESSIONS 2023 Pastel Society of Colorado Online Show.
• ArtWorks Oakville 22nd Annual Juried Show 2022 (Painting: Over the Hills and Beyond)
• Headwaters Arts Juried Arts Market September 17, 2022
• Piedmont (North Carolina) Pastel Society’s Online Show 2022 (Painting: Primula Garden)
• Solo Art Show & Sale at Plant Paradise Country Gardens October 22 & 23 2022
• The painting, Sandbanks, was a finalist in the Camelback Gallery’s 5th annual MY BEST Work of 22 International Juried Visual Arts Exhibition.