Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition 2011

The Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition celebrated it's 50th year this past weekend. I didn't participate this year but I did attend as a visitor and was blown away with all the talent. It's always fun to see fresh new artists and some regulars exhibiting their work. 

I'm happy I took the long walk north to the students section and discovered the figurative paintings of Adrienne Dagg. Fresh out of Concordia University her paintings-especially this one, had me in her booth for quite awhile.

I was also really impressed by Laura Culic's new encaustic work. Well known for her moody landscapes Laura's new encaustc paintings speak to my soul.

Other artists' work that I really enjoyed were Marie Rioux, Lauren Satok, Elizabeth Lennie, Peter Rotter, Dorion Scott

Potpourri Opening at Arts on King this Saturday.

I'm always amazed at how different paintings look on screen as opposed to seeing them in real life. This was very evident last week at the Abex show at the AGO. I had gotten so used to seeing the paintings in print or online one way, and it's a totally different experience when you're there in person a few feet away from the original works. 

It's also evident here as well. I try to take good photos and match the colors as closely as I can to the original painting, and yet sometimes they appear flat on screen. Colors aren't as clear or bright and sometimes nuances just disappear altogether. If you like art, books and posters are great, surfing online is fun, but I urge you to get out and see art in person. Go to your local gallery or museum. Check out the independent galleries and outdoor art shows in your neighborhood. Art should be seen in person.

Just a friendly reminder that my show "Potpourri" opens at Arts on King this Saturday. Details here. 

Trees

Sold

I just can't seem to stop painting birches lately. "Trees" is 24x48 and I think I like this fresh green as much as the blue in the previous one. Besides painting the birches I've been working on some new smalls for my Etsy shop. Stay tuned, I'll be posting new paintings there shortly.

My First Tagging!!

I was tagged yesterday by my new blog friend Sharon of Mana Moon Studios. Sharon is an awesome jewelery artist and along with her husband Damein, they create unique OOAK wearable treasures. Thank you so much for the wonderful post and your kind words!!

This is my first tagging so here are the rules. Mention and link to the person that tagged me. List 8 things about myself. Leave a comment when I'm done posting and tag 8 others. OK. Here goes!!
1. I only recently started blogging and am not very computer savvy. I've so much to learn still and I sometimes (alright, often) feel overwhelmed by it all.
2. I'm a cat person.
3. I didn't use "baby talk" at all when my son was an infant, but find myself using it constantly with our 2 cats. Sickening, I know.
4. I never want to stop learning. I'm a student of life.
5. When I was in gr 10 we took a family vacation to Mexico. I took a month off school and we drove from Toronto, Canada through the U.S. and Mexico to our destination, Acapulco. All my teachers gave me homework to do so I wouldn't fall behind except for my geography teacher. He said I'd learn more from that trip than any textbook could teach. He was so right!!!!!
6. I'm super sensative. I'm a Cancer, a moon-child. Need I say more.
7. Swimming with dolphins is on my bucket list.
8. I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. Oh alright, any movie with Richard Gere or Hugh Grant qualifies.

Well that's it. Here are the 8 people that I'm tagging. Now I know that we are all extremely busy so I would not be offended at all if you aren't into this at the moment. Check out their great blogs too!!
1. Carmen of Melonhead Knitwear.
2. Supria of Supria Designs-Encaustic Musings.
3. Gabriela Delworth
4. Terri from Wind Lost.
5. Trina of Decor Addict
6. Tammy of Art and Insperations.
7. Veronica Funk Musings.
8. Ann Marie of That Girl Designs.

Edited Monday noon.-I just realized that I said "would" be offended if you aren't into this. You know I meant "would'nt" be offended. Dah, how embarrassing!!

it's all for ART.

Chelsea Rooftops by artist Francis Livingston.
Arcadia Fine Arts.
New York.

Fixing the Gown by artist Malcolm T. Liepke.
Arcadia Fine Arts.
New York

It's been an artful weekend here in Toronto. Closing today is the Toronto International Art Fair which I attended as a visitor. This is the ultimate gallery hop as over 100 galleries from around the world participated. I spent a good 3 and 1/2 hours walking the aisles looking at art. Painting, photography, mixed media, sculpture, avant garde and installation. As you know by now, I'm partial to representational art and realism, so I tend to gravitate to the galleries that feature that style of painting. Galerie de Bellefeille's booth seemed different to me from past years as they didn't have as much realistic work as I was expecting. I was very happy to find my new favorite gallery Arcadia Fine Arts from New York was there. This gallery is a showcase for contemporary representational work. I spent a long time in their booth as all the paintings that they featured in the show were stupendous.

On Saturday evening, Oct 4th we had Nuit Blanche Toronto. A free all night contemporary art thing. From Sunset to sunrise the next morning, Toronto was transformed by artists. I haven't attended a Nuit Blanche yet but have heard from many friends that it's absolutely wonderful and "you should go!!" Perhaps next year I'll give up my nice warm bed and 8 hours of sleep to experience this event. After all, it's ll for art!!!

A Little R&R

We have had some really amazing clouds this summer. As someone who's been watching the skies for inspiration lately, I've noticed the cloud formations seem different this summer. They seem bigger and fluffier. I've taken lots of photos as reference for new paintings. Stormy Sky is 30x36 acrylic on a textured canvas. I painted this a couple of years ago and can't seem to part with it. It hangs in our living room and I find it very soothing to look at.

I'll be away for the next week and am not sure how much chance I'll get at blogging. We'll be enjoying some time at a cottage on the beach. I'll be catching up on some reading and just enjoying the sun and the sound of the waves lapping up on the shore. I'm going to re read one of my favorite books. Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I received a copy of this book from my best friend for my 19th birthday. Thanks Margie!! I still have the same copy and have read it many, many times since. The setting of the book is a brief vacation by the sea. "As the sea tosses up its gifts-shells rare and perfect-so the mind, left to its ponderings, brings up its own treasures of the deep. And the shells become symbols here for the aspects of life she is contemplating". A wonderful read about self discovery and I highly reccomend it.

I'll be refreshed and raring to go when I get back. I'll be posting new items in my Etsy shop and will also give details about the giveaway that I've mentioned before. You'll have a chance to win one of 3 original paintings so stay tuned for that. Enjoy what's left of the summer. Have you had a chance to get away and enjoy some R&R???

Square Foot 2008

Here's a preview of what's to come at Arts on King this August. North Country, acrylic on canvas, 36x48 is one of the new paintings I've been finishing up for the show.

I've also heard that I'm in Square Foot 2008!!! When I went down to AWOL Gallery last year to see this show I just new I had to be in it this year. It's really quite amazing. Read all about it here.

New Items listed in my Shop

I just posted 6 new paintings up for sale in my Etsy shop. For those of you that haven't heard, you can purchase my smaller paintings, mixed media, and illustrations from Red Banana's shop on Etsy. Etsy is an online shopping site for things handmade. These 6 new small paintings are from my "Blossoms" series that I did awhile ago. They're painted in acrylic on canvas and I've matted them up with an off white mat. This keeps the price of the work extremely affordable and also easy for shipping. Have a look-they make wonderful gifts!!

Leonardo Gallery, Arts on King

Sky and Sea, 36"x48" will be available at Leonardo Gallery along with 5 other new paintings over the summer. This painting is a little different from my usual landscapes. I don't usually paint in pastel shades but this time it just seemed right.

I will be showing 12 new paintings at Arts on King beginning Aug 2 until the 31st. Yes, Arts on King is back!! It's re-opened at 165 King St. East, Toronto. I was part of a group show at Wagner Rosenbaum Gallery/Arts on King back in 2003. Exactly 5 years ago. (Really, I mean exactly-the dates were the same!). There will be an opening reception on Saturday Aug 2 from 1-4 p.m. although I'm not sure if I will be in attendance yet. That happens to be a long weekend here in Ontario and I'm not sure if we will be in town. I'll post about that as I know.

Whirlwind

This has been a crazy week so far. A whirlwind!! I have been working on new paintings. I was hoping to have had at least a few finished and photographed by now. There are seven canvases in different stages spread out around the studio and spilling into the adjacent living area. My work table is covered with sketches, color charts that I've made, dozens of my reference photographs. On the floor off to one side are small masonite squares 6"x6" in progress for another project that I'm working on. Jann Arden is my music of choice for today and plays rather loud in the background. "Into the Sun". Makes for lovely chaos.

I heard from Leonardo Gallery today about the Toronto International Art Fair. The gallery didn't make it into the show. It's a numbers game. Too few spaces available and too many galleries applying to get them. I'm a little disappointed as I was to be one of six gallery artists to exhibit at that show. Oh well, I'm staying optimisitic. As they say when one door closes another door opens.

The above painting is Sunset Path 36"x48". I painted this a couple of years ago but it really is one of my favorite paintings that I've done. It sits happily in a private collection.

Stormy Weather

It's been crazy busy in my studio for the last few days. I am working on so many things at once I am starting to feel my head spin. I did want to share "Spring Marsh". This is the latest in a series of new paintings. It's funny, I've just noticed that many of the paintings I've posted have either blue or gray skies. Am I that influenced by the weather??? This painting is also available at
XC Art Restoration.

Artists Toronto

This past Saturday I received wonderful news. I had passed the jurying and was now part of Artists Toronto. This is a great website that I just happened to surf into one day, and as I looked all through the site I knew I had to be included. It is a directory of artists in Toronto and it connects the artists with art purchasers, corporate art buyers, interior designers and art lovers. "Winter Dusk" is one of the four images on the Artists Toronto site. I painted this from a photograph taken from a balcony seven stories up, in Montreal.

This has been a busy week so far. I'm several paintings into my new series of urban landscapes. These paintings are much larger than the minis I've posted here in the past. I work on a number of paintings at once, so at any given time I might have five or so paintings in different stages spread out throughout my studio space. This can get crazy at times especially when our two cats decide it's time to play.

I'll post the first in the series here shortly.

Star Spotting on Queen W.

Of all the days NOT to have my camera with me!!!! I had just left Visual Arts Ontario on Queen St. W. and was waiting at the streetcar stop when what loveable duo from HGTV's Home Heist just happened to be filming??? Colin and Justin of course. They were there in all their glory with camera pointing at them. They were right in the middle of shooting and I couldn't hear what they were saying. I got on the streetcar when it came cursing to myself for leaving the house this morning without camera-never again.

I love to watch the design shows on HGTV. I think that if I wasn't an artist, I'd definitely be an interior designer. I have been lucky to have my paintings used as backdrop on set, or purchased for the owner by designers. They have been featured in shows such as Design Inc. and Sarah's House with Sarah Richardson, Designer Guys, and Great Home Giveaway just to name a few.

Cityline with Marilyn Denis, especially Home Day Thursdays would have to be my all time favorite. I never miss an episode. My paintings have been featured on various house tours. The above painting Stormwatch 36"x60" was purchased by the owner of a beautiful home featured in "Beaches Luxury PartOne" a house tour with designer Eric McClelland. My work has also appeared in Family Living and Dining Room with Samantha Farjo, Benjamin Moore Tranquil House with Sharon Grech, and Small Space Condo with Kimberley Seldon. All these house tours can be viewed here.

Cloud Portraits

I've been working on smaller paintings these days. They are a nice break from the larger canvases. Here are some cloud portraits. They are each 6"x6" acrylic on canvas mounted on board.