Sunday, April 27, 2014

Art in the City

The band was taking a break...  
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Toronto artist Kristen Hamilton, who had seen my work on Twitter, and she invited me to participate in a charity art show/music event at a church in the Davisville area of the city. The concept sounded interesting, the charity was certainly worthwhile (SKETCH... a non-profit whose mandate is to help create opportunities for young people living on the margins to create, collaborate and lead), and it would get new eyes on my work, so of course I said yes.

I have never participated in an art event at a church. In fact, I've never been to or heard about art events being held in church, at least in Canada. I know they do that kind of thing in Europe, and there are a few churches in Toronto that have will have concerts. The acoustics in this church were amazing, and the organizers made some adjustments to the lighting so the art looked wonderful. They had wine and cheese, the band was great, and lots of people showed up. It was a great event and I'm happy to have been included. 

My paintings, interspersed with Kristen's, along one wall of the church.
Me, checking out some of the other art. I believe these
ones were done by Gene Tempelmeyer. And looking at this
photo... man, I really need a haircut.


The paintings were hung between these fantastic stained glass windows. Unfortunately by the time we got there it was already too dark outside to get a great view of them... I bet the room looked wonderful this morning. There were a few sales, which was great... I think the one with the tree (between mine, by Toronto artist Kristen Hamilton) was one of them. There are some great photos on the Facebook events page, if you are interested in seeing more.

David Rubel Trio... great performance from these guys. I'm going to watch their website so I can catch them again.
I got some great working photos... not fantastic as photos really, because I'm focusing on certain things
I need to work from. Photographer William Ye was also there... He got some much better shots.
Check them out on his smugmug page.

Oh, and by the way... the winner of last week's draw is Cecile Sheff. I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment. It was brought to my attention that some people were having trouble with the commenting function on the blog, so in light of that I shall be doing this again in the future, but including Facebook, twitter and google+ comments as valid entries. Sorry to anyone who tried to comment and couldn't.


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Thanks.

My booth at Arts on the Credit.
Photo credit: Mississauga News
First off, I want to apologize for not showing up last week. I was exhausted. Who'd have thought standing around talking could take so much out of you? It was fun, and I'll do it again... but next time I'll plan my post in advance.

Slowly I'm getting myself reorganized after the last couple weekends. My paintings are no longer piled up by the door, and I have some work back up on my walls. My house is almost back to normal after a few weeks of neglect, and my studio no longer looks like a bomb went off in there. It's like I can take a deep breath again. Nice. And after that little break I'm looking forward to getting back to work. I've got a hundred ideas floating around in my head... not quite sure where to start....

Arts on the Credit was a great show. Those who had a chance to get down there to see for themselves can verify that. The quality of the art on display was amazing, and I felt honoured to be exhibiting in their company. I have posted some photos over on my Facebook page, if you're curious. I was lucky enough to be featured in the local paper twice in one week, once before the show, and once after. What a nice show of support from the organizers and the paper. I'm grateful. I had a lot of wonderful conversations with visitors that weekend, and lots of positive comments and feedback. It has helped me to see first-hand that people are connecting with my work.

I was surprised at how many people came out who I know only through social media. It was wonderful to meet you in person and talk like old friends. Thank you for coming. And thanks to everyone who has shared my images and sent positive comments online. I really do appreciate it.

So... to say thanks in a more substantial way, I will be giving away this small original painting pictured below. It is acrylic on paper, matted to 8x10" so that it will fit into any standard size frame. Here's how this will work: Leave a comment on my blog, and say how you found me. Next weekend I will write down all the names, put them in a bowl, and choose one at random. If you share this post, tell me that too (and on what platform) and I will add your name twice. I will announce the winner in next week's post. I will get in touch to get your address, and will pop it in the mail. Easy as that. Looking forward to hearing from you.  :)

Original artwork to be given away....


Sunday, April 6, 2014

Ready

My work is stacked up by the door, ready to go.
April is going to be a busy month. Busier than I've been in a long time actually, and that's a really good thing. With my work in two galleries I've been shuttling my work between the two, and not really getting out and promoting myself the way I used to. While I enjoy interacting with the curators, I miss the feedback I get from art fairs and small shows. And it's not like my work has been flying off their walls... the way people discover and purchase art have changed dramatically over the past few years, and it's been tricky for both artists and galleries to navigate the quickly changing landscape. I figured doing a few art fairs and local venues would be good for me, both from a promotional point of view and to get that feedback I've been lacking.

So, here's what's going on in April:

Sunday April 6th: Lakeshore Yacht Club's Annual Charity Art Show and Sale. A percentage of all sales goes to the Etobicoke Humane Society. It's from 12-4 in the clubhouse, and is open to the public. There will be about 10 artists there, with work varying from photography to stained glass. Pretty good turn out last year... I'm hoping this year will be better.

Saturday and Sunday April 12-13: Arts on the Credit Fine Art Show and Sale. I will be there with about 30 other artists, in the ballroom of the lovely Waterside Inn, in Mississauga, Ontario. I have a fairly large space, so I'm taking a good selection of work with me. And with the show being so close to home, I can take different pieces on each day.

Friday April 25th: Art in the CityAn evening of live jazz music, wine & cheese, and art created by local artists in the heart of Davisville Village. Drop in anytime between 7 and 10 pm at the Church of the Transfiguration, 111 Manor Rd. East, Toronto. I'm not sure how many artists will be there, but it sounds like a fun evening.

Hope to see you there. Be sure to stop by and say hello.