The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

w w w .i n si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B EA V ER Fr id ay , S ep te m be r 30 , 2 01 1 2 4 Artscene Chatfield's work shown at Abbozzo Gallery Abbozzo Gallery is kicking off the fall season with The Four Seasons exhibit featuring work by the late Oakville artist Thomas Chatfield. The exhibit opens Saturday, Oct. 1 with an opening reception run- ning 2-5 p.m. The works of art are from the estate of Chatfield and consist of a series of paintings, 11 by 14 inches in size, not previously exhibited before. Chatfield had distinct and recog- nizable style, which garnered wide appeal. In this series, his landscapes celebrate the four seasons with unique colours for each. Chatfields work has been col- lected by corporations and private collectors and has been exhibited at public and private galleries, locally and beyond. The paintings in this exhibit are $1,650 unframed or $1,850 framed. The exhibit ends on Oct. 15. The gallery is located at 179 Lakeshore Rd. E. For more informa- tion visit www.abbozzogallery.com. Former president of Inkwell, Derik Hawley, is trying to revive an idea that worked in the past. Hes calling on visual artists and writers to get together and collabo- rate. Hes hosting an organizational meeting at Sovereign House on Sunday, Oct. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. with the hope of creating such an arts group. He recalls the former group called Visual World, which featured a col- laboration of artists of various disci- plines working together. He wants writers and visual art- ists to connect once again. Several venues in Oakville have supported the idea, saying they could provide space for possible shows. Sovereign House is located at 7 West River St. in Bronte. Connecting visual and literary artists Teen is good looking, ladies man on show By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF How many people would love to be the Fonz or like him? Well, a young Oakville actor gets to be something just like the coolest character in television land, except in a more modern set- ting and on a youth show. The 17-year-old Nathan McLeod is playing the eldest brother of lead character, Tess Foster, played by Torri Webster, in the new hit YTV television show, Life With Boys, where Tess is the only girl in the house, sharing space with dad, three brothers and a male dog. Meet Gabe Foster. Gabe is basically the coolest guy in the school, coolest guy on the planet and especially in his eyes, McLeod joked about his character. Gabe is good looking and hes smart, he can get out of situations but he can just as easily get into a pretty sticky one, he loves to offer his advice to his younger sister and his brothers, hes a ladies man, hes the Fonz, he gets all the girls and hes a two- timer. Despite some of his poor quali- ties, it is difficult not to like him. He sees the world in a differ- ent way. You really cant hate Gabe because hes ignorant of the fact that what hes doing is wrong. In his eyes, hes not doing anything wrong, McLeod said. Of course, playing such a char- acter is a blast. Being him on set is really cool because no one else really gets to live like that, McLeod said. The new show premiered earli- er this month and a new episode airs every Friday at 6:30 p.m., plus reruns run throughout the week. Produced by Corus Entertainment for YTV, the show is a made-in Canada production, made by the same team of producers and writ- ers that made hit shows such as Hanna Montana, Thats So Raven, The Facts of Life and Saved By the Bell. Despite working for producers with such high credentials, the feel on the set is nurturing and friendly. These guys are really caring and they care about us as people, which really shows a big difference and its great to work in that envi- ronment, the Etobicoke School of the Arts Grade 12 student said. The actors also get to provide input to their characters. The producers are very lenient and they actually change our char- acters to adapt to us, he said. They change the way he talks thats more natural for me. Really, Gabe is termed to the way I am. Like any of his previous televi- sion roles, such as the one-episode character he played in Family Channels Really Me, McLeod had to audition. But unlike his previ- ous roles, this audition was the longest. This was a very long pro- cess compared to all the other auditions. I started audi- tioning for this last April and I got the job in January, he said. They were looking everywhere. There were so many candidates. It was really cool to have gotten the part after all that looking. Being narrowed down to one of two contenders for the role, McLeod was relieved when he was told he got the part. I was just freaking out, I was so excited, he said. The show was filmed in Toronto from February to June of this year with an all-Canadian, but one, cast. Banking on the success of the show, the first season was filmed for 22 episodes and McLeod expects to be back on set for the filming of a second season. Despite the U.S. roots of the production company, the show is filmed in Canada for its lower pro- duction cost. The show is already exported throughout the world, but there is no word yet on a U.S. release. One reason McLeod enjoys working on the show so much is because the actors get to be them- selves much of the time, including doing some improv on camera. Some of the funniest moments on the show are actually moments that are off the cuff. Its a really ONE OF THE BOYS: Oakville actor Nathan McLeod is one of the boys on the new hit TV show on YTV, Life With Boys, playing Gabe Foster. SUBMITTED PHOTO Gabe is basically the cool- est guy in the school, coolest guy on the planet and especially in his eyes. Nathan McLeod, actor See After page 25