Piera Pugliese

Piera Pugliese is a Toronto-based painter known for her expressive landscapes and contemporary florals. Her work explores the emotional and environmental connections between people and place, revealing both the beauty and fragility of the natural world. Pugliese has exhibited widely in public and private galleries. Recent solo exhibitions include The Next 50 Years (2025), a meditation on landscape and environmental change, and Tokens of Love (2025), a floral series celebrating renewal and hope. Her paintings have received numerous distinctions, including an Honourable Mention at the Headwaters Arts Fall Festival (2025), the Kleinburg Village Prize for En Plein Air Painting (2024) adjudicated by Sarah Milroy, Chief Curator of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and third place in the McMichael En Plein Air Competition (2023). A graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, she also received a Purchase Award from the Archives of Ontario and recognition in Paper-making and Realist Painting. An active advocate for the arts, Pugliese founded the Junction Arts Festival, co-founded the Junction Forum for Arts and Culture, and is a member of HelloArt, and Headwaters Arts and serves on the board of the Women’s Art Association of Canada.