The Artist Project 2008: Part 1

Last night my friends Rina and Nat and I went to the opening night of the Artist Project, an independent art exhibition and sale at the Liberty Grand in downtown Toronto.

I liked going at night for the "party" as opposed to saving it for during the day on the weekend as there were no strollers and toddlers running around, which made the experience waaaay more enjoyable and less frantic. There were some Toronto personalities there, including Jeanne Beker and Anwar from Designer Guys, but the night was all about looking at beautiful pieces, meeting the artists behind them and even taking a special piece home if you were lucky! Both Nat and Rina made beautiful purchases- congrats girls!

Here are some of the highlights:

Fiona Ackerman     "Fictional Flora" 

Mixed media on paper  9” x 12”

Fiona's work is so bright and colourful and I fell even more in love with the specific work above after seeing the title (alliteration rocks my world!) She was also so sweet and gracious, which is always nice :)

        Anna Marie House     "Pears"        

Water Colour   16” by 10”

There is something so serene about water colours and I loved the traditional quality to Anna's work. My favourite piece involved mini-eggs on a table that were so cute and innocent but the colours of the pears on the lacey table cloth also spoke to me.

Dagmara Genda  "Wallpaper I"

latex paint, pen and ink, paper   30x 44in

Dagmara is from out west and her work was very different! She uses an interesting method involving paint and ink that results in raised images on paper that you cannot help but reach out and touch. Her wallpaper pieces were stunning with such a fine attention to detail in all the sketching. My favourite one involved touches of pale green and pink but this black and white piece above is also very cool.

Julian Calleros   "the sailor's wife"
Drawing and textiles on Linen     4'9 x 4'5

Julian moved to Canada from Mexico and his work is an homage to his roots. The above piece was my favourite. The fabrics used are so eclectic and I love how it all comes together on the soft linen. He also had a really cool piece involving Mexican porono-esque comics- very innovative!

Kelly Grace     "Firenze Carousel"

Gel Transfer  7 x 14"

I seriously considered bringing home this piece by Kelly Grace. (Love the name) The image was such a haunting sketch but I was very torn about paying such a high price for a gel transfer. The original painting is so stunning but it's in colour and its the haunting quality of the shaded black and white that captivated me.

I was also mesmerized by a large work by Christopher Hayes, which I could not find online to post here. It was a large red streetcar on top of a ticket stub printed on wood with bolted glass over the top. It's quite the homage to the city of Toronto and would be a very cool piece to own for a Toronto ex-pat.

Stay tuned for the part II of the Artists project later today!

Abstracts At The Artist Project

When perusing portfolios, pinterest and other mags, it’s the tension between modern and traditional styles in an interior that most often catches my eye. It’s what keeps me guessing and wanting to see more, and one of my favourite ways to achieve that tension is by pairing a bold abstract piece of art with a more classical interior.

The art could be by a more established artist or by someone local, it doesn’t matter the provenance of the piece so much as it’s  the basic idea of hanging something that is seemingly so haphazard in a setting that’s so calculated. (Like in the Suzanne Kasler-designed space above)
Here is a sampling of some of my favourite abstracts from the Artist Project, a great spot to start when looking for your own piece, which just wrapped up here in Toronto:

The black ground and large scale of this canvas from Mitchell Clark Meller is intriguing. I love how the black just sucks you in for a closer look. It would be unreal paired with my black and white striped setee.

These little guys from David Brown were small in scale and price at just $75 a pop but were big on style! I love displaying small pieces on easels and placing them on a console or chest-  this one would be amazing sitting on an elaborately detailed mahogany chest of drawers.

Anna Bateman’s “Floral Zest” has a traditional starting point of a vase filled with flowers but then goes a little haywire with bursts of messy colours. I’m drawn to the blues and pinks, a colour combo I am feeling right now, that would look beautiful with the navy sectional I am designing.

The collegiate-looking A is a fun surprise on this piece by Neil Young which is coloured like a miami sunset but given a more modern edge with its resin finish. It would be amazing in a neutral living room.

The Artist Project 2008: Part Deux

Here is the second half of my Artist Project breakdown.

I suggest you stop by the show this weekend if you're around the Toronto area. The work is pseudo-affordable for original art, plus seeing all the wonderful pieces stirred my own artistic inclinations! Viva le inspiration!

 Julia Gilmore    "Peonies & Tulips"

There was one particular painting by Julia that mesmerized me. It was of a mix of bright lush flowers like the one above, but juxtaposed to a big black clock. It would be gorgeous in a kitchen!

Emily Cooper 

Vancouver native Emily was such a sweetheart and it was cool to hear her interpret the message behind her own pieces. I love this Icarus-esuqe work with its surrealist dreamy quality.  My friend Nat bought a cool piece from Emily featuring hands grabbing Caramilk squares, which is very fitting considering nat is a chocoholic. Happy Birthday Nat!

Nava Waxman (don't know the title- sorry!)

Nava was amazing to talk to. She grew up in Israel and was so kind hearted and warm. The fairy-tale symbols in her work combined with the dreamy colours melting into eachother were so fantastic! I'm looking forward to following her career.

 Kathy Halper  "Skip Rope"

Mixed Media, 48" x 48

I enjoyed the silhouettes in this piece. It doesn't look incredibly hard to replicate but I did like her choice of colour and pattern.

Greg Shegler   "A and W"

Multi-media  16 x 20 inches

Greg's stuff was a delicious pop culture soup.  It was a mix of random retro images collaged together in some fabulous formation. My favourite is called "Marty Monroe" with images of Marilyn Monroe, Rocky and Marty McFly - so gene! 80s fans may also enjoy a Ferris Beuler series he has. Check out his website to see more.

And last but certainly not least, Team Macho was there with their latest wears. It was lovely to chat the boys up because at other shows I've been to they are constantly swarmed. I even shared how I tried to rip off their style 3 years ago with my own wacky mix of images but failed miserably. (TMI?)

Their work is refreshingly true in an age where so many artists just use digital images and photoshop. All of their work is hand-drawn and painstakingly detailed and that's why I extra love it!

I was lusting after some large collaborative illustratations but they were sadly out of my price range :(

Below is the piece Rina bought. I believe it is called "Leather Boots." Very kick-ass...

Honourable mentions:

• The wacky multi-media creations from the Red Truck Gallery depicting circus freaks, voo doo dolls and more

• Chicago native ks Rives' imaginative use of trash. She created intricate patterns out of parking tickets and a canvas made of artfully arranged cigarette buts

Happy Art Hunting Everyone!!!

Toronto International Art Fair

Yesterday afternoon I explored the ninth annual Toronto International Art Fair (TIAF)  and was blown away by the amazing selection of global talent (there were 100 galleries from 14 countries!)  I had only previously been to the Artist Project so I was in for a big treat as this art fair was extremely different in its approach - rather than having individual artists showcasing their wares, you had galleries showing a variety of their featured artists with a more grown-up sophisticated vibe.

I loved it because...

 There were melodies and music:

Dans Le Monde Entier By: Kathy Slade. Diptych. Embroidery on Canvas (ed 1 of 2)

After The Gold Rush By: Bill Rose. Oil on canvas (36 x 48)

Three Chords By: Michael Snow. Offset Lithograph (24 x 24)

Lennon and McCartney By: Bill Rose. Pigmented stampad painting on rag paper. (22 x 30)

Lennon's actual visage is made up of hundreds of tiny Paul stamps!

 

There was pure feminine beauty:

Still Life with Flowers By: Wang Weidong . Oil on Canvas (26 x 32)

Oreithyia By: Simon Casson. Oil on canvas. 48 x 54. 

Roses for Rumi By: Gabryel Harrison. Mixed Media on Panel (43 x 40)

There was cheeky pop:

DLVM no. 10 By: Eduard Van Giel. Mixed Media with Neon Blacklight.

For the Love of God, Laugh By: Damien Hirst. Silkscreen print on paper with glazes and diamond dust 100 x 75 cm

Perfectly Horrid By: Adrian Norvid. Flashe Vinyl Paint on Paper. 44 x 47 x 13.

Composition with Black lines By: David Mach. Postcards and collage on board, 72 x 72

Welcome The Flowers By: John Giorno. Screenprinted Poems. 16 × 16

Marilyn Quad By: Robert Silvers. Photomosaic on aluminum 60 x 60.

There were touches of toile:

Untitled 2008 from Cache-vous by: Sadko Hadzihasanovic. Oil on stretched fabric (16 x 20)

Purpose By: German Tagle. Mixed Media on canvas (16  x 12)

 

Untitled 2008 from Cache-vous by: Sadko Hadzihasanovic. Oil on stretched fabric (12 x 20)

There was colour:

 

City Outskirts by Lucy McKenna. Mixed Media (89 x 64)

Lover's Leap 13 By: Polly Apfelbaum. Multi Color, Woodblock Print (47 × 47)

Genesis Surge By: Paul Fornier. Acrylic on Canvas. 50 x 100

And there was Andrea Marcus .

My perennial favourite artiste was showing her haunting Iceberg series as part of Jane Corkin's display.

I will definitely be returning to TIAF next year!

PS-  It was also Nuit Blanche this weekend. I checked out the Queen and Ossington area- what a clusterf*ck! So disappointed with the lack of actual art (interactive or otherwise)

Artist Spotlight: Andrea Marcus

This post is about an artist I think a lot of people in the online design/art community will take to: Andrea Marcus.

In my opinion, Andrea is one of the most innovative artists out there today. She is wildly creative, passionate, and her talents are incredibly versatile.

    

Andie is renowned in Toronto for her stunning glass work, which is displayed in the studio cafe in Toronto's Four Seasons hotel -- but it is her most recent project that has really struck a chord with me.

                    

    

The above image is the complete work and the one below is a close up so you can see the detail that goes into each work.

 

 

The process of Andy's work is both unique and time consuming.

First Andie paints each canvas. Then she proceeds to  form a variety of small shapes of a melted plastic-like material on silpat sheets or directly on to the canvass. She then glues the shapes on to the canvas in beautiful patterns and designs.

The result is a stunning 3-D work of art that is bold yet delicate with its floating designs and rich texture.

 

 

                       

 

Here is another close-up- love the bright psychedelic colours!

 

 

 

The black is so sexy!

 

 

I love the aquatic feel of this one. It's so organic. It reminds me of the movement of seaweed!

 

 

I'm lucky to have my own smaller work by Andie to display in my bedroom.

 

It fits perfectly in my black and white scheme and adds an organic texture to the room.

 

My younger sisters say they look like black spiders!

 

I think it's fabulous!

 

 

 

You can't see the details with my crappy camera so here is a close-up:

 

Also a side view so you can appreciate the fabulous texture.

 

 

 

Andie's star is beginning to rise,  so I suggest checking her out now if you're interested in having your own piece. On a recent visit to Toronto, international popstar and artist Mika was so taken with Andie's work (which was displayed in his hotel) that he ended up spending an hour at her house contemplating which pieces to purchase for himself!

 

http://andreamarcus.com/