Grace Village Resident Art Celebration

The People At Grace Village Will Surprise You!


Among the many interesting and accomplished people we are fortunate to have living with us at Grace Village are some incredibly talented artists! In the summer of 2019 we enjoyed the opportunity to share their creativity with our community at a Grace Village Art Exhibit held in their honour - please take a minute to appreciate our resident artists' stories and works of art below.

As a not-for-profit organization we rely on the generosity of the communities that we serve to continually enhance the quality of life for the seniors who live at Grace Village.  If you feel as we do that art is an important part of life, we invite you to make a donation to the Grace Village Care Foundation towards a visually and functonally stimulating living environment in Grace Village's Memory Care Wing!  

Browse the artist bios and galleries below (by artist) for an overview of the talent of some of the amazing people who live at Grace Village.

Featured Artists

Maureen Bean

Although born in Britain, Maureen Bean claims the Eastern Townships of Quebec as home.  The natural beauty of the area, in particular, the lakes and rivers, are her inspiration.  Over her years of fly fishing, she has developed an awareness of the changing moods of the waterways, and her watercolours of the mist rising from the water’s surface have been much appreciated over the years.

Working predominately in watercolour she paints not only landscapes but her love of nature and the strong, vibrant colours of flowers has stimulated a strong interest in botanical illustration.

At the moment she is studying for a BA in Fine Arts at Bishop’ University.

Joyce Berwick

Joyce Berwick was born in Wales, and moved to the Townships after her father was awarded a parcel of land for his participation in World War I. Joyce grew up in the Eustis area where her family had a farm and her father worked in the Eustis mine/mill. Her family moved to Sherbrooke, and Joyce began working at Ingersol Rand where she met her husband. After raising her children, she went to work in the offices of St. Peter's Anglican Church. 

Joyce bought her eldest daughter a set of oil paints when she was in high school, but then her daughter decided she preferred acrylics. A few years later in the 1980's when her youngest child graduated from high school, one of Joyce's friends invited her to join an art class with the Sherbrooke Adult Education program. She pulled out her daughter’s unused oil paints, and realized a love for painting she never knew she had. She continued taking courses for many years, the same ones that fellow Grace Village resident artists Jean Stefano and Maureen Bean took at different times.

Oil paints on canvas frames have always been her medium of choice, and she loves creating sceneries, especially with trees. I like to create a mélange of different imagery, from photos & paper clippings. But you have to put them in perspective!

Rose Faith

Rose Faith is a native of Sherbrooke, growing up on a farm just outside of town with her 8 siblings. She went to school until grade 7 after which she went to work on a farm where she met her future husband.

Rose always had an aptitude for art, but never had the time or opportunity to develop her interest. When she was in her late 40’s, one of her sons gave her a set of oil paints for Christmas. With her children grown and out of the house she now had the time to pursue this talent. She loved it. She enrolled in a few short night classes to get her on her way but otherwise taught herself in her newfound passion.

Her favorite themes come from her rural roots, favouring scenes of God's creation in nature and old country buildings. At the age of 99 Mrs. Faith’s love for acrylic painting continues to this day and one can often find her in the sunlight by her window working on a project. Mrs. Faith loves to share and serve, and she has graciously allowed Grace Village to display one of her paintings in our main events facility, Faith Hall, where it is enjoyed by many.  This painting is the beautiful sunlit forest scene which is the sixth one in her linked gallery below - a special memory of a view she enjoyed with her husband years ago.

Helen White Sirois (in memory)

Born in Coaticook, QC, and a long-time resident of Sherbrooke, Helen White Sirois has enjoyed painting throughout her life. Her love of art began at a young age, and she developed an exceptional talent for detail that gives her paintings great expressiveness and a photo-like appearance while preserving the warmth of the artistic media. 

Over the years she had several opportunities to display her works, especially between 1980 and 2010, and was featured at the Grace Village art exhibit in 2019.

The themes of her paintings, especially portraits, take inspiration from many cultures around the world, capturing both features and the richness of colours and backgrounds. In addition to her original creations she has derived great pleasure in reproducing famous pictures that have appeared in the National Geographic magazine, as well as works of old European masters. 

Art lovers have appreciated the paintings of Helen Sirois White, a number of which have enriched private family collections including on display at Grace Village.  While we mourn her passing in 2019, we celebrate the gift of her art through the generous donation by the family of several of her works including the original of the young girls shown at the top of this page.

Jean Stefano (in memory)

Jean hailed from the Maritimes where she completed an art degree at Mount Allison University before venturing to the Townships where she attended Bishop’s University to obtain her teaching degree. While attending Bishop’s University she met her husband, and together they decided to make Lennoxville their permanent home. Jean took time to raise her children before ultimately returning to teaching, dedicating her life to Townships students for over twenty years.

After retiring, Jean rekindled her interest in the arts, specifically painting and drawing. She became a student again herself, taking art courses which she views as a big inspiration for her works. Jean worked with other like-minded individuals to form the Lennoxville Art Group (LAG) where local artists could gather together and share their passion. Jean had fond memories of being vice-president of the LAG and was still a proud member during her time at Grace Village.

Although she sadly passed in 2020, Jean enjoyed painting with various medias, although oils were her favourite. She was inspired by nature, specifically the birds, flowers, and scenery that coloured the world around her. Jean was very fond of her children, grandchildren, and two great-grand children, and she enjoyed creating paintings for them to fill their homes. 

Janet Gale (in memory)

Janet Gale moved from Montreal to the Richmond area in her youth where her father practiced medicine. While working at the Pleasant View Hotel in North Hatley as a server, Janet met her husband Royce, a native Townshipper, and they spent the next 67 years together cultivating unique collections and being involved in their community.

Together they attended McGill university where Janet studied Physiotherapy. Janet was instrumental in opening the Department of Physiotherapy at the Old Sherbrooke Hospital in 1950, where she worked closely with medical and nursing staff for many years.

Janet’s art was inspired by the style of early American decorators, a theme which she studied extensively. She later went on to teach classes in American Early Decoration in Lennoxville. Janet was a proud member of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration, and she specialized in painted decoration of wooden chairs, panels and tin trays.

Janet passed away in early 2019, and we are pleased to partner with her husband Royce to display her beautiful and unique artwork both on this page and in the halls of Grace Village.

The Galleries

Select the artist gallery that you would like to browse, and ENJOY!