Author: artoronto

Ana Moutinho

 

September 5 – 16, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6, 7 – 10 p.m.
GALLERY 1313 Process Gallery
1313 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6K 1L8
T: 416.536.6778
E: director@g1313.org
www.g1313.org
Hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 6 p.m.

Works by Ana Moutinho and Jada D’Aversa

‘Randumb’ is a compilation of works, consisting of acrylic on canvas. These works embody the positioning of time and space. Converging theories of historical puns juxtaposition with antiquities and pop culture. Visual compound worlds are colliding, creating a theoretical landscape of political puns with toys.

The use of popular 1940’s postcard imagery are revived in the ‘randumb everyday life of today.

Jada D’ Aversa

 Hemingway in Paris, encaustic on board,  48 x 72 inches

 

September 5 – 16, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6, 7 – 10 p.m.
GALLERY 1313 Cell Gallery
1313 Queen St. W.
Toronto, ON, M6K 1L8
T: 416.536.6778
E: director@g1313.org
www.g1313.org
Hours: Wed – Sun 1 – 6 p.m.

Life-size, encaustic portraits of 20th century luminaries who made preminent contributions to literature, cinema and humanitarianism.

“My aptitude for art, particularly portraiture, was recognized at an early age and fostered throughout my schooling. I studied at McGill University graduating with an Art History and English Literature degree and will be graduating from Toronto School of Art in April 2013 with a fine arts diploma. I have devoted seven years’ to fine arts training and education and have seven semesters of encaustic painting courses.

My inspiration for “The Immortals” manifested itself from two interests: drawing portraits and biographies. The show is comprised of life-size, encaustic portraits of 20th century luminaries who made preeminent contributions to literature, cinema and humanitarianism. Each figure is depicted in a peaceful surrounding, in their prime but they are brought together by a common fate ­­– all died tragically. Death is symbolized by painting each figure with closed eyes. My influence stems from Victorian post-mortem photographs which were taken in the 19th century to immortalize the deceased. My goal is to offer a sense of peacefulness and familiar place or image to each person to counteract his or her violent death.

I begin my paintings with a contour drawing and fill in layers of paint until I achieve the desired colours, patterns, and textures. I use encaustic painting, which I first learned in 2001, to embody a timeless, otherworldly quality and stillness to each figure. Encaustic is an Ancient Greek form of painting that is comprised of mixing beeswax, damar crystals (pine sap) and pigment. Each layer of encaustic must be fused together on the surface with a heat gun. The oldest surviving encaustic portraits are the Fayum funeral portraits produced by Greek artists in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD in Greco-Roman Egypt. These portraits of the decreased were commissioned by families and used as memorials. The use of encaustic to create my death portraits is a fitting tribute not only to my Greek ancestors but to each figure immortalizing them in the 21th century.” Anastessia Bettas

 

September 6 – October 6, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6, 6 – 10 p.m.
COOPER COLE GALLERY
1161 Dundas Street West,
Toronto ON, M6J1X3
T: 647 – 347 – 3316
E-mail: info@coopercolegallery.com
www.coopercolegallery.com
Hours: Wed–Sat 1–7, Sun 1–6 p.m.

COOPER COLE is pleased to present a solo exhibition with American artist Jacob Ciocci.

One of the three founding members of internationally recognized artist collective Paper Rad, Jacob Ciocci is a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on new media, music, visual and performance art. Ciocci’s work explores pop culture, Internet technology, and notions of supremacy. He seeks to understand the affect of electronics and cyberspace on modern society. His work pits both contemporary and past cultural symbols against each other in both an experimental and animated environment. The clash results in both praise and criticism of our cultural surroundings.

Jacob Ciocci’s exhibition aptly titled Experience the Creativity will feature a series of mixed media collages paired with a video installation

ShowTell

 

 

September 6  – October 6, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6, 6 – 10 p.m.
COOPER COLE GALLERY
1161 Dundas Street West,
Toronto ON, M6J1X3
T: 647 – 347 – 3316
E-mail: info@coopercolegallery.com
www.coopercolegallery.com
Hours: Wed–Sat 1–7, Sun 1–6 p.m.

COOPER COLE is pleased to present a solo exhibiton with New York based multidisciplinary artist Maya Hayuk.

Maya Hayuk is a muralist, painter, photographer, printmaker, video artist and musician. Her art practice has carried her between San Fransisco, Baltimore, Boston, Toronto and New York. This changing environment has inspired her explosive works of art from large scale murals, to slightly more modest works on cavas. Hayuk explores electric colour, distorted symmetry and unusual geommetry that tends to resemble kaledescopic views, airbrushed nail art, Mexican woven blankets, Ukrainian Easter eggs, chandeliers, mandalas, Rorschach tests, holograms, or even views from the Hubble telescope. The precise and calculated lines in her brushstrokes become an essential element in the unpredictable symmetry that results.

Her work has been exhibited extensively internationally including at New Image Art (Los Angeles), A.L.IC.E. (Brussels), COOPER COLE (Toronto), as well as large-scale public murals across the United States, Brazil, China, the Bahamas, and Chile. Her work has been featured in in various printed and electronic media including monographs published by Ginko Press and Nieves. Hayuk was a participant at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, 2011.

Simon Raab, Too much (detail), 2008

 

September 6 – 30, 2012
Opening reception: Thursday, September 6, 7- 10 pm
LAUSBERG CONTEMPORARY
326 Dundas Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1G5
T: 416-516-4440
E: toronto@galerie-lausberrg.com
www.galerie-lausberg.com
Hours: Tues-Sun 12–6 or by appointment

Simon Raab works in a unique medium, he coined and patented as “Parleau”, whose etymology is French for ‘through the water.’ Multiple layers of colored polymers are applied to stainless steel and aluminum and then “crushed” or sculpted to give the appearance of an image just under the surface of water. The art is presented as either a wall-mounted painting with embedded frames, or as a freestanding volumetric sculpture. Raab’s work is characterized by brilliant colors, figurative abstractions, and most often conveys some underlying philosophical message.

Raab has enjoyed several successful years of exhibitions in Europe, North America and Asia and is represented by the Peter Zimmermann Gallery in Mannheim, Germany. Raab was formerly a scientist and engineer and brings his rich technical training in materials to bear on his art. He credits the secret processes he has developed in Parleau to his scientific background. “It is a myth that the creative   impulses and process in the sciences are different than those in the arts. They have many similarities, in that they are emotional, inspired, magical, technical, and are often born of frustration,” explained   Raab.

[Left] Ohotaq Mikkigak, Composition (Landscape with Island), 2011. Pencil crayon on paper. Courtesy of Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto. [Right] Jack Bush, Paris #5, 1962. Collection of the Varley Art Gallery, Unionville. © Estate of Jack Bush / SODRAC (2012).

 

September 5 – October 28, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, September 21, 4 – 6 p.m.
Public Lecture and Curator’s Tour: October 10, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
JUSTINA M BARNICKE GALLERY
(Hart House), University of Toronto
7 Hart House Circle.
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H3
T: 416-978-8398
Hours: Mon-Wed & Fri 11-5,Thur 11-7,Sat-Sun 1-5 pm

The Justina M. Barnicke Gallery is proud to present Blue Cloud, an exhibition featuring Cape Dorset artist Ohotaq Mikkigak (1936-) with Toronto painter Jack Bush (1909-1977). Conceived by Toronto-based independent curator Nancy Campbell, Blue Cloud is the third in her series of critically acclaimed exhibitions that challenge the conception of a linear Canadian art history by bringing together Inuit artists with their Southern counterparts.

Blue Cloud presents a selection of large and small landscape drawings by Ohotaq Mikkigak alongside several early paintings by Jack Bush, an artist whose work is understood as synonymous with international modernist abstraction. The exhibition’s unconventional pairing observes provocative formal similarities between both artists’ works.

Like Ohotaq Mikkigak, Bush’s oeuvre changed significantly late in his life. Both artists are master colourists, making radical, poetic pictures with streaks of colour. Both discovered imagery in the things immediately around them; and both radically abstract from nature. The selection of works in this exhibition highlights both artists’ unique interpretation of their surroundings, and in the shared qualities of their work, makes the case for a more integrated understanding of contemporary Canadian art.

Jack Bush (John Hamilton Bush) was a Canadian abstract painter born in Toronto in 1909. His youth was spent in Montreal where he studied at the Royal Canadian Academy. Jack Bush’s work is often tied to abstract expressionism and colour field painting. From 1953-1960 he was a member of the Painters Eleven group founded by William Ronald. His style and contributions to Canadian art have been celebrated ever since. He died in Toronto in 1977.

Ohotaq Mikkigak was born in 1936 in Cape Dorset, Nunavut where he continues to live and work. Recently, Ohotaq has joined his younger colleagues like Shuvinai Ashoona and Tim Pitsiulak in the Kinngait studios. The works included in this exhibition represent a stark departure from his earlier works, which were predominantly prints with images of birds and fish. The recent works cover a wider range of themes and subjects, including animals, landscapes, seascapes and other imagery from his community. Mikkigak is represented by Feheley Fine Arts (Toronto).

Blue Cloud is the third of Toronto curator Nancy Campbell‘s trilogy of exhibitions. It is preceded by the award-winning Noise Ghost (2009), which featured the work of Shuvinai Ashoona with the drawings and installations of Toronto artist Shary Boyle, and Scream (2010), which highlighted the sculpture of Samonie Toonoo with the drawings of Toronto artist Ed Pien. An illustrated catalogue will be produced in association with this project (2012).

Look up

 

August 28 – September 16, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, August 30, 7 – 9 p.m.
HANGMAN ART GALLERY
756 Queen Street East (east of Broadview Avenue)
Toronto, ON M4M 1H4
T: 416.465.0302
E: hangmangallery@gmail.com
artistsnetwork.ca/hangman
Gallery Hours: Tues – Sun, 12 – 5 p.m.

Hangman Art Gallery is proud to announce 50/50, a fist time solo art exhibition for Joan Andal Romano, an emerging mixed media artist.

50/50 is an inner picture of Joan’s mind and spirit. What did Joan pick up first as a child, an abacus or a paint brush ? She is an engineer and an artist. She took a test to see which side of her brain was the strongest side: left versus right. The result was 50/50. This balance is evident through her use of vibrant colours and geometric shapes.

Joan feels like those “round pegs in the square holes” but she grew up in Toronto. Her muse is the fabric of Toronto life; a multi-cultural mix with the feeling of community. She is different but feels accepted and what better place to begin her journey as an artist. Come stand in her balance and witness the art.

 Rush Hours, 1961

 

 

September 4 – 14, 2012
Art Party: Thursday, September 6, 2012, 7 – 9 p.m.
WELLINGTON STREET ART GALLERY
270 Wellington Street West, Suite 105
(between John Street & Blue Jays Way)
Toronto, ON
T: 647-352-3463
wellingtonstreetartgallery.ca
Hours: Tues-Fri 12–6, Sat 12–4 p.m.

GWYNETH MABEL GWILLIM TRAVERS (1911-1982) / Respectful Retrospective / Woodblock Prints from the 1950-70’s

Born in Kingston, Ontario, she studied painting & print-making under Andre Bieler, George Swinton, & Ralph Allen at Queen University (Kingston, ON).

Excerpt from Kingston Whig Standard, Nov. 13, 1972: “Mrs. Travers explained how in preparing a four color print, she uses four separate wood blocks, & to achieve the final result, prints one on top of the other. The active surface patterns and convincing textural details are achieved by using different types of wood, with different grains & surfaces….”. Winner of numerous awards, she is represented in the National Gallery of Art, Queen’s University, Winnipeg Art Gallery, & Montreal Museum of Fine Arts among others.

A retrospective show of Gwyneth Traver’s artwork (buildings of Kingston) was held in the summer of 2011 at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University. The following abstract and contemporary artworks have never been presented except by the Wellington Street Art Gallery.

NOTE: The art exhibition will include numerous original signed and dated woodblock artworks from the 1950 – 70’s (mostly abstract/contemporary), and will be well-priced (both framed and unframed) from $100 – $450.

L. E. Glazer, Adolphus Reach Ferry, 2011

 

September 6 – 30, 2012
Artist Reception: Thursday, September 13, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
GALLERIA 814
814 St. Clair Ave w
Toronto. ON M6C 1B6
T: 416).658.8814
E: galleria814@gmail.com
www.galleria814.com
Hours: Tue – Fri: 12-6, Sat: 12 – 4 p.m.

Allusion, Ambiguity + Artefact / L. E. Glazer Deconstructionist Photographs

In this Exhibition presented by Galleria 814, L. E. Glazer continues his creation of groundbreaking images that transcend the photography paradigm.

Through contextual abstraction and a play of reductive compositional elements, Glazer intensifies the inherent ambiguity and allusion of his images. At the same time, he selectively leaves behind artefacts as keys for us to engage the works. Upon examination and through a contemplative lens, an invitation is extended to explore the interplay between the urban landscape and residual artefacts of life. From the outset, Glazer implies a progression to the familiar places we know, yet, he surreptitiously withholds the full reality to entice and engage us with his vision.

It is in this series of photographs that we see a transition from traditional photography to what would typically avail itself if the artist worked on canvas. By leveraging new technology the work continues the exploration of deconstructionist composition in the medium of photography.

Please join us between 6:30 and 9:30 pm on Thursday September 13th for our opening reception and to meet the Artist.

Selected works from the show may be viewed online at http://glazerphotography.ca/aaa-allusion-ambiguity-artifacts/.

L. E. Glazer is a Toronto-based Architect, Photographer & Artist. Following the completion of formal training in 1979, he has focused on creating works that challenge viewer preconceptions and expectations.

Subject matter has been eclectic, with an attraction to the built forms and patterns rooted in his Architectural background. As Glazer’s images explore the deeper significance of contextual reference, his deconstruction of recorded moments provokes viewers to contemplate multiple realities. While Glazer objectively records moments in time, his exploration of composition and form provides viewers with opportunities for subjective reflection on their own world. It is this dichotomy that provides the richness and cinematic quality to Glazer’s images.

L. E. Glazer’s work can be found in institutional and private collections across North America. He is currently represented by artProfile in Toronto; The Halsted Gallery, Detroit, Michigan; and Posner Fine Art, Los Angeles, California.

September 6 – 30, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6, 6 – 8 p.m.
FRAN HILL GALLERY
285 Rushton Road
Toronto, ON, M6C 2X5
Tel: 416.363.1333
E: franhillgallery@bellnet.ca
Hours: Fri–Sun 11–6 p.m. or by appointment

“My principal concern as an artist is in painting, which I continue to find a fertile and exciting form of expression. I am concerned specifically with its intrinsic and essential formal qualities and with the interior emotional logic of paint — the interaction and integration of surface, plane, line, edge, shape and colour. I am also concerned with weight and resonance, and the dialogue between object and image.

Painting is pure visual communication detached from the verbal and narrative aspect of language into pure experience relating to life in its operation, not in its superficial appearances and resemblances.

I am interested in the confrontation between a ‘resistant’ explicit surface and spatial activity and how to maintain a structural equilibrium between them. In other words; how surface is modified, enhanced and possibly subverted by the relationship of line, edge, shape, colour and physical/material characteristics. Colour is largely chosen by function, ambience, resonance and oscillation (slow/fast), weight, and in relation to scale and surface activities.

My current series of work is the On Some Faraway Beach Paintings. The titles do not refer to nor describe real ‘places’. Conceptually On Some Faraway Beach alludes to the edges/boundaries between the known and unknown, the near and the far, the real and the imagined. It is a ‘place’ of questing and reflection, the inside and the outside. In all formal respects the paintings are rigorously abstract.” Blair Sharpe, August 2012

 

Stablein and Morris, 5 years

 

September 5 – October 5, 2012
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 6, 5 – 8 p.m.
CAMPBELL HOUSE MUSEUM
160 Queen Street West,
Toronto ON
T: 416.597.0227
www.campbellhousemuseum.ca
Hours: Tues–Fri 9:30-4:30, Sat–Sun 12–4:30 p.m.

“A certain comfort exists between those who have spent time in close proximity to one another, whether through friendship, family, or romantic involvement. Close is a series of portraits depicting intimate relationships, the nature of each relationship is suggested through the subjects’ interaction. An intimacy is present in the exchange of glances between the subjects, and like anyone else outside a close relationship, a sense of exclusion is felt when my presence is acknowledged.” Michelle Louise Wilson (http://michellelouisewilson.com/)

 

August 27 – September 29, 2012
Opening Reception: Friday, September 7, 6 – 8 p.m.
CAMERON PUBLIC HOUSE
408 Queen Street West,
Toronto, ON M5V 2A7
T: 416.703.0811
E: cosmo.ferraro@hotmail.com
www.thecameron.com.
Hours: Mon-Sun 4 p.m. – 2 a.m.

THE JAZZMAN – EARLY GRID PAINTINGS is an exhibition of works by Y.M. Whelan, showing at the_Cameron Public House_ until September 29, 2012.

This selection of paintings from a larger body of works is a commemoration to her father, Kevin Whelan, who passed away September 3rd, 1996.

The paintings mark a transition from figurative/objective work to non-figurative abstraction. They were created in 1996/97, shortly after his death. Kevin Whelan was known locally in Toronto as a jazz musician of some renown, a session player at many locales including the landmark _Georges Spaghetti House_, where he played regularly for many years.

Y.M. Whelan is a Toronto painter who is currently represented by the Fran Hill Gallery.