Peter Harle, intrepid pilot and painter, returns to Spotlight Theatre
Kicking off the 2026 season, Peter Harle returned to Ottawa Little Theatre’s Spotlight Gallery to share his diverse body of work during The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. For over 25 years, Peter has attended OLT with his wife Pamela Harle, an OLT patron for nearly 60 years, former cast member, and dedicated volunteer. A graduate mechanical engineer, military pilot, retired air force officer, and public servant, Peter is a self-taught artist who has painted since childhood. He began in oils and has worked exclusively in acrylics since 1970.
Peter’s early exposure to art included children’s classes at Ottawa’s Victoria Memorial Museum and later informal tutoring from a neighbour in Trenton who had studied under Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson. Over the years, extensive travel and cultural exploration in some 60 countries—including four years living in Brussels—has strongly influenced his work.
Initially focused on landscapes and still lifes, Peter’s subjects expanded to include street scenes, architecture, military aircraft, wildlife, skiing, and more recently, abstract works, including some inspired by astrological photos from outer space. While his art is seldom shown publicly, many works have been sold privately or donated to charities. His Sentinel Series—12 paintings representing scenes from each of the provinces and territories—is currently on display at Perley Health.
This year’s exhibit featured a wide range of Canadian landscapes from the Atlantic coast to nearby Blackburn Hamlet (Ottawa), the Gatineau Hills, and beyond to the Rocky Mountains. Further afield, scenes from the glaciers of Antarctica to black holes of the cosmos illuminate profound patterns of light and colour throughout the universe.
As before, Peter is generously donating all the sale proceeds from the exhibition to Ottawa Little Theatre in support of the arts.
