The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre is presenting the paintings of landscape artist E. Robert Ross in its Joyner Gallery for the month of October.

The solo exhibition titled, “The Grand Scheme-Ontario,” runs from now to Oct. 30.The public can meet the renowned painter on Sunday, Oct. 2, from 2 to 4 p.m  at a meet and greet reception.

Ross was born and raised in the Hamilton area, where he still resides.

He has been painting since 1975, exhibiting primarily in southern Ontario with solo exhibitions at the public Art Galleries of Hamilton and Burlington, as well as in private galleries.

His paintings can be found in many art collections throughout the world including those of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall; former Gov-Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul; and former U.S. President Bill Clinton, among others.

Ross said his Niagara-on-the-Lake exhibit “focuses mostly on Ontario landscapes, including a few from the Niagara region. The title comes from the phrase ‘in the grand scheme of things,’ which means a bigger picture.”

“In the grand scheme of this country we now call Canada, and our part Ontario, it is an important theme of this show and my work, that we all are a part of nature, and can enjoy its beauty while trying to live as harmoniously and sustainably as possible.”

The inspiration for many of his works comes from his love of nature and the outdoors.

Ross paints landscapes he visits from his open-air adventures: canoeing, backpacking, camping and mountaineering throughout Ontario.

He captures a vista in a realistic style so that “the painting can invoke the feeling of involvement with a specific place.”

Ross’s works entreat viewers to picture themselves “being there.”

For instance, in his painting of the Niagara Gorge, he invites the observer to imagine what they might feel looking at the scene from the river’s edge, where the rushing water from the falls cascades at a tremendous force.

Through his art, he wants to encourage “a greater appreciation of the past, present, and future of the landscape, and view as essential the work toward its preservation, given the environmental stresses of climate change and development.”

“Each one must do as much as possible to protect this beautiful planet.”