Meet our Judges
Amber Léger
Born in 1971, Amber Leger is a native of the Acadian community from eastern New Brunswick where she maintains her home and art practice. She studied at the Université de Moncton in the early 1990’s with Marie Ulmer, Claude Gauvin and André Lapointe. She has exhibited in many juried group and solo exhibitions in the City of Moncton and in the surrounding communities and has won many prizes over the years. Her work may be found in private collections in Canada and the US as well as in the public collection of the City of Moncton.
In the last 15 years, Amber has taught numerous art classes and workshops. In her continued artistic growth, she pushes her boundaries and technique, currently preferring the palette knife over the brush, using increasingly larger canvasses and allowing simplicity to reign in her compositions. The source of her inspiration is predominantly female, whether dancers in the studio of Dance East or her friends or family, the connection she feels to her subjects and the imagery she derives from them is palpable and the viewer is left inspired by its emotion and strength.
Brad Skerry
Brad Skerry, also known as Skerry Painter, is an emerging oil painter from Shediac, N.B. He is gaining recognition in the regional art scene with his use of vibrant colors and bold brushwork. Brad’s artistic journey began with doodles in his notebooks, but he shifted away from art for academic pursuits before discovering plein air painting in the fall of 2021. This approach, which involves painting outdoors and engaging directly with the elements, captivated him immediately. It allows him to capture the essence of changing landscapes quickly and harmoniously, reflecting his feelings and connection to nature. Following a battle with cancer in 2022-2023, Brad found a renewed passion for painting. He continues to be inspired by his surroundings and remains dedicated to his art despite challenges. Early in 2024, he showcased his work at the Corrid’art art gallery and participated in significant events such as the Parrsboro International Plein Air Painting Festival and the Art in the Park event in Sackville. This summer, he refined his plein air painting skills and participated in the artist village art fair in Shediac, marking an exciting start to his art fair journey.
Melanie Gagnon
Mélanie Gagnon is originally from Saint-Quentin and lives in Shediac, New Brunswick. She has always been inspired by the sea, nature, and the natural beauties that life paints. As an artist and educator, she has been working in schools since 2006 and finds her balance through art. When the visceral need to travel and create arises, she does not hesitate to take a year off to satisfy her desire to own her time and life.
The more she progresses, the fewer words she needs to describe her approach, her art, and her inspiration, as everything boils down to one word: feeling. What she seeks is to feel what surrounds her, to illustrate her understandings of life, to be present in order to see the beauty of nature, light, and movement.
Having owned Aquamel, the world of artistic creations, for over 11 years, her long-held dream is to open a gallery in the city and offer a platform for Francophone and Acadian artists to contribute to the development of the arts and culture.
