it is perfect. But no one wants this piece of great art. It simply pushes too many hot buttons. It makes us think about things we would rather not ponder. Likewise, the quints. "It turns out the quints do push buttons and I'm glad they do," Hatton said in a recent interview from her studio atop a hill overlooking the frozen Gatineau River. In planning the Dionne series, Hatton definitely wanted the paintings to be noticed. And discussed. She attempted to create images of the quintuplets in the most sensitive of ways, to reveal their humanity but also to reveal the exploitation they experienced. Hatton has been urged by friends and fans to paint many more quintuplet images. They undoubtedly would sell, being far less creepy than Holst's malevolent Santa Claus. But Hatton doesn't want to start a whole new round of quint exploitation by creating more paintings. "To do so would be to fall into that trap." The Dionne series, like much of Hatton's work, explores memory. Hatton's studio is filled with large paintings based on memories of her childhood in Barbados. The scenes in the paintings are blurry and indistinct, yet we still manage to catch the flavours and smells of the Caribbean island. A more recent series, entitled Incendiary, captures images, also based on archival photographs, of famous urban fires in Canada, including the one April 26, 1900, that started in Hull, crossed the Ottawa River and burned much of LeBreton Flats. Ghostly images of plants that sprout immediately after fires can be seen through the flames in each painting. Her next series, to be unveiled in November, is still being planned. But it will also deal with memory and will, most likely, see Hatton using steel, rather than canvas or Masonite, as a medium for her paintings. Hatton is not a full-time artist. By day, she is a webmaster for Library and Archives Canada. She spends much of her time marrying archival photography to computer technology. At home, painting, she is using archival photography to inspire her art. Hatton is a young artist who loves to explore our past with sensitivity and care. The Incendiary paintings do that. And so do the Dionne quintuplet series. Surely, we must confront our past, including our collective complicity in historical misdeeds. That is what the quintuplet series is all about. It is what the quintuplets themselves sought for years -- an acknowledgement of the sins committed against them. - - - Not to be missed:"loose, lyrical, landscape work," says jody surette of galerie st-laurent + hill. his work continues to be collected and he's just sold a series four pieces the federal government hang at 24 sussex drive, stornoway, rideau hall governor general residence citadelle in quebec city. russell yuristy: don monet cube gallery chose this artist who has had major commissions throughout canada whose can found national gallery, among many other corporate collections. switch hitter, one aluminum sculptures, stands jetform park. yuristy lives ottawa teaches wood-cut printing school art. katerina mertikas: mertikas, below, ottawa, does naive her bright, whimsical paintings sell across country she huge following, but still affordable. lot people have tried mimic her, robert koyman galleries. andrew farrell: jason vaughan artguise acknowledges that farrell is best friends, also notes december show out three days. triple threat, vaughan. great painter, nice guy well-connected member community, eliza griffiths: montreal, grew up ottawa. paintings, mostly people, are cutting-edge. "i't always like direction which moves, admire because risk-taking, dale smith gallery. very articulate too discussing art ontario griffiths' work. alex mcmahon: may only 17, doing serious about it, owner monet. mcmahon, comes nepean high program. hayden menzies: real success story, brandon mcvittie artguise. menzies "contemporary, language own. they're readable paintings. last year then immediately booked him again for sept. 5 oct. 1 year. appeals discerning eye. it something little different, edgier, mcvittie. king: king popularity puts on cusp established, koyman, speaking terence technically emerging. king, background industrial design likes make things fly starting develop big koyman. jean-françois provost: provost well respected level was recently invited participate biennale invitational exhibition held every second florence, italy. "purely interested esthetic beauty, st. laurent">