Vessels, Symbols and the Stories
Marissa Y Alexander, Lynne Gaetz, & Karen Grosman
July 23 – August 29, 2026
Opening Reception: Thursday, July 23 | 7–9 PM Meet the Artists
Earls Court Gallery | 215 Ottawa Street North, Hamilton
Earls Court Gallery is pleased to present Symbols, Vessels, and the Stories exhibit that bring together the artwork of Lynne Gaetz, Karen Grosman, and Marissa Y Alexander. These three artists explore symbolism while working across various media –painting, collage, and ceramics. By utilizing the language of symbols, each artist has created artworks that engage the viewer in a narrative that is aesthetically beautiful, as well as holds intricate connotations.
Whether literal or symbolic, vessels appear throughout the exhibition as forms that contain and transmit meaning. Figures become repositories of memory and identity; birds embody beliefs surrounding mortality, transformation, and remembrance; while ceramic vessels act as sites covered in imaginative environments. These motifs often overlap causing a blurring between object and symbol in addition to decoration and story.
Rather than illustrating a single story, the artworks invite viewers to consider how meaning is constructed, preserved, and reinterpreted through images that carry both personal and collective histories.
Symbols, Vessels, and the Stories will be on view in the main gallery at 215 Ottawa Street North, Hamilton, from July 23 through August 29, 2026. Earls Court Gallery is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. All artworks will also be available to view online upon installation.
Please join us for the opening reception Thursday, July 23, 2026, from 7–9 pm, where all artists will be in attendance.
Entry is free | Family Friendly | Fully Accessible | Groups Welcomed
About the Artists
Marissa Y Alexander
Marissa Y Alexander is a ceramic artist based in Toronto, Ontario. She holds a BA in Sociology from McMaster University, an Advanced Diploma in Craft and Design (Ceramics) from Sheridan College, and an MFA in Ceramic Art from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. She is a former full-time Artist-in-Residence at Harbourfront Centre. Her practice moves between functional and sculptural ceramics, where surface and glaze are used to build imagery, pattern, and form. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in museums, galleries, and public institutions, and is included in several public collections as well as private collections.
Karen Grosman
Karen Grosman (1988) is a Canadian artist based in Toronto. Her practice concentrates on painting, ceramic sculptures, ceramic art installations and drawings. Her paintings and drawings concentrate on concepts of impermanence. Ceramic sculptures and installations concentrate on superficiality, hidden meanings and the façade. Notable exhibitions include Memento Mori - Decorated Impermanence at Cedar Ridge Creative Centre (2023), Fragments at the Institute of Miniature Art (2021). Conferences include solo show Feminism UTSC at Gallery 1265 part of the UFT Feminist Conference (2015) and group show Birth and its Meaning at Milk Glass Gallery part of the Ryerson University Midwifery Conference (Toronto Metropolitan University) 2017. Her work has been published in numerous magazines. She holds a BFA from OCAD University. Majoring in drawing and painting, minor in art history, she is self-taught in ceramics.
Lynne Gatetz
Lynne Gaetz, based in Niagara on the Lake, is recognized for her figurative art rooted in personal reflection. She blends surrealism, symbolism, and intuitive storytelling to explore themes of memory, transformation, and impermanence. Many of her collage elements are drawn from her earlier artworks, personal photographs, old family images, and resonant phrases. Her work is held in collections in Canada, the US, and Europe.