Lunch Break at the AGO.

 From the film 'Moonrise Kingdom' Directed by Wes Anderson

 Dog and Priest 1978

Woman and Terrier 1963

It's been a crazy few weeks here in the studio. I've been in intense painting mode with upcoming shows and getting some new works out to a few of my galleries. I'll be posting about those shows soon. Stay tuned.

One of the things I like most about having my home/studio downtown is that I have the city right at my door. Just a 10 minute walk on my break for lunch and I'm at the Art Gallery of Ontario. I checked out the Alex Colville exhibit last week and really enjoyed it. Colville has always been one of my all time favorite artists in that he painted the events of everyday life and personal quiet moments. It was a thrill to see his iconic paintings in person. 

Frida & Diego at the AGO.

I went to see the Frida & Diego exhibit at the AGO for a second time last week. Frida & Diego Passion, Politics and Painting is an excellent exhibit pairing the artist couple.

Diego Rivera was an academically trained and prolific artist. Frida Kahlo was self taught and completed less than 200 works in her lifetime. Frida had a difficult childhood as she contracted polio and later suffered life long health problems after a near death accident. She painted many self portraits and much of her work depicted her suffering and spiritual anguish.

Personally I am not a big fan of her painting as I find it quite depressing but technically she had her portrait perfected. "I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." Her iconic image which seems to be everywhere these days, is a reminder of the strong woman she was.

The displays set up outside the exhibit were fun and much needed to lift the mood.

AGO and the Galleria Italia.

Last week was the first time (I'm very sorry to say) that I visited the Art Gallery of Ontario since it's big addition took place. Did it not just reopen yesterday?? No, it was reopened in 2008 and here 2 years later I visited. Not proud of myself about this, so when I heard that my BFF would be in from Kingston for the day, we decided to do the AGO. The building's exterior is absolutely gorgeous, thank you Frank Gehry, and it houses some of the most breath taking art you will ever see. As well as the special events and travelling exhibitions it's home to some of the best works of the Group of Seven. My fave part of our gallery day was the Galleria Italia. Through large wooden doors we passed into an incredible vision of wood, glass, and sculpture. We marveled in this galleria for a good 30 minutes and we both agreed that it was the best part of the day. The glorious sunshine streaming in through the glass was almost heavenly. I think I'm treating myself for my birthday and will become a member of the AGO. It's definitely a must see.