Five Cents tattoo parlour hosts art show highlighting cycling

Ottawa Travel Guide

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Thursday, 08 November 2012 17:08

Ottawa is  a vibrant hotspot in Ontario, and people are travelling from far and wide to witness the city as it experiences a cultural renaissance. The Support Local event, which is sponsored by the popular blog, Apt613, is taking place throughout November and highlighting the art, music and food scene in the Canadian capital. At Five Cents, a local tattoo parlor known for giving residents and visitors spectacular body art, photographers and mixed media artists are putting on a show entitled Self Propelled to bring the city's bicycling culture to the limelight.

During the opening reception on November 2, the artists were there to talk about their work and mingle with other cycling enthusiasts as they drank beer and munched on snacks. Apt613 blogger Julia Bustos was there to catch all of the action, and was amazed not only at the turn out, but the incredible caliber of pieces before her. Even Bustos is excited about Ottawa's emergence as a culturally savvy city.

Visitors who are staying at an Ottawa hotel can either walk, drive or cycle their way to Parkdale Avenue, where the show will be on display for the entire month of November. Among the 13 artists featured during the show is Julian Gardner, whose mixed media works have helped him rise up the ranks of local visual savants. Gardner is also a tattoo artist at Five Cents, and the body art he paints onto his clients is nothing short of a masterpiece every time.

Another featured artist, Rhonda Mulder, creates colorful drawings and illustrations that provide social commentary and personal snapshots into her life. Her impressive portfolio features work that could very well be published in a graphic novel, and each of the facial expressions on her subjects are true to life and filled with emotion. Her work during the Self Propelled exhibit will undoubtedly boast the same visual appeal.

Visitors who want to explore Ottawa from the vantage of a bicycle can easily rent one in the city and take to the streets for a self-guided tour of the beautiful capital. Any sunny day in Ottawa provides the perfect excuse to explore without doing any harm to the surrounding environment.